The beep test is a fitness test that measures your aerobic endurance by having you run back and forth between two lines 20 meters apart, keeping pace with recorded beeps that get progressively faster. It starts easy and gets harder every minute until you can no longer keep up. Your final level and shuttle number give an estimate of your VO2 max, which is the gold standard measure of cardiovascular fitness.
Also called the multi-stage fitness test, the bleep test, or the PACER test (in schools), it was developed in 1980 by Luc Léger and Robert Boucher at the Université de Montréal. Originally designed as a field-based alternative to expensive lab treadmill testing, it quickly became the go-to fitness assessment for military branches, police and fire departments, sports teams, and school physical education programs worldwide.
How the Test Works
Two lines of cones are set 20 meters (about 65 feet) apart on a flat, non-slip surface. An audio recording plays a series of beeps, and you have to reach the opposite line before the next beep sounds. Each completed 20-meter run is called a “shuttle.” The test is organized into levels, and each level lasts roughly one minute.
Level 1 starts at 8.0 km/h (about a brisk walk or slow jog) with 7 shuttles, giving you 9 seconds per shuttle. Every time you move up a level, the speed increases by 0.5 km/h, which means the beeps come faster and you have less time to cover the same 20 meters. By level 10, you’re running at 13.0 km/h with only 5.5 seconds per shuttle. By level 21, the final level, the pace hits 18.0 km/h (a roughly 5:20-per-mile pace) and you’re completing 16 shuttles in that stage.
You must place at least one foot on or beyond the 20-meter line before the beep sounds each time. If you arrive late, you typically get one or two warnings. Miss two consecutive beeps and the test is over. Your score is recorded as a level and shuttle number, like “8/6,” meaning you completed 6 shuttles into level 8.
What the Test Actually Measures
The beep test estimates your VO2 max: the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. A higher VO2 max means your heart, lungs, and muscles are more efficient at delivering and using oxygen, which translates directly to endurance.
Researchers have developed several prediction equations that convert your final speed (called maximal aerobic speed, or MAS) into a VO2 max estimate. The most widely cited formula, from Léger’s own research, is: VO2 max = (6.0 × final speed in km/h) − 24.4. So if you reach level 9 (running at 12.5 km/h), your estimated VO2 max is about 50.6 ml/kg/min. These equations aren’t perfectly precise for every individual, but across large groups they correlate well with laboratory treadmill results, which is why the test remains so popular.
What Counts as a Good Score
Scores vary significantly by age, sex, and training background. For a general adult population, here’s a rough guide:
- Below average: Level 5 or lower for men, level 4 or lower for women
- Average: Levels 6 to 8 for men, levels 5 to 7 for women
- Good: Levels 9 to 11 for men, levels 8 to 10 for women
- Excellent: Level 12+ for men, level 11+ for women
For context, many police and fire departments set their minimum passing standard somewhere between level 6 and level 9, depending on the role. The Australian Institute of Sport reportedly requires elite men’s hockey players to reach at least level 15.
Elite and Record-Level Scores
Among professional athletes, anything above level 15 is considered elite. Some of the highest recorded scores come from field hockey and Australian Rules football players. Jose Romero, an AFL player for North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs in the 1990s, reached level 17.1. Premier League soccer player Lee Gong Dook and Australian field hockey player Zain Wright also hit level 17. Rugby flanker Neil Back reported the same in his autobiography. The unverified all-time best belongs to former AFL player Robert Harvey, who reportedly scored 18.5 and 18.8 in the late 1990s.
For women, the highest confirmed scores come from New Zealand’s Black Sticks hockey team: Suzie Muirhead and Diana Weavers both reached level 15.0 in 2007 testing. In AFL, Heather Anderson reached level 14.5 during talent screening.
How It Differs From the Yo-Yo Test
The beep test is often confused with the Yo-Yo test, and they do look similar. Both use a 20-meter shuttle distance and audio beeps. The key difference is rest. The beep test is continuous: you run back and forth without stopping until you can’t keep up. The Yo-Yo test builds in a 10-second recovery period after every 40 meters (two shuttles), making it more of an interval fitness test. There is one version, the Yo-Yo Endurance Test Level 1, that’s essentially identical to the beep test, but the more commonly used Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test is a distinctly different challenge that better reflects the stop-start demands of team sports.
How to Set Up the Test
You need a flat surface (a gym floor, track, or firm field), cones or markers to define the two 20-meter lines, and the official beep test audio recording. Free and paid versions of the audio are available online and through mobile apps. Place markers at each end 2 meters back from the running lines so runners have a visual buffer and don’t collide with walls or fences. That’s it. No treadmill, no heart rate monitor, no lab equipment required. This simplicity is one reason the test became a global standard.
How to Improve Your Score
Because the test is an endurance challenge with a turning component, improving your score requires both aerobic base-building and shuttle-specific practice.
Start with steady-state running three to four times per week. Runs of 20 to 30 minutes at a conversational pace build the cardiovascular foundation you need to survive the early and middle levels. Once you’re comfortable running continuously for 30 minutes, add interval sessions: repeated efforts of 1 to 2 minutes at a pace that makes talking difficult, with equal rest between efforts. This trains your body to sustain higher speeds as the levels climb.
Practice the actual test regularly, ideally every one to two weeks. Familiarity with the pacing, the turns, and the sensation of the beeps getting closer together matters more than most people expect. Turning efficiently at each line saves a fraction of a second per shuttle, which adds up over dozens of repetitions. Keep your turns tight by decelerating slightly in the last few steps, planting one foot on the line, and pushing off in the new direction rather than running past the line and looping back.
The total distance covered in the test is substantial. Reaching level 10 means running 1,880 meters (nearly 1.2 miles) in about 10 and a half minutes. Reaching level 13 covers 2,620 meters in under 14 minutes. Reaching level 15 totals 3,140 meters, close to 2 miles, in just under 16 minutes. Knowing these distances helps you calibrate your regular training runs to match the demands of your target level.