Nearly half of elementary and high schools in the US use the Presidential Fitness Test. It checks kids' fitness levels. Students are tested at least twice a year. In 1956, US President Eisenhower created the test, and it has been a tradition in schools since 1966. There are five activities in the test: sit-ups , push-ups , sit and reach, endurance run or walk and shuttle run . Students who get scores at or above 85 percent on all the activities can get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. The test encourages students to live a healthy and active life. Students taking the test are really testing their limits, according to the US National Association for Sport and Physical Education. China has a similar test: the physical education(PE) test. Beginning at the age of 7, students in China are tested twice a year to check if they are healthy and strong. They also finish activities like the endurance run, sit-ups and the shuttle run. However, unlike students in the US who get awards, Chinese students get points in PE tests. The highest score is 100. For junior school students, the PE test is more important because it is worth 30 to 40 points in the entrance exam for senior high school. In order to get a good score, most students begin to prepare for the test in their junior one year. Who can get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award?
Students who finish all the activities. Students who finish first on the test. Students who make the greatest progress in the test. Students who get scores of 85 percent or above on all the activities.