How to Do the Beep Test
Course setup, equipment, the rules for missed beeps, and how to score it. For coaches, PE teachers, and anyone testing on their own.
Run the Beep Test Free →The Short Version
Mark two lines 20 metres apart (about 65 ft 7 in) on a flat, non-slip surface, and play the beep test audio loudly enough to hear at both ends. Run from one line to the other, arriving before the next beep, then turn and run back when it sounds. The beeps come closer together at every level, so the pace keeps climbing. When you can no longer reach the line in time you stop, and your score is the last level and shuttle you completed.
What You Need
- A flat, non-slip surface
- At least 20 metres long, with room past each line to slow down and turn. A sports hall, a gym, a track infield or a level stretch of grass all work.
- A tape measure
- Measure the course rather than pacing it. A short course flatters every score on it and a long one punishes everyone.
- Cones or tape
- Two lines, plus cones down the sides to keep runners in their own lane.
- Audio you can hear
- A phone, a speaker or this site running on a laptop. The beeps have to carry to both ends of the course, not just to the one you are standing at.
- Running shoes with grip
- Every shuttle ends in a hard stop and a turn. Worn soles on a polished floor are how people get hurt.
- Somewhere to write scores
- A printed sheet, a notes app, or the result history this site saves in your browser.
You do not need a stopwatch, a heart rate monitor or anything that has to be charged. That cheapness is why the test spread through schools and clubs in the first place. If you would rather not run the audio from a browser, the free MP3s play from any phone or PA system.
Setting Up the Course
Measure 20 metres with a tape and mark both ends with a line of tape, chalk or cones. Leave clear space past each line so runners can decelerate and turn without hitting a wall, a bench or each other. Give every runner their own lane: the FITNESSGRAM manual asks for a path 40 to 60 inches wide per person, which is roughly 1.0 to 1.5 metres, and says to mark the lanes with cones.
Put the speaker where the beeps carry to both lines. This catches people out indoors, where a phone propped at one end is inaudible at the other by level 6 when everyone is breathing hard. The College of Policing makes the same point about its own shuttle test: the recording has to be heard clearly from every part of the facility.
Beep test course diagram: two turn lines 20 metres apart, one marked lane per runner, cones at the lane corners, and clear space past each line for slowing down.
Running the Test, Step by Step
- Warm up first. The College of Policing requires whole-body activity such as jogging followed by stretching, particularly of the leg muscles, before its shuttle test, and suggests walking candidates through the opening levels so the format is familiar.
- Line up behind the start line. Everyone starts behind the line, not on it, in their own lane.
- Start on the countdown. This site counts you in for five seconds, then the first beep sends you off. Level 1 runs at 8.5 km/h and gives you 8.47 seconds for each shuttle, which feels absurdly slow. That is deliberate.
- Reach the far line before the beep, then turn on it. If you arrive early, wait for the beep before setting off again. Running through the turn early does not bank you anything and burns energy you need at level 10.
- Listen for the level change. A single beep marks the end of a shuttle. A different signal, usually a triple beep or a spoken announcement, marks the end of a level and tells you the pace is about to increase. Turn and keep running when you hear it. Hesitating at a level change is one of the most common ways people lose a shuttle they should have had. This site plays a distinct two-tone cue and, with voice turned on, speaks the new level number.
- Keep going until you cannot make the line. Then stop, walk it off, and write the score down before you forget it.
All 20 levels take about 21 minutes and cover 4,620m across 231 shuttles, ending at 18 km/h. Most runners are done long before then. The levels chart has the speed, shuttle count and cumulative distance for every level.
The Rules, and Where They Disagree
There is no single governing body for the beep test, so "the official rules" is a phrase worth distrusting. The main published protocols agree on the shape of the test and differ on the details that decide when someone is out. Pick one, say so out loud before the test, and apply it to everybody.
| Protocol | Reaching the line | When the test ends |
|---|---|---|
| FITNESSGRAM PACER | Touch the line with a foot, taking full weight on it | On the second miss, consecutive or not. The first miss is a warning: turn on the spot and rejoin the pace |
| Léger 1988 research protocol | Be within 3 metres of the line at the tone | After two consecutive misses, or when the runner stops voluntarily |
| Léger and Lambert 1982, the original | Not more than 3 metres behind the line at the signal | When the runner falls that far behind, or feels they cannot finish the stage |
Speeds vary too. The Léger 1988 schedule this site runs starts at 8.5 km/h and adds 0.5 km/h a minute. The FITNESSGRAM manual allows 9 seconds for the first 20-metre lap, a slightly gentler opening. Scores from different protocols are not interchangeable, so if you are testing against a published standard, run the protocol that standard was written for.
In practice most coaches use the two-consecutive-misses rule and judge "reached the line" by eye. That works for tracking your own squad over a season. It falls apart for selection, where the tolerance you allow decides who passes.
Scoring and Recording
Most of the world scores the test as level.shuttle: the last level and shuttle you finished. A score of 10.4 means 4 completed shuttles at level 10. That is the convention this site uses, and the one police, military and club standards are written in.
US school testing counts laps instead. The FITNESSGRAM manual defines a lap as one 20-metre length and records the total number completed, so the same run that reads 10.4 in level.shuttle is 87 laps. Neither is more correct, but a score is meaningless unless you say which one you mean. The app shows the running lap count alongside the level and shuttle so you can report either.
Write scores down during the test, not afterwards. In a group, pair runners with an observer who crosses off each completed shuttle. Results from this site are saved in your browser so you can see them next to your previous attempts, and you can convert a score to an estimated VO₂ max or check it against norms for your age and sex.
Testing on Your Own or at Home
Running it alone works fine. What you lose is the person calling you back on pace and the honesty of someone else judging your turns, so be strict with yourself about touching the line. Measure the course with a tape rather than counting paces, and put your phone at the side of the course near the midpoint instead of at one end.
If your space is short, do not simply run a shorter course and keep the 20-metre audio. The timings would no longer match the distance and the score would mean nothing. Use the 15m version instead, which has its own timing table, and record the result as a 15m score. The app runs both.
A treadmill cannot reproduce the braking and re-acceleration at each line, so treadmill results are a training substitute rather than a test result. There is more on that on the treadmill page. One practical point for phone use: this site holds a screen wake lock while the test runs, so the display will not sleep mid-shuttle.
Running It With a Group
Test in waves that fit your lanes rather than cramming everyone in. Pair each runner with an observer who records shuttles and watches the line, then swap. Give finishers a marked area away from the course to walk and stretch in, which the FITNESSGRAM manual asks for and which also stops them drifting into a lane while someone is still running.
Brief the rules first, including the level-change signal, and let anyone new to the test hear a few minutes of the audio beforehand. The College of Policing suggests taking candidates as far as the start of level three during the warm-up so the format is not a surprise.
Common Mistakes
- Sprinting the early levels. Level 1 is a jog, and the speed you burn there costs you the levels that actually count.
- Wide, rounded turns. Plant a foot on the line, pivot and go. A loose turn adds a metre or two to every shuttle you run.
- Pacing out the course instead of measuring it. A course guessed by paces is usually wrong, and every score on it is wrong with it.
- Audio nobody can hear. Check the volume from the far line before the first runner starts, not after.
- Changing the rule halfway through. Settle the miss rule and the line tolerance beforehand, then hold everyone to it.
Safety
The beep test is a maximal test. It is meant to take you to the point where you cannot keep the pace, which is a different demand from a steady run. Warm up properly, run on a surface with grip, and stop if something hurts rather than pushing for one more shuttle.
Screening matters for the same reason. The College of Policing puts a medical questionnaire in front of every candidate before its fitness test. The FITNESSGRAM manual tells teachers to know their students' health conditions in advance and to follow their district's medical clearance policy. If you are testing yourself, the PAR-Q+ questionnaire is the standard way to work out whether you should speak to a doctor first. Anyone with a heart or respiratory condition, anyone pregnant, and anyone coming back from injury or illness should get individual advice rather than relying on a general page like this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do a beep test at home?
You need a flat, non-slip run of 20 metres with room to slow down at each end. A driveway, a quiet street, a park path or a back garden can all work if the surface is even and you can turn safely. Measure the distance properly with a tape rather than pacing it out, mark both ends with anything you can see at speed, and put your phone where you can hear the beeps from both lines. If you genuinely cannot find 20 metres, run the 15m version instead and score it as a 15m result.
What equipment do you need for the beep test?
Very little. A tape measure, cones or tape to mark two lines, a flat non-slip surface, something to play the audio loudly enough to hear at both ends, running shoes with grip, and a way to record the score. The FITNESSGRAM manual lists much the same kit for the PACER: a flat non-slip surface, a player with adequate volume, a measuring tape, marker cones, a pencil and a score sheet.
How far apart are the cones in the beep test?
The two lines sit 20 metres apart (about 65 ft 7 in). Cones mark the lanes and the turn points, and each runner needs their own lane. The FITNESSGRAM manual asks for a path 40 to 60 inches wide per runner, roughly 1.0 to 1.5 metres.
What happens if you miss a beep?
That depends on the protocol you are running, and the published versions disagree. Under the FITNESSGRAM PACER rules a first miss is a warning: you turn round on the spot and try to get back on pace, and the test ends on your second miss whether or not the two are consecutive. Léger's research protocol and most sports-science versions end the test after two consecutive failures to reach the line in time. Agree which rule you are using before anyone starts running.
How is the beep test scored?
Your score is the last level and shuttle you finished, written as level.shuttle, so 8.5 means you completed five shuttles at level 8. US school testing records the same performance as a total lap count instead, where one lap is one length of the course. This site records level.shuttle and shows the running lap count while you run, so you can report it either way.
How long does the beep test take?
Running all 20 levels takes about 21 minutes and covers 4,620m across 231 shuttles. Almost nobody gets there, so a single attempt is usually far shorter. For a group session, the running is the quick part: measuring the course, warming people up and recording scores take longer than the test does.
Sources
- The Cooper Institute. FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM Test Administration Manual, Updated Fourth Edition (Human Kinetics), PACER section, pp. 29-33. Source for the equipment list, the 40 to 60 inch lane width, touching the line with full weight, the single and triple beep signals, the two-miss stopping rule, lap-based scoring, the 9-second first lap and the designated cool-down area.
- Paradisis GP, Zacharogiannis E, Mandila D, Smirtiotou A, Argeitaki P, Cooke CB. "Multi-stage 20-m shuttle run fitness test, maximal oxygen uptake and velocity at maximal oxygen uptake", Journal of Human Kinetics, 2014;41:81-87. Source for the Léger 1988 protocol as run in research: 8.5 km/h start, 0.5 km/h per minute, and termination on failing to be within 3 m of the end lines on two consecutive tones.
- Léger LA, Lambert J. "A maximal multistage 20-m shuttle run test to predict VO2 max", European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 1982;49:1-12. Source for the original stopping criterion: 3 m behind the 20-m line at the audio signal, or the runner judging they cannot complete the stage.
- College of Policing. Implementation guidance for fitness testing (August 2021). Source for the warm-up requirement, the level-three familiarisation, audibility of the recording across the facility, floor markings, and pre-test medical screening.
- PAR-Q+ Collaboration. Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+). Pre-participation screening tool.
Level speeds, shuttle counts, times and distances on this page are generated from the Léger 1988 schedule this site's app runs. PACER® and FITNESSGRAM® are registered trademarks of The Cooper Institute. beeptest.net is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Cooper Institute.
By Tim · Last updated September 18, 2026