SPECOPSLAB
OFFICIALlast verified 2026-10-18

1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment (NZSAS)
NZDF Assessment Day (A-Day) — NZSAS trade-specific standard

At the NZDF Assessment Day (A-Day) every candidate completes the Multi-Stage Fitness Test (beep test) and press-ups, and the results are graded. For the NZSAS trade the Defence Careers site sets a specific standard: beep test level 12.01 and 30 press-ups, one value with no distinction by sex. These are the only official NZSAS thresholds published; the selection course itself has no public standards.

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minimum 12.01
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minimum 30

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Pay · free · TR table from 1 Apr 2025, floor from 1 Apr 2026

What an NZSAS operator earns

Pay grade
Step 5
Gross · Corporal (CPL) · Other Ranks, Sector A Tier 1 – Sector D Tier 3 · Step 5NZ$82,481 per year, before tax
Base pay grows with service — tap a bar

The NZDF pays Total Remuneration (TR) per year: base salary plus the military factor (NZD 18,024) plus a 4% employer superannuation contribution. Shown is the TR table from 1 April 2025 — the REM:2025 round did not raise military pay tables — with cells below the 2026 minimum-wage floor lifted to NZD 69,833. The sector and tier of the NZSAS trade are not public, so each step shows the range from Sector A Tier 1 to Sector D Tier 3; the separate Special Operations pay progression model and any special-forces allowance are unpublished and not included.

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

The test, event by event

EventNZSAS A-Day standard
Multi-Stage Fitness Test (beep test), level.shuttle — e.g. 11.0912.01
Press-ups30

Also required

  • NZDF-wide physical criteria: height at least 1.52 m (above 1.96 m may rule out some trades), weight up to 125 kg, BMI 18–30 (up to 33 considered if due to muscle mass). Hearing aids are disqualifying; blood pressure of 140/90 or higher, or blood-pressure medication, restricts entry.
  • Path: the NZSAS also accepts candidates directly from civilian life (direct entry), as confirmed by an NZDF Official Information Act release (OIA-2022-4567). At A-Day the beep test and press-ups are graded, and the NZSAS trade must meet or surpass its specific standard.
Sources:

Questions

Is passing the A-Day standard enough to get into the NZSAS?

No. It is only the entry screen at Assessment Day. The NZDF publishes no official standards for the selection course itself — loaded marches, swimming or pull-ups — so we do not use the press descriptions of it. The site also does not say whether the standard applies only to direct-entry civilians or to serving soldiers as well.

How does it compare with the general Army standard?

The general A-Day minimum for men is beep test 7.10 and 5 press-ups, and the top grade, STRONG, starts at 10.05 and 30. The NZSAS beep-test standard of 12.01 is therefore well above the top of the general scale, while 30 press-ups equals STRONG — and the men’s 1st Class Pass in the Army fitness test for serving soldiers (RFL) at every age.

Where do the numbers come from?

From the official Defence Careers site (defencecareers.mil.nz), page "Medical & Fitness", table of trade-specific A-Day standards. The page is undated; we read it on 18 October 2026. Beep-test notation 12.01 means level 12, shuttle 1 — enter the shuttle with two digits (e.g. 11.09) so results compare correctly.

Compare with

AUSTRALIAAustralian Army — Special Forces Operator (SASR, 1st & 2nd Commando Regiment)Special Forces PFA (Pre-entry Fitness Assessment)UNITED KINGDOMRoyal Marines CommandoRoyal Marines Fitness Test (RMFT)CANADAJoint Task Force 2 (JTF 2) — Special Operations AssaulterCANSOFCOM PFSE 1