How to Join Pakistan Army: PMA Long Course Eligibility, Physical Standards and Selection Process

The Pakistan Military Academy Long Course, known as the PMA Long Course, is the main route to becoming a commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army. Cadets train for two years at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul and, on completion, are commissioned as Second Lieutenants. This guide gives the evergreen eligibility, physical standards and selection process, so you can prepare for the next course even when registration is closed.

Registration status: read this first

The most recent course, PMA Long Course 159, took registrations from 14 September to 23 October 2026, and that window is now closed. Do not apply against course 159. Use this guide to prepare, and check the official portal at joinpakarmy.gov.pk for the next course announcement, its dates and its advertisement.

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Who can apply

• Nationality: male citizens of Pakistan, including domicile holders of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Dual nationality holders must surrender the foreign nationality on final selection.
• Marital status: unmarried. Married serving personnel of the armed forces above 20 years of age are also eligible.
• Age, as on 1 May of the course year: Intermediate (FA/FSc) 17 to 22 years; two year graduates and serving Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force personnel 17 to 23 years; four year degree holders 17 to 24 years; serving Army soldiers 17 to 25 years.
• Education: FA/FSc with at least 60 percent marks. Graduates with 60 percent marks in their degree can apply with 50 percent marks in FA/FSc. Candidates from specified remote areas get a lower marks threshold, and the exact figure for your domicile is printed in the course advertisement.
• Physical standards: minimum height 5 feet 4 inches (162.5 cm), weight as per the Body Mass Index chart, and Army medical standards.

Physical tests

The preliminary physical test at the Army Selection and Recruitment Centre includes a 1.6 kilometre run in 8 minutes, 15 push-ups in 2 minutes, 3 chin-ups in 2 minutes, and ditch crossing. Sit-ups are also tested, and the exact count is set in the course advertisement, so train above the minimum rather than to one number.

Selection process, step by step

1. Register online at joinpakarmy.gov.pk, or at the nearest Army Selection and Recruitment Centre, and print your roll number slip.
2. Appear for preliminary written and intelligence tests, the physical test, and the initial medical examination at the centre.
3. Attend the interview at the centre.
4. Appear before the Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB) for psychological tests, group tasks and interviews.
5. Clear the final medical examination at a Combined Military Hospital.
6. Wait for the final merit list. Selected candidates join PMA Kakul for two years of training.

Documents to keep ready

Keep your original educational certificates and mark sheets, your CNIC (or Form-B with your guardian's CNIC if you are under 18), your domicile certificate, recent passport size photographs, and attested photocopies of all documents. Candidates with O and A Levels need an equivalence certificate from the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen.

Common mistakes to avoid

Do not apply against a closed course number, do not trust a job blog's dates over the official portal, and do not wait for the last day to register, because the portal and the test centres get crowded. If a course advertisement and a blog disagree, the advertisement wins.

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Sources: Pakistan Army official recruitment portal, joinpakarmy.gov.pk; PMA Long Course 159 course reporting by Pakera and Rozigo, checked October 2026.