Beep test levels
The beep test has 21 levels. Level 1 is 7 shuttles of 20 metres at 8.0 km/h, and each level after it is faster, with the shuttle count climbing to 16 at 18.5 km/h on level 21. Every level lasts 60 to 66 seconds, and the full test is 247 shuttles, or 4,940 metres.
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All 21 levels
247
shuttles in the full test
4,940 m
total distance
22:01
from first beep to last
| Level | Speed (km/h) | Shuttles | Seconds per shuttle | Level time (s) | Total shuttles | Total distance (m) | Elapsed at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.0 | 7 | 9.00 | 63.0 | 7 | 140 | 1:03 |
| 2 | 9.0 | 8 | 8.00 | 64.0 | 15 | 300 | 2:07 |
| 3 | 9.5 | 8 | 7.58 | 60.6 | 23 | 460 | 3:08 |
| 4 | 10.0 | 9 | 7.20 | 64.8 | 32 | 640 | 4:12 |
| 5 | 10.5 | 9 | 6.86 | 61.7 | 41 | 820 | 5:14 |
| 6 | 11.0 | 10 | 6.55 | 65.5 | 51 | 1,020 | 6:20 |
| 7 | 11.5 | 10 | 6.26 | 62.6 | 61 | 1,220 | 7:22 |
| 8 | 12.0 | 11 | 6.00 | 66.0 | 72 | 1,440 | 8:28 |
| 9 | 12.5 | 11 | 5.76 | 63.4 | 83 | 1,660 | 9:32 |
| 10 | 13.0 | 11 | 5.54 | 60.9 | 94 | 1,880 | 10:33 |
| 11 | 13.5 | 12 | 5.33 | 64.0 | 106 | 2,120 | 11:37 |
| 12 | 14.0 | 12 | 5.14 | 61.7 | 118 | 2,360 | 12:38 |
| 13 | 14.5 | 13 | 4.97 | 64.6 | 131 | 2,620 | 13:43 |
| 14 | 15.0 | 13 | 4.80 | 62.4 | 144 | 2,880 | 14:45 |
| 15 | 15.5 | 13 | 4.65 | 60.5 | 157 | 3,140 | 15:46 |
| 16 | 16.0 | 14 | 4.50 | 63.0 | 171 | 3,420 | 16:49 |
| 17 | 16.5 | 14 | 4.36 | 61.0 | 185 | 3,700 | 17:50 |
| 18 | 17.0 | 15 | 4.24 | 63.6 | 200 | 4,000 | 18:53 |
| 19 | 17.5 | 15 | 4.11 | 61.6 | 215 | 4,300 | 19:55 |
| 20 | 18.0 | 16 | 4.00 | 64.0 | 231 | 4,620 | 20:59 |
| 21 | 18.5 | 16 | 3.89 | 62.2 | 247 | 4,940 | 22:01 |
Total shuttles, total distance and elapsed time are counted to the end of each level. Elapsed time runs from the first beep and leaves out any countdown.
Where these numbers come from
This is the protocol BEEP: Beep Test Coach runs, taken from the app's own timing table. Time per shuttle is the time it takes to cover 20 metres at that level's speed (72 divided by the speed in km/h), rounded to two decimal places. Level time is shuttles multiplied by time per shuttle.
The test was published by Léger and colleagues in 1988. Their protocol starts at 8.5 km/h and adds 0.5 km/h each stage. The version in this table starts level 1 at 8.0 km/h and jumps to 9.0 km/h for level 2, so from level 2 onwards the speeds match Léger's exactly.
Want to know what your level means for fitness? See the VO2 max for each level.
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Sources
- Léger, L. A., Mercier, D., Gadoury, C. and Lambert, J. (1988). The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Journal of Sports Sciences, 6(2), 93-101. doi:10.1080/02640418808729800
- Studio Phoenix (2026). BEEP: Beep Test Coach, the level table and VO2 max calculations the app runs. About the app
Last reviewed by Studio Phoenix.
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