Royal Marines vs Recces
Fitness test and pay side by side. The published minimum fitness standards of Royal Marines and Recces, event by event, with pay where we have it. Higher levels are in the paid report.
UNITED KINGDOMRoyal Marines CommandoRoyal Marines Fitness Test (RMFT)OFFICIALlast 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
| Event | Royal Marines | Recces |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-stage fitness test (bleep), level | 11only this unit | — |
| Pull-ups (overhand) | 5only this unit | — |
| Push-upsRecces: Push-ups without breaking rhythm | 40same | 40same |
| Sit-upsRecces: Sit-ups in 2 min | 50 | 67stricter |
| 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: sit-ups.
Same minimum: push-ups.
Royal Marines tests 4 events, Recces tests 5 events.
Pay
No pay data yet.
Amounts are in each country’s own currency and are not converted.
Questions
Is Royal Marines or Recces harder to get into?
Recces sets the higher minimum in: sit-ups. Same minimum: 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 Royal Marines and Recces fitness tests differ?
Royal Marines: 4 events (bleep, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups). Recces: 5 events (push-ups, sit-ups, fireman, run 5k, shuttle).
Does Royal Marines or Recces pay more?
We have pay data for Royal Marines (£27,282/year, default scenario, gross) but not yet for Recces.
- Minimum — royalnavy.mod.uk — Commando Recruit Orientation Phase (2026-10-18)
- Minimum (same for all candidates) — defenceWeb, “SA Special Forces are recruiting” (28.02.2025, citing the SANDF announcement); confirmed by defenceWeb, “Fact file: Special Forces training” (18.01.2010) and L. Engelbrecht, A Guide to the SANDF, ch. 8 (2007, citing careers.mil.za) (2025-02-28) · APPROXIMATE