Beep test (bleep test): levels, VO2 max and norms by age

The test

You run 20 m shuttles in time with beeps that get faster every minute, until you can't keep up. Your score is the last level and shuttle you completed: 6.6 means level 6, shuttle 6.

Sources 1, 2

Levels and speeds

From level 2, each level runs at 8 + 0.5 × the level km/h: 9.0 at level 2, 13.0 at level 10 and 18.5 at level 21. Level 1 is 8.0 or 8.5 km/h, depending on the version.

Sources 1, 3

VO2 max from your score

The scorer uses the UK table from a 1988 study of 74 active adults aged 19 to 36, whose levels tracked their measured VO2 max closely. Léger's equation, from 77 adults, is offered beside it as a second formula.

Sources 4, 5

An estimate

Across 57 studies the test tracked lab VO2 max well, especially in adults, but for one person the estimate can be about 6 points out either way, and it read 9.3 to 13.2% low in elite athletes.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 9

Norms

Children aged 9 to 17 have international norms from 1,142,026 young people in 50 countries. We found no adult beep test norms we could check, so adults are compared through VO2 max, with the same US lab results our VO2 max calculator uses.

Sources 10, 11

An all-out test

Answer the PAR-Q+ first, and if you're over 45 and not used to hard exercise, check with a qualified exercise professional. The Royal Navy's advice: "Ensure you are medically fit to undertake maximal aerobic exercise."

Sources 13, 2

The UK table (Ramsbottom 1988)

Predicted VO2 max in mL/kg/min at each printed shuttle, by level. The scorer reads your total shuttles in a straight line between the printed points either side (our arithmetic): level 7, shuttle 5 (56 shuttles) falls halfway between 37.8 and 38.5, at 38.15.

• Level 4: shuttle 2, 26.8; shuttle 4, 27.6; shuttle 6, 28.3; shuttle 9, 29.5
• Level 5: shuttle 2, 30.2; shuttle 4, 31.0; shuttle 6, 31.8; shuttle 9, 32.9
• Level 6: shuttle 2, 33.6; shuttle 4, 34.3; shuttle 6, 35.0; shuttle 8, 35.7; shuttle 10, 36.4
• Level 7: shuttle 2, 37.1; shuttle 4, 37.8; shuttle 6, 38.5; shuttle 8, 39.2; shuttle 10, 39.9
• Level 8: shuttle 2, 40.5; shuttle 4, 41.1; shuttle 6, 41.8; shuttle 8, 42.4; shuttle 11, 43.3
• Level 9: shuttle 2, 43.9; shuttle 4, 44.5; shuttle 6, 45.2; shuttle 8, 45.8; shuttle 11, 46.8
• Level 10: shuttle 2, 47.4; shuttle 4, 48.0; shuttle 6, 48.7; shuttle 8, 49.3; shuttle 11, 50.2
• Level 11: shuttle 2, 50.8; shuttle 4, 51.4; shuttle 6, 51.9; shuttle 8, 52.5; shuttle 10, 53.1; shuttle 12, 53.7
• Level 12: shuttle 2, 54.3; shuttle 4, 54.8; shuttle 6, 55.4; shuttle 8, 56.0; shuttle 10, 56.5; shuttle 12, 57.1
• Level 13: shuttle 2, 57.6; shuttle 4, 58.2; shuttle 6, 58.7; shuttle 8, 59.3; shuttle 10, 59.8; shuttle 13, 60.6
• Level 14: shuttle 2, 61.1; shuttle 4, 61.7; shuttle 6, 62.2; shuttle 8, 62.7; shuttle 10, 63.2; shuttle 13, 64.0
• Level 15: shuttle 2, 64.6; shuttle 4, 65.1; shuttle 6, 65.6; shuttle 8, 66.2; shuttle 10, 66.7; shuttle 13, 67.5
• Level 16: shuttle 2, 68.0; shuttle 4, 68.5; shuttle 6, 69.0; shuttle 8, 69.5; shuttle 10, 69.9; shuttle 12, 70.5; shuttle 14, 70.9
• Level 17: shuttle 2, 71.4; shuttle 4, 71.9; shuttle 6, 72.4; shuttle 8, 72.9; shuttle 10, 73.4; shuttle 12, 73.9; shuttle 14, 74.4
• Level 18: shuttle 2, 74.8; shuttle 4, 75.3; shuttle 6, 75.8; shuttle 8, 76.2; shuttle 10, 76.7; shuttle 12, 77.2; shuttle 15, 77.9
• Level 19: shuttle 2, 78.3; shuttle 4, 78.8; shuttle 6, 79.2; shuttle 8, 79.7; shuttle 10, 80.2; shuttle 12, 80.6; shuttle 15, 81.3
• Level 20: shuttle 2, 81.8; shuttle 4, 82.2; shuttle 6, 82.6; shuttle 8, 83.0; shuttle 10, 83.5; shuttle 12, 83.9; shuttle 16, 84.8

Source 4

Who the UK table came from

36 men and 38 women aged 19 to 36 at Loughborough, "young adults involved in physical training on a regular basis", who ran the shuttle test and had their VO2 max measured on an uphill treadmill. Their levels tracked their VO2 max closely (a correlation of 0.92, with a standard error of 3.5 mL/kg/min). The men reached levels 10 to 15 and the women 7 to 14, so the table's lowest and highest levels go beyond the people it was built on (our reading). We read the paper in a scanned copy of the full text, with every number checked against the page images.

Source 4

Why the UK table is the default

It's the published conversion for the UK test and its tape, it uses your shuttle as well as your level, and it came from the test's own validation study. In 65 trained women hockey players it was accurate (46.5 against 46.4 measured), while Léger's equations read high, and in 30 active young men it read 1.8 low on average. Against it, it gave a lower estimate than the lab for 75% of 20 students in Singapore (editorial weighing).

Sources 4, 3, 8, 14

Adults: compared with lab tests

We found no adult beep test norms with a stated population that we could open, so the scorer turns your score into VO2 max and places it among 7,783 US adults aged 20 to 79 who had lab treadmill tests (the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database, FRIEND), exactly as our VO2 max calculator does. Beside it, it shows the average for Norwegian volunteers of your age in the HUNT fitness study, and your estimate in METs (metabolic equivalents), VO2 max divided by 3.5.

Sources 11, 12

Approximate levels for each FRIEND percentile (our arithmetic)

The first whole shuttle whose UK-table estimate reaches the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th FRIEND percentile for each age group. This stacks two sources' errors, so treat it as approximate. "Below 4.2" means the UK table can't go that low, which is why the test suits younger and fitter adults best:

• Men 20 to 29: 25th 8.1, 50th 10.4, 75th 12.6, 90th 14.5
• Men 30 to 39: 25th 6.9, 50th 8.8, 75th 10.8, 90th 12.10
• Men 40 to 49: 25th 5.7, 50th 7.4, 75th 9.6, 90th 11.7
• Men 50 to 59: 25th 4.3, 50th 5.9, 75th 7.10, 90th 9.8
• Men 60 to 69: 25th below 4.2, 50th 4.6, 75th 6.5, 90th 8.2
• Men 70 to 79: 25th below 4.2, 50th below 4.2, 75th 5.3, 90th 7.1
• Women 20 to 29: 25th 5.3, 50th 7.4, 75th 9.5, 90th 11.4
• Women 30 to 39: 25th below 4.2, 50th 5.2, 75th 6.10, 90th 8.5
• Women 40 to 49: 25th below 4.2, 50th below 4.2, 75th 5.8, 90th 7.6
• Women 50 to 59: 25th below 4.2, 50th below 4.2, 75th 4.4, 90th 5.7
• Women 60 to 69: 25th below 4.2, 50th below 4.2, 75th below 4.2, 90th 4.3
• Women 70 to 79: 25th below 4.2, 50th below 4.2, 75th below 4.2, 90th below 4.2

Sources 11, 4

Children aged 9 to 17: boys

Speed in km/h at the last completed level, at the 5th, 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 95th centiles, by age at last birthday:

• Age 9: 8.63, 8.94, 9.31, 9.58, 9.82, 10.03, 10.25, 10.48, 10.75, 11.13, 11.44
• Age 10: 8.61, 8.95, 9.35, 9.65, 9.90, 10.13, 10.36, 10.61, 10.90, 11.31, 11.64
• Age 11: 8.60, 8.97, 9.41, 9.72, 10.00, 10.25, 10.50, 10.77, 11.09, 11.53, 11.89
• Age 12: 8.64, 9.05, 9.53, 9.89, 10.19, 10.47, 10.75, 11.05, 11.40, 11.89, 12.29
• Age 13: 8.74, 9.18, 9.72, 10.10, 10.43, 10.73, 11.04, 11.37, 11.75, 12.29, 12.72
• Age 14: 8.85, 9.32, 9.88, 10.29, 10.64, 10.96, 11.29, 11.64, 12.04, 12.61, 13.08
• Age 15: 8.94, 9.42, 10.01, 10.43, 10.79, 11.13, 11.47, 11.83, 12.25, 12.84, 13.32
• Age 16: 9.01, 9.51, 10.11, 10.55, 10.92, 11.27, 11.62, 11.99, 12.42, 13.03, 13.53
• Age 17: 9.08, 9.60, 10.22, 10.67, 11.05, 11.41, 11.77, 12.16, 12.60, 13.23, 13.74

Source 10

Children aged 9 to 17: girls

Speed in km/h at the last completed level, at the 5th, 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 95th centiles, by age at last birthday:

• Age 9: 8.56, 8.82, 9.13, 9.35, 9.54, 9.72, 9.90, 10.08, 10.31, 10.61, 10.87
• Age 10: 8.48, 8.76, 9.10, 9.35, 9.56, 9.75, 9.95, 10.15, 10.40, 10.74, 11.01
• Age 11: 8.42, 8.72, 9.09, 9.35, 9.57, 9.78, 10.00, 10.22, 10.48, 10.85, 11.15
• Age 12: 8.37, 8.69, 9.08, 9.36, 9.60, 9.83, 10.05, 10.29, 10.57, 10.95, 11.27
• Age 13: 8.36, 8.69, 9.09, 9.38, 9.63, 9.86, 10.09, 10.34, 10.63, 11.03, 11.36
• Age 14: 8.36, 8.70, 9.11, 9.40, 9.65, 9.89, 10.12, 10.37, 10.67, 11.07, 11.41
• Age 15: 8.36, 8.70, 9.12, 9.42, 9.67, 9.91, 10.15, 10.40, 10.70, 11.11, 11.44
• Age 16: 8.36, 8.71, 9.13, 9.43, 9.69, 9.93, 10.17, 10.43, 10.73, 11.14, 11.49
• Age 17: 8.36, 8.72, 9.14, 9.45, 9.71, 9.96, 10.20, 10.46, 10.77, 11.19, 11.54

Source 10

Who the children's norms came from

A review of 177 studies from 1981 to 2014, pooling 1,142,026 apparently healthy children and youth in 50 countries. Every study was converted to the speed at the last completed level and corrected to Léger's one-minute version, which starts at 8.5 km/h, so the scorer credits 8.5 km/h for completing level 1. The authors note that fitter children may be over-represented and that the norms may overstate children's fitness in 2014 by about 7.5%. English samples sat close to the international values: 2,041 children aged 11 to 15 in 2007, and 80 children aged 8 to 10 in North East England. We read the table in the authors' own version of the paper, held by their university.

Sources 10, 19, 20

Worked examples (our arithmetic)

As the scorer works them out:

• A man of 30 who reaches level 9, shuttle 6 has run 78 shuttles (1,560 m). The UK table gives 45.2, shown as 45 (12.9 METs): between the 50th and 75th FRIEND percentile for men aged 30 to 39, above average. Léger's equation gives 47.6, shown as 48, in the same band.
• A woman of 25 at level 7, shuttle 5 (56 shuttles) gets 38.15, shown as 38: between the 50th and 75th percentile for women aged 20 to 29.
• A man of 45 at level 6, shuttle 10 (51 shuttles) gets 36.4, between the 25th and 50th percentile, below the middle value. Léger's equation gives 38.6, between the 50th and 75th: the two formulas can land in different bands.
• A woman of 52 at level 5, shuttle 3 (35 shuttles) gets 30.6, shown as 31: between the 75th and 90th percentile for women aged 50 to 59, the top quarter.
• A man of 35 at level 3, shuttle 5 (20 shuttles) is before the start of the UK table, so there's no estimate; Léger's equation gives 29.6, between the 5th and 10th percentile.
• A girl of 14 at level 5, shuttle 2 last completed level 4, at 10.0 km/h: between the 50th and 60th centile for 14-year-old girls.
• A boy of 16 who completes all 11 shuttles of level 9 is scored at 12.5 km/h: between the 80th and 90th centile for 16-year-old boys.
• 61 PACER laps is level 7, shuttle 10 (39.9, shown as 40); 100 laps is level 11, shuttle 6 (51.9, shown as 52).

Sources 4, 11, 5, 10

How much a score can move

Repeat tests agree well: test-retest correlations of 0.95 in 81 adults and 0.89 in 139 children, and repeat estimates within about 2.7 mL/kg/min of each other in 21 active young men. In military personnel, repeat estimates differed by 0.8 on average. Across repeated field tests in 60 young adults, the biggest source of error was day-to-day variation within each person, so practise once and test on a day you're fresh (editorial).

Sources 1, 8, 7, 17

Your level is exact; VO2 max is an estimateStrong evidence

Across 57 studies, scores from Léger's version tracked lab VO2 max with a pooled correlation of 0.84: 0.94 in adults and 0.78 in children. The authors stress that the score is an estimate, not a direct measure. In their own studies, the UK level and Léger's speed tracked VO2 max at 0.92 and 0.90.

Sources 6, 4, 5

About 6 points out for one personEmerging evidence

In military personnel, estimates came within about 6.2 mL/kg/min of measured VO2 max either way for most people, and in 30 active young men the UK table read 1.8 low on average, with limits of agreement of 6.3.

Sources 7, 8

Low in some groups, high in othersMixed evidence

Estimates read 9.3 to 13.2% low in 26 elite intermittent-sport men, Léger's equations read low in 122 young adults, and the UK table read low for most of 20 students in Singapore. But Léger's equation read high in 110 young men and in women hockey players, where the UK table was accurate. Which way yours errs depends on who you are.

Sources 9, 15, 14, 16, 3, 17

It repeats wellStrong evidence

Retest correlations were 0.95 in adults and 0.89 in children for the one-minute version and 0.975 for the original two-minute version, and across three trials in 60 young adults, reliability was 0.96.

Sources 1, 18, 8, 17

International children's normsStrong evidence

The norms pool 1,142,026 children and youth aged 9 to 17 in 50 countries. Boys outran girls by about 0.86 km/h on average.

Source 10

No adult beep test norms we could checkStrong evidence

We found no population norms for adults on the 20 m test that we could open. Group averages exist: active young adults reached level 12.6 (men) and 9.6 (women), and 122 young adults in another study stopped at levels 9.5 and 7.8 on average. A study of Australian police recruits reports percentiles, but we could read only its summary.

Sources 4, 15, 21

Speeds and shuttles

From level 2, each level runs at 8 + 0.5 × the level km/h and lasts about a minute. The shuttles in each level are from the UK multistage fitness test table, which Ramsbottom's table matches; seconds, totals and distances are our arithmetic:

• Level 1: 8.0 or 8.5 km/h, 7 shuttles of 9.00 seconds at 8.0 (63.0 seconds); 7 shuttles, 140 m, by the end
• Level 2: 9.0 km/h, 8 shuttles of 8.00 seconds (64.0 seconds); 15 shuttles, 300 m, by the end
• Level 3: 9.5 km/h, 8 shuttles of 7.58 seconds (60.6 seconds); 23 shuttles, 460 m, by the end
• Level 4: 10.0 km/h, 9 shuttles of 7.20 seconds (64.8 seconds); 32 shuttles, 640 m, by the end
• Level 5: 10.5 km/h, 9 shuttles of 6.86 seconds (61.7 seconds); 41 shuttles, 820 m, by the end
• Level 6: 11.0 km/h, 10 shuttles of 6.55 seconds (65.5 seconds); 51 shuttles, 1,020 m, by the end
• Level 7: 11.5 km/h, 10 shuttles of 6.26 seconds (62.6 seconds); 61 shuttles, 1,220 m, by the end
• Level 8: 12.0 km/h, 11 shuttles of 6.00 seconds (66.0 seconds); 72 shuttles, 1,440 m, by the end
• Level 9: 12.5 km/h, 11 shuttles of 5.76 seconds (63.4 seconds); 83 shuttles, 1,660 m, by the end
• Level 10: 13.0 km/h, 11 shuttles of 5.54 seconds (60.9 seconds); 94 shuttles, 1,880 m, by the end
• Level 11: 13.5 km/h, 12 shuttles of 5.33 seconds (64.0 seconds); 106 shuttles, 2,120 m, by the end
• Level 12: 14.0 km/h, 12 shuttles of 5.14 seconds (61.7 seconds); 118 shuttles, 2,360 m, by the end
• Level 13: 14.5 km/h, 13 shuttles of 4.97 seconds (64.6 seconds); 131 shuttles, 2,620 m, by the end
• Level 14: 15.0 km/h, 13 shuttles of 4.80 seconds (62.4 seconds); 144 shuttles, 2,880 m, by the end
• Level 15: 15.5 km/h, 13 shuttles of 4.65 seconds (60.4 seconds); 157 shuttles, 3,140 m, by the end
• Level 16: 16.0 km/h, 14 shuttles of 4.50 seconds (63.0 seconds); 171 shuttles, 3,420 m, by the end
• Level 17: 16.5 km/h, 14 shuttles of 4.36 seconds (61.1 seconds); 185 shuttles, 3,700 m, by the end
• Level 18: 17.0 km/h, 15 shuttles of 4.24 seconds (63.5 seconds); 200 shuttles, 4,000 m, by the end
• Level 19: 17.5 km/h, 15 shuttles of 4.11 seconds (61.7 seconds); 215 shuttles, 4,300 m, by the end
• Level 20: 18.0 km/h, 16 shuttles of 4.00 seconds (64.0 seconds); 231 shuttles, 4,620 m, by the end
• Level 21: 18.5 km/h, 16 shuttles of 3.89 seconds (62.3 seconds); 247 shuttles, 4,940 m, by the end

Sources 1, 3, 4

Level 1 differs between versions

Level 1 is 8.0 km/h in the multistage fitness test's level table and the Eurofit version, but 8.5 km/h in Léger's test and on the UK tape as one study describes it. It has 7 shuttles either way, so it changes only how long level 1 takes.

Sources 3, 6, 1, 8

How the test ends

Léger's test ends when you can no longer keep up. The Army, and a study using the multistage fitness test's level table, stop after two missed lines in a row, the Royal Navy after three, Ontario's police test after two missed warning lines 2 m before each end, and the 1983 European version when you're more than 3 m short on two beeps running. We use two in a row (editorial); a score on the three-miss rule may be a shuttle or two higher (our reading).

Sources 1, 22, 3, 2, 24, 23

No audio here

This page doesn't play the test's beeps. Run to a recording of the 20 m test that matches this table, and note which version it is.

The original two-minute version

Léger's 1982 test started at 8 km/h and sped up by 0.5 km/h every 2 minutes, so its levels don't match the one-minute tables. Its equation, VO2 max = 5.857 × speed - 19.458, came from 91 adults.

Source 18

The police 15 m test

Police forces in England and Wales use a 15 m test with a standard of 5:4, four shuttles at level 5, taking 3 minutes 35 seconds and covering 525 m. It isn't run to exhaustion, and its levels don't match the 20 m test's, so the scorer doesn't score it.

Source 25

The PACER

The US school PACER is the same 20 m test counted in laps, and the scorer converts laps to level and shuttle. FitnessGram's published model for 10 to 16-year-olds also uses body mass index (BMI), sex and age: VO2 max = 41.76799 + (0.49261 × laps) - (0.00290 × laps²) - (0.61613 × BMI) + (0.34787 × sex × age), where sex is 1 for boys and 0 for girls. We couldn't open FitnessGram's current manual.

Source 26

Léger's equations, as published

For children aged 8 to 19 (188 tested), VO2 max = 31.025 + 3.238 × speed - 3.248 × age + 0.1536 × speed × age, with speed the km/h of the last stage announced. For adults, the same equation with age fixed at 18 (a correlation of 0.90 in 77 adults), printed as VO2 max = -27.4 + 6.0 × maximal shuttle speed, which is the same line (our arithmetic). The scorer uses the speed of the level your last completed shuttle was in, our reading of the method.

Sources 1, 5

Why copies of Léger's equation disagree

Some papers print -24.4 + 6.0 × speed. That matches the original only if speed means the last level completed rather than the one you were running (our arithmetic): -27.4 + 6.0 × (S + 0.5) is -24.4 + 6.0 × S. Mixing the two adds 3 mL/kg/min. Another paper prints -27.4 + 6.0 × the last speed, as published.

Sources 3, 27, 28

Other equations

Stickland's equations use half-levels (men: 2.75 × the last half-level + 28.8; women: 2.85 × the last half-level + 25.1), Kilding's is for elite men (0.38 × total shuttles + 25.98), Flouris's adjusts Léger's for young men, and Ramsbottom's own regression is 14.4 + 3.48 × level. The scorer uses the UK table and offers Léger's equation (editorial).

Sources 15, 9, 16, 4

Royal Navy

From 1 October 2026, all Royal Navy candidates must pass the multistage fitness test to at least level 6.6, whatever their age or gender, and diving candidates level 10.5. The Navy's version ends after three missed lines in a row.

Source 2

British Army

Officer candidates need level 7.10 and should aim to exceed 8.7 at the main board. The Army's version ends when you miss the line twice in a row. Soldiers do a 2 km run instead.

Sources 29, 22

Royal Air Force

The RAF's pre-joining test is a 2.4 km treadmill run. It uses the multistage fitness test only in exceptional circumstances, and for prospective officers at RAF Cranwell, with the standards given during the visit.

Source 30

London Fire Brigade

In annual fitness testing, level 8.8 and above is green, 6.8 to 8.7 amber and below 6.8 red. The decision records the firefighters' union's concerns about running the test in fire station yards, because of the risk of slips, trips and falls.

Source 31

Police in England and Wales

A 15 m test to level 5, shuttle 4, which isn't the 20 m test (see the versions above).

Source 25

Ontario police

Recruits must reach level 7 on the 20 m shuttle run, which ends when they miss two warning lines in a row.

Source 24

A "yes" on the PAR-Q+

The PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness in the past year, other long-term conditions and their medicines, bone or joint problems, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your GP or a qualified exercise professional before an all-out test. The 1-mile walk in our VO2 max calculator is a gentler test.

Source 13

Over 45 and not used to hard exercise

The PAR-Q+ asks you to consult a qualified exercise professional before vigorous to maximal exercise if you're over 45 and not used to it. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) bases its screening on how active you are now, any symptoms or known heart, metabolic or kidney disease, and how hard you plan to exercise, and the risks of exercise fall as people become more active. Build up first.

Sources 13, 32

Heart disease, a past heart attack or heart surgery, or a heart rhythm problem

An all-out test needs your heart team's agreement, as our VO2 max calculator and heart guides say. Ask about a supervised exercise test, or do the 6-minute walk with your team.

Blood pressure of 160/100 or higher that isn't yet treated

Save maximal efforts until treatment has it under control, as our high blood pressure guide advises (our reading of the guidance).

Sickle cell trait or disease

Our sickle cell guide advises avoiding all-out efforts lasting more than 2 to 3 minutes without a break, and timed runs and fitness tests early in a season.

ME/CFS

Our guide to myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) advises against fitness tests and all-out efforts.

Pregnancy

The PAR-Q+ asks you to talk to a health care practitioner first, and our pregnancy guide advises against starting new vigorous running.

Source 13

A cold or fever

The PAR-Q+ advises delaying becoming more active until you feel better.

Source 13

Hot weather

Hard exercise in the heat can bring on heat exhaustion: test on a cool day or indoors.

Source 33

A current ankle, knee, hip or back injury

The turns at each line load them, so test once the injury has settled (editorial).

Diabetic eye disease

With proliferative or severe diabetic retinopathy, or after recent eye laser treatment or surgery, our diabetes guide advises against vigorous efforts: ask your eye team first.

Under 9

There are no norms under 9; at this age, active play builds fitness.

Source 10

Not reaching level 4, shuttle 2

The UK table gives no estimate below that, so the 6-minute walk or the 1-mile walk in our VO2 max calculator suits you better.

Source 4

Stop and call 999 (911 in the US)

Stop the test and call 999, and don't drive yourself to A&E, for:

• Chest pain or discomfort that doesn't go away (it can feel like squeezing or pressure), pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or shortness of breath.
• Palpitations that don't go away, or that come with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting.
• Someone who faints while exercising.
• A fast or irregular heartbeat with a severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side of your face or body, blurred vision or loss of sight, or confusion or difficulty speaking.

Sources 34, 35, 36, 37

Heat illness

Stop, and don't restart that day, for signs of heat exhaustion such as tiredness, dizziness, a headache, feeling sick, heavy sweating, pale and clammy skin or cramps. Call 999 for signs of heatstroke, such as still being unwell after 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, being cooled and drinking fluids, a very high temperature, hot skin that isn't sweating, confusion, a seizure or loss of consciousness. Get help from NHS 111 if you're struggling to treat heat exhaustion.

Source 33

Stop for today

Stop the test, and don't restart it that day, if you feel dizzy or faint (our suggestion, from the PAR-Q+ question on dizziness).

Source 13

See a GP

Make an appointment if:

• Palpitations keep coming back, are happening more often or last longer than a few minutes.
• You've fainted at any time other than during exercise (fainting during exercise needs 999).
• You think you may have symptoms of atrial fibrillation, such as an irregular heartbeat.

Sources 35, 36, 37

Children

An adult should run the test, and the researchers behind the children's norms ask testers to record children's effort and any problems.

Source 10

"The beep test measures your VO2 max"Strong evidence

It estimates it from your level. For one person the estimate can be about 6 mL/kg/min out either way.

Sources 6, 7, 8

"Every beep test is the same"Strong evidence

Level 1 starts at 8.0 or 8.5 km/h depending on the version, the 1982 original had 2-minute levels, the police test is 15 m, and the test ends after two misses for some and three for others.

Sources 3, 1, 18, 25, 22, 2

"There's one VO2 max formula for the beep test"Strong evidence

At the speed of level 10 (13.0 km/h), the published methods give about 47 to 57 mL/kg/min (our arithmetic: the UK table 47.4 to 50.2 across the level, Léger's adult equation 50.6, and the 1982 equation 56.7), and copies of Léger's equation are misprinted.

Sources 4, 5, 18, 3

"Level 8 is a good score for everyone"Strong evidence

It depends on your age and sex: children have their own norms, and adults are compared through VO2 max with people their age.

Sources 10, 11

"It's just a run, anyone can do it"Strong evidence

It's an all-out test: answer the PAR-Q+ first, and be medically fit for maximal aerobic exercise, as the Royal Navy puts it.

Sources 13, 2

"My first try shows my real fitness"Emerging evidence

The adults in one validation study practised first, and across repeated field tests the biggest error was day-to-day variation within each person. Practise once, then test (editorial).

Sources 15, 17