What is the beep test?
The beep test — also called the 20 m multistage fitness test (MSFT), shuttle run or bleep test — is one of the most widely used fitness tests in the world. It is used by schools, sports teams, police and fire services and armed forces. You run back and forth between two lines 20 m apart, arriving at each line before the next beep. The beeps get closer together every minute, and the test ends when you can no longer keep up.
The test was developed by Luc Léger and colleagues in Canada in the early 1980s, and the version most familiar in the UK and Commonwealth was published by Ramsbottom, Brewer and Williams in 1988.
How VO2max is estimated
This calculator uses the equation of Flouris, Metsios and Koutedakis (2005), which predicts VO2max from the running speed of the last level you reached:
speed = km/h of the last level reached (level 1 = 8.0, level 2 = 9.0, +0.5 per level)
For example, reaching level 10 (13.0 km/h) gives (13.0 × 6.65 − 35.8) × 0.95 + 0.182 ≈ 48.3 ml/kg/min. Because the estimate depends on the level’s speed, completing more shuttles within a level does not change the VO2max estimate — but it does add distance.
Beep test levels table
| Level | Speed | Shuttles | Cumulative shuttles | Distance at end | Est. VO2max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.0 km/h | 7 | 7 | 140 m | 16.7 |
| 2 | 9.0 km/h | 8 | 15 | 300 m | 23.0 |
| 3 | 9.5 km/h | 8 | 23 | 460 m | 26.2 |
| 4 | 10.0 km/h | 9 | 32 | 640 m | 29.3 |
| 5 | 10.5 km/h | 9 | 41 | 820 m | 32.5 |
| 6 | 11.0 km/h | 10 | 51 | 1020 m | 35.7 |
| 7 | 11.5 km/h | 10 | 61 | 1220 m | 38.8 |
| 8 | 12.0 km/h | 11 | 72 | 1440 m | 42.0 |
| 9 | 12.5 km/h | 11 | 83 | 1660 m | 45.1 |
| 10 | 13.0 km/h | 11 | 94 | 1880 m | 48.3 |
| 11 | 13.5 km/h | 12 | 106 | 2120 m | 51.5 |
| 12 | 14.0 km/h | 12 | 118 | 2360 m | 54.6 |
| 13 | 14.5 km/h | 13 | 131 | 2620 m | 57.8 |
| 14 | 15.0 km/h | 13 | 144 | 2880 m | 60.9 |
| 15 | 15.5 km/h | 13 | 157 | 3140 m | 64.1 |
| 16 | 16.0 km/h | 14 | 171 | 3420 m | 67.3 |
| 17 | 16.5 km/h | 14 | 185 | 3700 m | 70.4 |
| 18 | 17.0 km/h | 15 | 200 | 4000 m | 73.6 |
| 19 | 17.5 km/h | 15 | 215 | 4300 m | 76.7 |
| 20 | 18.0 km/h | 16 | 231 | 4620 m | 79.9 |
| 21 | 18.5 km/h | 16 | 247 | 4940 m | 83.0 |
What is a good beep test score?
Scores vary a lot with age, sex and sport. As a broad guide for adults:
| Level reached | Est. VO2max | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Below 6 | Under ~35 | Low aerobic fitness |
| 6–8 | ~35–42 | Fair; many recreationally active adults |
| 9–10 | ~45–48 | Good; regular exercisers |
| 11–12 | ~52–55 | Very good; team-sport players |
| 13–14 | ~58–61 | Excellent; well-trained footballers and endurance athletes |
| 15+ | ~64+ | Elite endurance or professional athletes |
Many police and military entry standards sit somewhere around level 5 to level 8, depending on the service and country — always check the current requirement from the organisation you are applying to.
Tips to improve your beep test
Turn efficiently
Plant one foot on the line and turn sharply. Wide, looping turns waste time and energy at every level.
Don’t race the beep
Arrive just as the beep sounds. Running early and waiting still costs energy.
Train intervals
Short intervals and shuttle runs build both VO2max and the ability to change direction.
Build a base
Regular easy running raises the level you reach before the test gets hard.
Scored in laps instead? Use the PACER test calculator. For other ways to estimate aerobic fitness, try the VO2max calculator.
- Flouris AD, Metsios GS, Koutedakis Y (2005). Enhancing the efficacy of the 20 m multistage shuttle run test. Br J Sports Med 39(3):166–170.
- Ramsbottom R, Brewer J, Williams C (1988). A progressive shuttle run test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake. Br J Sports Med 22(4):141–144.
- Léger LA, Lambert J (1982). A maximal multistage 20-m shuttle run test to predict VO2max. Eur J Appl Physiol 49(1):1–12.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Health disclaimer