Indoor Obstacle Course Test
Encyclopedia
The IOCT is a test of full-body functional physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

 administered by the Department of Physical Education (DPE) at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 at West Point, NY. DPE considers the IOCT to be one of the best evaluations of total body fitness given in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Cadets who earn an A- (2:38 or less for males and 3:11 or less for females) are authorized to wear the IOCT Badge on their athletic shorts.

Description

DPE administers the test in historic Hayes Gymnasium
Hayes Gymnasium
Hayes Gymnasium , completed in 1910, is the oldest section of the current Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center at the United States Military Academy...

, built in 1910. The IOCT is similar in concept to the obstacle course seen on the TV show American Gladiators
American Gladiators (2008 TV series)
American Gladiators is an American competition TV show that aired on NBC and Citytv in Canada. Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, the show matches amateur athletes against each other and the show's own "gladiators" in contests of strength, agility, and endurance...

, with the addition of a quarter mile sprint at the conclusion of the course. DPE administers the IOCT in the winter months, usually in early February. Large crowds of cadets, officers, and other onlookers gather to watch. The recent popularity of fitness methods such as CrossFit
CrossFit
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning brand that combines weightlifting, sprinting, gymnastics, powerlifting, kettlebell training, plyometrics, rowing, and medicine ball training...

 and Parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

 have caused a renewed interest in the IOCT. Due to the extreme intensity of the event, cadets sometimes become nauseous and vomit shortly after completion, while many cadets take hours to fully recover from coughing and wheezing afterward. This wheezing is said to be the "Arvin Black Lung".

Relevance

Army Regulation 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development, http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r350_1.pdf specifically supports functional fitness and the IOCT by specifically naming numerous skill related components of fitness, like balance, agility, and coordination by stating "Preparation for the APFT is of secondary importance. Maintenance of the military skills listed
below will also be emphasized."


The IOCT is often cited or studied in articles concerning high intensity human performance and obstacle courses. This is due to the large amount of available date due to the lengthy history of the course. It has been administered with few changes since 1944.

Test Sequence

The test consists of 11 events performed sequentially: low crawl under barrier, tire footwork, two-handed vault
Vault (parkour)
In the discipline of parkour, a vault is any type of movement that involves jumping or leaping over an obstacle while putting weight on it with one's hands. Parkour vaults enable the practitioner to quickly and efficiently pass over railings, tables, walls, and platforms.There are many types of...

, 8 ft horizontal shelf, horizontal bar navigation, hanging tire, balance beam, 8 ft horizontal wall, 20 ft horizontal ladder, 16 ft vertical rope, and 350m sprint (carrying a 6 lb  medicine ball for the first 120m, a baton for the second 120m, and empty-handed for the remaining 110m). Because of the unique level of athletic skill needed to pass the test and the tremendous level of effort needed to excel at it, the IOCT holds a special place in the hearts of all West Point Cadets and graduates. A search of YouTube will return many videos about it, both serious and comical. The IOCT is both feared and revered by the members of the Long Gray Line and is seen as a link between graduates of long ago and cadets of today.

History

DPE began administering the IOCT in 1944 during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After lessons learned from WWII, the IOCT was changed to obstacles that are similar to what we see today. The test has changed little since 1948.
  • 1944: An Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT) was created to bring about a more comprehensive measurement of cadet physical ability.
  • 1948: The IOCT was reexamined and military specific items were replaced by a series of obstacles that measured agility, strength,technique, and cardiovascular ability.
  • 1975: The IOCT was altered due to the concern about the potential for injury in the dive roll which started the test. The dive roll was replaced by the low crawl. Additionally, the cargo net used to reach the balcony if the rope or shelf could not be negotiated was replaced by stairs.
  • 1979: The IOCT changed slightly again. A ladder replaced the stairs used by cadets unable to negotiate the shelf or rope climb to reach the balcony.
  • 1981: The last significant changes were made to the IOCT. The IOCT’s emphasis on upper body strength had consistently been a problem for women since their admission in 1976. To reduce this emphasis and include additional tests of balance and agility the parallel bar walk was eliminated and a tire run and balance beam were added. This resulted in a sharp decline in IOCT failure rates for both men and women.
  • 1982: IOCT passing times changed to: Men - 3:19 Women - 6:28
  • 1985: IOCT passing times changed to: Men - 3:19 Women - 5:29
  • 1986: The cargo net is re-inserted to replace the ladder for those cadets unable to negotiate the shelf or rope climb to reach the balcony. Additionally, automatic IOCT failure for any cadet who must attempt the cargo net and fails to reach balcony e.g., cargo net failure.
  • 1989: Fourth Class IOCT grade was incorporated into their Fourth Class Gymnastics subcourse grade. Only those cadets who scored a C- or lower on their Third Class IOCT had to take the IOCT again during their Second Class year.
  • 2002:All second class cadets are required to take the IOCT. It is incorporated into the Fourth Class Gymnastics course, but the second class takes the test at some point during the year. Upper classmen's times are incorporated into their overall physical grade. An upperclassman failing the IOCT is subject to some form of punishment or restriction until such time as he can pass the test.

Records

The all time record for the IOC is held by Adam Radicic (Class of 1998), with a time of 1:51. This is 11 seconds faster than the second fastest time of 2:02. Both scores are several standard deviations below the average. The all time record for females is held by CDT Tonya Cheek (Class of 1989) with a time of 2:29.

Grade Scale

Male Female
A+ 2:26 or Less 3:11 or Less
A 2:27-2:33 3:12-3:23
A- 2:34-2:38 3:24-3:35
B+ 2:39-2:41 3:36-3:47
B 2:42-2:44 3:48-4:01
B- 2:45-2:49 4:04-4:06
C+ 2:50-2:54 4:07-4:24
C 2:55-3:01 4:25-4:54
C- 3:02-3:13 4:55-5:17
D 3:14-3:30 5:18-5:29
F 3:31+ 5:30+
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