How the Calculator Works
Beep test: VO2max is estimated from the running speed of your final stage using the Léger et al. (1988) equation: VO2max = 31.025 + 3.238 × speed − 3.248 × age + 0.1536 × speed × age, where speed is in km/h and age in years. The equation was validated for ages 8-19; for adults, age is held at 18 (as the authors recommend), which simplifies to VO2max = 6.0 × speed − 27.4. Finishing part-way through a level is credited proportionally, so level 9 shuttle 4 scores a little higher than level 8 completed.
Yo-Yo tests: VO2max is estimated from total distance covered (40 m per shuttle) using the Bangsbo, Iaia & Krustrup (2008) equations: Yo-Yo IR1: VO2max = 0.0084 × distance + 36.4 and Yo-Yo IR2: VO2max = 0.0136 × distance + 45.3.
Rating: your estimate is placed on the ACSM cardiorespiratory fitness percentiles (Cooper Institute data, ages 20-79) shown at the bottom of this page, then labelled Poor (below 20th percentile), Fair (20-39th), Average (40-59th), Good (60-79th), Excellent (80-94th) or Superior (95th and above). Percentiles between the published points are interpolated, so treat the number as approximate.
All of these are field-test predictions, not laboratory measurements. Expect an error of roughly ±3-5 ml/kg/min against a treadmill VO2max test, and remember that beep test versions differ slightly (some start at 8.5 km/h rather than 8.0 km/h), which shifts the numbers by a fraction of a level.
Warm-Up and Important Notes
The beep test and Yo-Yo tests are maximal efforts, so a proper warm-up matters both for your score and for avoiding injury. The first levels feel easy but they are not a warm-up - by level 5 you are already running at 10.5 km/h. A simple routine that works for school groups and teams:
- 5-10 minutes easy jogging - just enough to raise heart rate and body temperature.
- Dynamic movements - leg swings, walking lunges, high knees, heel flicks, 20-30 m each. Save static stretching for after the test.
- Rehearse the shuttle - 4-6 runs over the 20 m course at level 1-3 pace, practising the turn: plant one foot on the line, pivot, push off. Poor turns cost more than poor fitness in the later levels.
- 2-3 short strides at roughly level 8-10 pace to open up, then 2-3 minutes of walking recovery before the audio starts.
Eating and drinking: have a normal, carbohydrate-based meal 2-3 hours before the test and avoid anything heavy or fatty in the last hour - a full stomach and a maximal shuttle run do not mix. A small snack such as a banana 30-60 minutes out is fine if you are hungry. Arrive hydrated rather than trying to catch up at the start line: around 400-500 ml of water spread over the 2 hours before, then only sips in the last 15 minutes so it is not sloshing. Plain water is enough for a test this short; sports drinks are not needed. In hot conditions, hydration in the hours beforehand matters more than anything you drink just before the test.
Test on the same surface and in the same footwear each time if you are tracking progress, and avoid testing in extreme heat - Thai afternoon conditions can knock a level or more off a score.
Beep Test Levels, Speeds and VO2max
The table below uses the common 21-level protocol (level 1 at 8.0 km/h, level 2 at 9.0 km/h, then +0.5 km/h per level, 20 m shuttles, 1-minute stages), with VO2max from the Léger equation above for adults and for two school ages. Because the calculator credits each shuttle within a level, two values are given per level: the estimate at the first shuttle (just above the previous level's finishing value) and at the last shuttle (the level's full speed, in bold). A score of level 2 shuttle 1, for example, gives 21.3 for an adult, rising to 26.6 by shuttle 8 of 8. Level 1 is credited the same way, stepping up from a notional 7.5 km/h (one standard 0.5 km/h increment below its 8.0 km/h). This within-level credit is a convention used by most beep test calculators; the Léger equation itself only defines the value at each level's full speed.
| Level | Speed (km/h) | Shuttles | Distance at end (m) | VO2max, adult 18+ | VO2max, age 15 | VO2max, age 12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st shuttle | last shuttle | 1st shuttle | last shuttle | 1st shuttle | last shuttle | ||||
| 1 | 8.0 | 7 | 140 | 18.0 | 20.6 | 24.3 | 26.6 | 30.5 | 32.7 |
| 2 | 9.0 | 8 | 300 | 21.3 | 26.6 | 27.3 | 32.2 | 33.3 | 37.8 |
| 3 | 9.5 | 8 | 460 | 27.0 | 29.6 | 32.5 | 35.0 | 38.1 | 40.3 |
| 4 | 10.0 | 9 | 640 | 29.9 | 32.6 | 35.3 | 37.7 | 40.6 | 42.9 |
| 5 | 10.5 | 9 | 820 | 32.9 | 35.6 | 38.0 | 40.5 | 43.1 | 45.4 |
| 6 | 11.0 | 10 | 1020 | 35.9 | 38.6 | 40.8 | 43.3 | 45.7 | 47.9 |
| 7 | 11.5 | 10 | 1220 | 38.9 | 41.6 | 43.5 | 46.0 | 48.2 | 50.5 |
| 8 | 12.0 | 11 | 1440 | 41.9 | 44.6 | 46.3 | 48.8 | 50.7 | 53.0 |
| 9 | 12.5 | 11 | 1660 | 44.9 | 47.6 | 49.1 | 51.6 | 53.3 | 55.6 |
| 10 | 13.0 | 11 | 1880 | 47.9 | 50.6 | 51.8 | 54.4 | 55.8 | 58.1 |
| 11 | 13.5 | 12 | 2120 | 50.8 | 53.6 | 54.6 | 57.1 | 58.3 | 60.6 |
| 12 | 14.0 | 12 | 2360 | 53.8 | 56.6 | 57.4 | 59.9 | 60.9 | 63.2 |
| 13 | 14.5 | 13 | 2620 | 56.8 | 59.6 | 60.1 | 62.7 | 63.4 | 65.7 |
| 14 | 15.0 | 13 | 2880 | 59.8 | 62.6 | 62.9 | 65.4 | 65.9 | 68.3 |
| 15 | 15.5 | 13 | 3140 | 62.8 | 65.6 | 65.6 | 68.2 | 68.5 | 70.8 |
| 16 | 16.0 | 14 | 3420 | 65.8 | 68.6 | 68.4 | 71.0 | 71.0 | 73.3 |
| 17 | 16.5 | 14 | 3700 | 68.8 | 71.6 | 71.2 | 73.7 | 73.5 | 75.9 |
| 18 | 17.0 | 15 | 4000 | 71.8 | 74.6 | 73.9 | 76.5 | 76.1 | 78.4 |
| 19 | 17.5 | 15 | 4300 | 74.8 | 77.6 | 76.7 | 79.3 | 78.6 | 81.0 |
| 20 | 18.0 | 16 | 4620 | 77.8 | 80.6 | 79.5 | 82.1 | 81.1 | 83.5 |
| 21 | 18.5 | 16 | 4940 | 80.8 | 83.6 | 82.2 | 84.8 | 83.7 | 86.1 |
Source: Léger LA, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J. The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Journal of Sports Sciences. 1988;6(2):93-101. PubMed
Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1
Scores are recorded as speed level and shuttle (e.g. 16.3). Each shuttle is 2 × 20 m = 40 m, with a 10-second active recovery between shuttles.
| Speed level | Speed (km/h) | Shuttles in level | Distance at end (m) | Est. VO2max (ml/kg/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10.0 | 1 | 40 | 36.7 |
| 8 | 12.0 | 1 | 80 | 37.1 |
| 11 | 13.0 | 2 | 160 | 37.7 |
| 12 | 13.5 | 3 | 280 | 38.8 |
| 13 | 14.0 | 4 | 440 | 40.1 |
| 14 | 14.5 | 8 | 760 | 42.8 |
| 15 | 15.0 | 8 | 1080 | 45.5 |
| 16 | 15.5 | 8 | 1400 | 48.2 |
| 17 | 16.0 | 8 | 1720 | 50.8 |
| 18 | 16.5 | 8 | 2040 | 53.5 |
| 19 | 17.0 | 8 | 2360 | 56.2 |
| 20 | 17.5 | 8 | 2680 | 58.9 |
| 21 | 18.0 | 8 | 3000 | 61.6 |
| 22 | 18.5 | 8 | 3320 | 64.3 |
| 23 | 19.0 | 8 | 3640 | 67.0 |
Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2
The Level 2 test starts faster (13 km/h) and is intended for well-trained athletes.
| Speed level | Speed (km/h) | Shuttles in level | Distance at end (m) | Est. VO2max (ml/kg/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 13.0 | 1 | 40 | 45.8 |
| 15 | 15.0 | 1 | 80 | 46.4 |
| 17 | 16.0 | 2 | 160 | 47.5 |
| 18 | 16.5 | 3 | 280 | 49.1 |
| 19 | 17.0 | 4 | 440 | 51.3 |
| 20 | 17.5 | 8 | 760 | 55.6 |
| 21 | 18.0 | 8 | 1080 | 60.0 |
| 22 | 18.5 | 8 | 1400 | 64.3 |
| 23 | 19.0 | 8 | 1720 | 68.7 |
| 24 | 19.5 | 8 | 2040 | 73.0 |
| 25 | 20.0 | 8 | 2360 | 77.4 |
| 26 | 20.5 | 8 | 2680 | 81.7 |
Source: Bangsbo J, Iaia FM, Krustrup P. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test: a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Medicine. 2008;38(1):37-51. PubMed
VO2max Norms by Age and Sex (ml/kg/min)
Percentile values for cardiorespiratory fitness in adults, from maximal treadmill tests in the Cooper Institute's Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, as published in the ACSM Guidelines. The 50th percentile is the median for that age group.
Men
| Age | 5th | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | 29.0 | 32.1 | 40.1 | 48.0 | 55.2 | 61.8 | 66.3 |
| 30-39 | 27.2 | 30.2 | 35.9 | 42.4 | 49.2 | 56.5 | 59.8 |
| 40-49 | 24.2 | 26.8 | 31.9 | 37.8 | 45.0 | 52.1 | 55.6 |
| 50-59 | 20.9 | 22.8 | 27.1 | 32.6 | 39.7 | 45.6 | 50.7 |
| 60-69 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 23.7 | 28.2 | 34.5 | 40.3 | 43.0 |
| 70-79 | 16.3 | 17.1 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 30.4 | 36.6 | 39.7 |
Women
| Age | 5th | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | 21.7 | 23.9 | 30.5 | 37.6 | 44.7 | 51.3 | 56.0 |
| 30-39 | 19.0 | 20.9 | 25.3 | 30.2 | 36.1 | 41.4 | 45.8 |
| 40-49 | 17.0 | 18.8 | 22.1 | 26.7 | 32.4 | 38.4 | 41.7 |
| 50-59 | 16.0 | 17.3 | 19.9 | 23.4 | 27.6 | 32.0 | 35.9 |
| 60-69 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 17.2 | 20.0 | 23.8 | 27.0 | 29.4 |
| 70-79 | 13.1 | 13.6 | 15.6 | 18.3 | 20.8 | 23.1 | 24.1 |
Source: American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th ed. Wolters Kluwer; 2021, Table 4.7 (data from The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX).
Running the Beep Test
You need a flat 20 m course marked with cones or tape at each end, the audio track (freely available as apps and recordings, e.g. on YouTube), and a recording sheet. Runners must reach the line before each beep; the first missed beep is a warning, and the test ends on the second consecutive miss. Record the last level and shuttle completed. For other fitness benchmarks, see our standing long jump norms, and browse our sports testing equipment for measuring tools.
