What Happens If You Fail IPPT: Complete Guide
By Adrian Tan | Last updated: August 16, 2026
Failing your IPPT means you move into the 10-session NS FIT programme, which replaced Remedial Training in 2021. You attempt one IPPT within those 10 sessions, and passing at any point ends the programme early. Miss your IPPT window entirely without an approved exemption, and you become a defaulter, which brings its own disciplinary process separate from a simple fail.
I have coached NSmen through this exact situation at a gym in Singapore, and the panic I see after a failed attempt almost never matches the actual process. The system gives you more room to recover than most people expect.
What Counts As A Fail
A fail means your total score falls below the passing mark for your category: 51 points for NSmen, 61 points for NSF, Regulars, and Pre-Enlistees. Scoring zero in any single station is an automatic fail regardless of your combined total in the other two, since every station requires at least one point. Check your exact score with our IPPT calculator if you’re not sure where you stand.
A fail is not the same as a default. A fail means you attempted the test and came up short. A default means you did not attempt the test at all within your window, or did not complete your required NS FIT sessions. The two trigger different processes, and mixing them up is one of the most common sources of confusion among NSmen researching this topic.
| Fail | Default | |
|---|---|---|
| Did you attempt the test? | Yes | No |
| Immediate next step | 10-session NS FIT | 10-session NS FIT in your next window |
| Disciplinary risk | None, as long as NS FIT is completed | Only if NS FIT is not completed in that next window |
The Immediate Next Step: NS FIT
Once you fail, you move into NS FIT. The programme consists of 10 sessions, one of which is your IPPT attempt. Sessions run about 60 to 75 minutes at Fitness Conditioning Centres, in parks, through HPB Quick HIIT classes, or virtually through FIT@Home.
If you pass your IPPT at any point during those 10 sessions, the remaining sessions are cancelled. You are not required to complete a fixed programme once your fitness requirement is met.
For the full breakdown of session types, locations, timings, and what a session actually involves, see our complete guide to NS FIT and how it replaced Remedial Training.
If You Miss Your Window Entirely
Not attempting your IPPT at all within your window, without an approved exemption, makes you an IPPT defaulter. The current process is more forgiving than older, pre-2021 information circulating online suggests. You are not immediately penalised. Instead, you complete 10 mandatory NS FIT sessions in your next window. Only if you fail to complete those sessions within that following window does the disciplinary process begin, starting with a Stern Warning letter before escalating further.
Booking a session and then not showing up carries no punishment on its own. You can reschedule freely within your window. The consequence only applies to the full window being missed, not to individual missed bookings.
For the complete disciplinary process, including what a Summary Trial actually involves, read our detailed guide to IPPT defaulter consequences.
Genuine Medical Or Personal Circumstances
If injury or illness prevents you from testing, a Medical Certificate from your doctor is the valid starting point. Full exemption from the annual IPPT requirement requires either 6 months of continuous medical exemption or 9 months of cumulative medical exemption within your window. Anything shorter delays your attempt rather than exempting you outright.
Book a medical review through Manage Medical on OneNS and get your excuse endorsed by your unit Medical Officer.
NSmen permanently downgraded to PES B3 or below, or PES C2 and below, are exempt from IPPT altogether.
Can You Retake IPPT
Yes, and there is no cap on the number of attempts within your window until you reach Gold. Only your first three attempts count toward service pay and the annual call-up limit, though later attempts still count toward qualifying for an award. Single-station retests are also available within 90 days of your original attempt, so a weak run does not always mean redoing your push-ups and sit-ups too.
For the full rules on attempt limits, single-station retests, and how NS FIT interacts with a retake, see our [complete guide to IPPT retake rules.]
Frequently Asked Questions
Adrian Tan – IPPT Trainer & Fitness Content Specialist
