SPECOPSLAB
OFFICIALlast verified 2026-10-18

Utin jääkärirykmentti (UJR) — Laskuvarjojääkärit
Entrance exam physical tests (valintakokeiden fyysiset testit)

Finnish paratroopers (laskuvarjojääkärit) are conscripts trained by the Utti Jaeger Regiment in Kouvola for 347 days, with intake in July; applications run from 1 September to 30 November and 60–80 candidates are admitted. A 12-minute run of at least 3,000 m is the pre-selection cut-off, and the two-day January exam scores strength events, a 3 km run with a 10 kg backpack, swimming and skiing out of 48 points. Candidates need at least 1 point in every event, and the score needed to go on (29–32 points) changes every year.

Move the sliders to your latest results. The verdict updates instantly against the published standards — calculated in your browser, nothing stored.

–
minimum 3000 mtarget 3000 m
–
minimum 1:45target 1:45
–
minimum 32target 48
–
minimum 22target 38
–
minimum 40target 60
–
minimum 6target 14
–
minimum 2 mtarget 2.4 m
–
minimum 14:30target 12:00
–
minimum 4:45target 3:15

Your profile

The bigger your shape, the closer you are to the target line.

minimumtargetyou

Pay · free · AU table from 1 Jul 2025; conscript allowance from 1 Feb 2026

What a conscript paratrooper (laskuvarjojääkäri) gets — and what professional soldiers earn afterwards — Utti, Kouvola

Pay grade
days 1–165
Gross · Conscript — daily allowance × 30 days (varusmies, päiväraha) · days 1–165€185 per month, before tax
Base pay grows with service — tap a bar
Not included in the total
  • Conscript parachute allowance — basic course, one-off (laskuvarjohyppylisä)€110 one-off
  • Conscript parachute allowance per jump, up to 20 jumps (laskuvarjohyppylisä)€22 per jump
  • Exercise allowance for professional soldiers, per day of military exercise (harjoituskorvaus) provisional€141.64 per day
  • Parachute allowance for professional jumpers, at least 2 jumps a month — 2021 rate (laskuvarjohyppylisä) provisional€192.50 per month

Laskuvarjojääkärit are conscripts: from 1 Feb 2026 they receive a tax-free daily allowance (päiväraha) of €6.15, €10.20 and €14.25 a day, shown here × 30 days (our calculation) — €3,243.75 over the 347-day service, plus the jump allowance — and conscript service earns no pension. The AU grades are the Defence Forces NCO pay table of 1 Jul 2025; the raise of 1 Oct 2026 (2.10% general plus a 0.90% agency share) has no published table yet. A contract soldier (sopimussotilas) on the special forces course is paid AU 1 at 17% (the Defence Forces quote about €2,000 a month including allowances, with board and lodging at own expense); the AU class of special-forces NCO posts is not public and no special-forces allowance has been found.

provisional = official source with a provisional legal status, a secondary source or our own calculation; see the sources.

The test, event by event

EventMinimum — 1 point per eventFull points — 3 per strength event, 20 for the run, 3 for the swim
12-minute run, pre-selection cut-off (12 minuutin juoksutesti)3000 m3000 m
Coordination test — 10 line runs + 10 body-control moves, total time (koordinaatiotesti)1:451:45
Sit-ups in 60 s, hands behind the neck (vatsalihasliike)3248
Push-ups in 60 s, elbows to 90° (etunojapunnerrus)2238
Back extensions in 60 s, torso raised 30 cm (selkälihasliike)4060
Pull-ups, underhand, no time limit (leuanveto)614
Standing long jump, best of 2 (vauhditon pituushyppy)2 m2.4 m
3 km timed run with a backpack of about 10 kg (reppujuoksu)14:3012:00
200 m freestyle swim, no goggles, diving start (uinti)4:453:15

Also required

  • At least 18 years old before service starts; fitness category A (palveluskelpoisuusluokka A); visual acuity of at least 1.0 in each eye without glasses or contact lenses (surgical correction allowed), normal field of vision, flawless colour vision and normal hearing; consent to drug testing; sufficient Finnish, as training is only in Finnish.
  • Disqualifying, among others: asthma, coeliac disease, symptomatic lactose intolerance, allergies requiring treatment, recent fractures and criminal record entries. Since November 2022 you cannot apply once you have started conscript service in another unit.
  • Pre-selection: a self-declared 12-minute run result of at least 3,000 m, no older than 6 months, plus the ability to swim more than 200 m and reasonable skiing skills. The January exam also includes a feet-first jump from 5 m, a dive for 2 objects from 4 m (pass/fail), a ski test (5 km timed, up to 10 points, 1 point per minute, no published time table), psychological tests, interviews and a medical.
  • Career route: the Defence Forces special forces course (erikoisjoukkokurssi) at Utti uses the same physical tests, but its required total score is higher and not published. It is open to reserve NCOs and officers under 30, requires a B driving licence and lasts 12 months from July; some graduates are hired as special-forces NCOs (erikoisjääkärialiupseeri).
Sources:

Questions

How is the exam scored?

Out of 48 points: each of the five strength events gives 1–3 points, the 3 km backpack run up to 20 (12:00 = 20, minus 1 point per 15 s, over 14:30 eliminates), the 200 m swim 1–3 (over 4:45 eliminates) and the ski test up to 10. The coordination test and the 5 m jump and dive are pass/fail. Every event needs at least 1 point, and the total needed to go on is 29–32, set anew each year. The calculator shows the 1-point column as the minimum and full points as the higher level; the ski test is left out because no time table is published.

Are the thresholds different by age or sex?

No. The intti.fi page publishes a single points table for all applicants. The age-based fitness classes used inside the Defence Forces are not public.

Where do the numbers come from?

From the Finnish Defence Forces page "Laskuvarjojääkärit" on intti.fi, read from the Wayback Machine copy of 2 August 2026 because the site blocks automated access. The same test battery appears on the puolustusvoimat.fi page "Puolustusvoimien erikoisjoukkokurssi" (copy of 24 July 2026).

Compare with

NORWAYForsvarets spesialkommando (FSK) — SpesialjegerSpesialjegeropptak — physical requirements (fysiske krav)DENMARKJægerkorpset — Operatør (jægersoldat)Fysisk test niveau 5 + 2nd selection minimumsGERMANYKommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) — KommandosoldatPFV Phase 1 — minimum standards (Kommandosoldat)