About the Beep Test Calculator
The beep test — also called the bleep test, 20 m shuttle run, multi-stage fitness test or PACER — is a maximal running test in which you shuttle back and forth between two lines 20 metres apart in time with audio signals that get faster every minute. This calculator converts the last level you reached into an estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) using the original equation published by Léger and colleagues in 1988.
It is useful for athletes, coaches, PE teachers, police and military applicants who use the shuttle run as an aerobic fitness benchmark. Enter the level and shuttle where you stopped and your age; it also shows the running speed at that stage, how long you lasted and the total distance covered.
The Léger protocol starts at 8.5 km/h and adds 0.5 km/h every minute. Some recordings (notably the UK Ramsbottom version) start at 8.0 km/h with slightly different level lengths, so if your test used a different track, treat the estimate as approximate. Laboratory VO2 max testing is more accurate than any field test.
With the default inputs, the estimated vo2 max is 50.6 ml/kg/min. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the beep test calculator
- 1Run the 20 m shuttle test until you can no longer reach the line before the beep.
- 2Note the last level announced and how many shuttles you completed in it.
- 3Enter the level, the shuttle number and your age.
- 4Read your estimated VO2 max, final speed, distance and time.
- 5Retest every 6–8 weeks under the same conditions to track progress.
Formula and method
Léger, Mercier, Gadoury and Lambert (1988) defined the 20 m shuttle run with a starting speed of 8.5 km/h that rises by 0.5 km/h each minute, so the speed of any stage is 8 + 0.5 × stage number. They predicted VO2 max from that final-stage speed (X, km/h) and age (A, years) with the regression above, derived in 188 children aged 8–19, and showed that the same equation works for adults when age is held constant at 18.
Following the protocol, the last level announced is what counts — completing extra shuttles within a level does not change the VO2 estimate, but it does add to your distance and time. Distance assumes each completed level lasted one minute at its speed plus 20 m for each shuttle in your final level.
- X
- Running speed of the final level reached (km/h)
- A
- Age in years (18 for adults)
- VO2max
- Estimated maximal oxygen uptake (ml/kg/min)
Worked examples
Adult reaching level 10, shuttle 5
Level 10 runs at 8 + 0.5 × 10 = 13.0 km/h. With age fixed at 18, VO2 max = 31.025 + 3.238 × 13 − 3.248 × 18 + 0.1536 × 18 × 13 = 50.6 ml/kg/min. Nine full one-minute levels cover 1,575 m and five more shuttles add 100 m, for 1,675 m.
Recreational runner, level 7 shuttle 3
Level 7 requires 11.5 km/h. The adult equation gives 31.025 + 37.237 − 58.464 + 31.795 = 41.6 ml/kg/min. Six full levels plus three shuttles cover about 1,035 m.
14-year-old student, level 8 shuttle 2
For under-18s the real age is used. At 12.0 km/h: 31.025 + 3.238 × 12 − 3.248 × 14 + 0.1536 × 14 × 12 = 50.2 ml/kg/min — the same level would give an adult only about 44.6.
Frequently asked questions
How is VO2 max calculated from the beep test?+
The level you reach sets your final running speed (8 + 0.5 × level km/h). Léger’s 1988 equation then converts that speed and your age into VO2 max. For adults age is fixed at 18, which simplifies to roughly 6 × speed − 27.4.
What is a good beep test score?+
It depends on age, sex and sport. As a guide, level 8 or 9 corresponds to an adult VO2 max of about 45–48 ml/kg/min, which is above average for most adults, while level 11–12 (about 54–57) is the territory of well-trained endurance and team-sport athletes. Use the VO2 max calculator to compare against age norms.
Is the beep test the same as the PACER test?+
Yes, essentially. The FitnessGram PACER uses the same 20 m shuttle format with one-minute stages and is scored by total laps. Convert the laps to the level reached and this calculator will estimate VO2 max the same way.
Why does my shuttle number not change the VO2 max?+
In the original protocol the last stage announced is what predicts VO2 max, because every shuttle in a level is run at the same speed. Extra shuttles show more endurance at that speed and add distance, but the speed — and therefore the estimate — stays the same.
Why do different beep test tables give different results?+
Several recordings exist. Léger’s protocol starts at 8.5 km/h; the UK Ramsbottom version starts at 8.0 km/h, jumps to 9.0 km/h and uses slightly different level lengths and its own VO2 table. Always compare results from the same version.