SPECOPSLAB

NZSAS vs Recces

Fitness test and pay side by side. The published minimum fitness standards of NZSAS and Recces, event by event, with pay where we have it. Higher levels are in the paid report.

NEW ZEALAND1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment (NZSAS)NZDF Assessment Day (A-Day) — NZSAS trade-specific standardOFFICIALlast verified 2026-10-18Open the calculator →SOUTH AFRICASouth African Special Forces Brigade — 4 and 5 Special Forces Regiment (Recces)Special Forces entry phase (secondary sources)APPROXIMATElast verified 2026-10-18Open the calculator →

Minimum standards, event by event

EventNZSASRecces
Multi-Stage Fitness Test (beep test), level.shuttle — e.g. 11.0912.01only this unit—
Press-upsRecces: Push-ups without breaking rhythm3040stricter
Sit-ups in 2 min—67only this unit
175 m fireman’s lift run, carrying another person—1:05only this unit
5 km run—24:00only this unit
Shuttle run, 40 × 6 m—1:35only this unit

Events in the same row are similar but not identical — read the event names.

Higher levels (e.g. competitive or elevated standards) and your gap to each are in the paid report.

Where the bar is higher

Recces sets the higher minimum in: push-ups.

NZSAS tests 2 events, Recces tests 5 events.

Pay

NZSAS
NZ$82,481–NZ$98,846 / yearWhat an NZSAS operator earns · Corporal (CPL) · Other Ranks, Sector A Tier 1 – Sector D Tier 3 · Step 5 · default scenario, grosspartly provisional
RECCES

No pay data yet.

Amounts are in each country’s own currency and are not converted.

Questions

Is NZSAS or Recces harder to get into?

Recces sets the higher minimum in: push-ups. These are only the published fitness minimums; selection itself, medical and other requirements differ, and passing the minimum does not guarantee selection.

How do the NZSAS and Recces fitness tests differ?

NZSAS: 2 events (beep test, press-ups). Recces: 5 events (push-ups, sit-ups, fireman, run 5k, shuttle).

Does NZSAS or Recces pay more?

We have pay data for NZSAS (NZ$82,481–NZ$98,846/year, default scenario, gross) but not yet for Recces.

Sources:
NZSAS
Recces