British Army Bleep Test: What's Actually Required in 2026
Most people searching for an "army bleep test" level are looking for a test the Army has largely replaced. Here's what's used now, and where the bleep test still turns up.
Practice with the Free Beep Test App →What the British Army Actually Tests for Entry Today
Regular soldier entry no longer runs on the multi-stage fitness test (the bleep test, or "beep test" in US spelling). It runs on the Role Fitness Test (Entry), or RFT(E), three events, not a shuttle run:
- Seated medicine ball throw: a 4kg ball thrown from seated, measuring explosive upper-body power
- Mid-thigh pull: a machine-based pull, standing in front of a bar at mid-thigh height and pulling upward as hard as possible
- 2km run: a timed best-effort run after an 800m warm-up
These rolled out for Ground Close Combat roles (infantry and similar) in April 2019, and extended to other roles through 2021–22. The framework is gender- and age-free: everyone applying for a given role meets the same bar, according to Forces News' breakdown of the standards and confirmed in the peer-reviewed comparison of Army trainee and trained-soldier fitness. Reported numbers vary by role and by how the source rounds them, so use these as a guide: the lowest adult entry standard for the 2km run is no less than 11 minutes 15 seconds, the medicine ball throw minimum sits around 2.7–2.9 metres depending on role, and the mid-thigh pull minimum is around 46kg. Confirm the exact figure for your chosen role with the Army before you test.
Where the Bleep Test Still Shows Up
The bleep test hasn't vanished from Army selection entirely. It's just moved. Officer candidates at the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) still sit a multi-stage fitness test, alongside the medicine ball throw, mid-thigh pull, and an obstacle course, with a published minimum of level 8.7 (source: Forces News, citing Army guidance).
If you've searched around and found other numbers, that's not you misreading anything. It's the messy transition showing through. An official Army recruitment Q&A checked for this page still describes the bleep test as a temporary stand-in for the 2km run introduced during COVID-19, with a level 8.06 threshold quoted for infantry, a leftover from a period when social distancing made the outdoor run harder to run at scale, not the current standing requirement. Treat any bleep test level you find for regular soldier entry as historical unless a recruiter confirms it's still live.
Then vs Now
| Route | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Regular soldier entry | Personal Fitness Assessment (pre-2019, no published bleep test standard) | RFT(E): 2km run, medicine ball throw, mid-thigh pull |
| Officer entry (AOSB) | Multi-stage fitness test | Still a multi-stage fitness test: minimum level 8.7 |
Sources: Forces News, PMC (peer-reviewed British Army fitness study), army.mod.uk recruitment Q&A.
Does Bleep Test Fitness Map to the 2km Run?
No official conversion between a bleep test level and a 2km run time is published, and the peer-reviewed research on Army fitness testing doesn't offer one either, so don't trust a chart that claims to convert your level straight into a run time. What genuinely carries over is aerobic fitness: the interval work that pushes your bleep test level up builds the same engine the 2km run rewards. Train the run itself as well, since holding a flat, evenly-paced effort over 2km is a different skill to the stop-start of shuttle running.
Practice Tools
If you're going through AOSB or want the aerobic conditioning that supports the 2km run, the beep test app runs the full 20-level protocol free, with pace calls and progress tracking. Free audio downloads are also available if you'd rather train without a screen. For international military standards beyond the British Army, including the Australian Defence Force, see the military beep test standards page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the British Army still use the bleep test?
Not for regular soldier entry. Since Physical Employment Standards rolled out (close-combat roles from April 2019, other roles through 2021–22), entry testing runs on the Role Fitness Test (Entry), built around a 2km run, not a shuttle run. The bleep test hasn't disappeared everywhere, though: officer candidates at the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) still sit a multi-stage fitness test.
What is the RFT(E)?
RFT(E) stands for Role Fitness Test (Entry). It has three parts: a seated medicine ball throw, a mid-thigh pull on a machine, and a 2km run after an 800m warm-up. It replaced the older Personal Fitness Assessment and is gender- and age-free: everyone applying for the same role is held to the same standard.
What level do you need on the Army bleep test in 2026?
There isn't one figure that covers the whole Army, because the bleep test isn't the standard entry test anymore. Where it does appear (officer selection at AOSB), the published minimum is level 8.7. You may also see older or pandemic-era figures like level 8.06 for infantry online; those describe a temporary substitute for the 2km run, not the current standard. Confirm what applies to your specific route with your recruiting office.
Do Army officers still do the bleep test?
Yes. Officer candidates at AOSB sit a multi-stage fitness test alongside the medicine ball throw, mid-thigh pull, and an obstacle course, with a published minimum of level 8.7. That sits apart from the RFT(E) framework used for regular soldier entry.
Does a good bleep test score help with the 2km run?
There's no official published mapping between a bleep test level and a 2km run time, so treat any conversion chart you find online as a rough guide, not a guarantee. What does carry over is the aerobic base: bleep test intervals build the same fitness the 2km run rewards. Train the run itself directly too, since pacing a flat 2km time trial is a different skill to shuttle-running.
By Tim · Last updated July 17, 2026