Free beep test audio
Run the 20m beep test straight from your phone. Audio beeps, spoken levels and a live shuttle counter. Start the full test from level 1 or skip ahead to your level, no sign-up needed. Start our free beep test program to unlock level repeats: loop any level and train at your test pace.
Standard test starts at level 1. Fitter athletes can skip the early levels to save time. Your score is still counted from level 1.
A normal beep test recording only goes one way: faster until you stop. Level repeats loop any level for as many reps as you want, with spoken reps, rests and countdowns, so you spend your training at the speed that decides your score.
- Loop any level, any rep length
- Voice-coached reps, rests and countdowns
- Every session of your 8-week plan, one tap to play
Turn your volume up before you start. On iPhone, if you hear nothing, switch off silent mode. The screen stays awake while the player runs.
Paused. Your score is the last shuttle you completed.
Want to raise your score? Get the free 8-week beep test training program →
How to set up the beep test
You need 20 metres of flat ground, two markers, a phone and somewhere to put it where you can hear it at both ends.
Measure 20 metres
Use a tape measure, not paces. Mark both ends with a line or cones, with a metre or two of run-off past each line.
Pick a non-slip surface
A basketball court, gym floor or flat grass is ideal. Wear running shoes with grip. You will turn up to 247 times.
Turn the sound up
Play the audio through a Bluetooth speaker for a group, or keep your phone at one end on full volume.
Warm up first
Five to ten minutes of easy running, drills and a few practice turns. The early levels are slow, but your first turns should not be your warm-up.
How the beep test works
The audio sets the pace. Your only job is to be at the line when it beeps.
- Start on the line. After the countdown, a long beep starts the test. Run to the far line.
- Reach the line by the beep. Get a foot on or over the line before each beep, turn, and run back.
- Levels speed up. A triple beep and a spoken level mark each new level. The time between beeps gets shorter.
- Two misses and you're out. Miss the line once and you get a warning; you must catch up. Miss it twice in a row and your test ends.
- Press stop. When you finish, hit Stop. The player records the last shuttle you completed, the distance you ran and an estimated VO2max.
Beep test level table
All 21 levels: running speed and pace, shuttles in each level, seconds per 20m shuttle, total distance by the end of the level, and an estimated VO2max for finishing it.
| Level | Speed | Pace | Shuttles | Sec / shuttle | Total distance | Est. VO2max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 km/h | 7:30 /km | 7 | 9.00 | 140m | 17 |
| 2 | 9 km/h | 6:40 /km | 8 | 8.00 | 300m | 23 |
| 3 | 9.5 km/h | 6:19 /km | 8 | 7.58 | 460m | 26 |
| 4 | 10 km/h | 6:00 /km | 9 | 7.20 | 640m | 30 |
| 5 | 10.5 km/h | 5:43 /km | 9 | 6.86 | 820m | 33 |
| 6 | 11 km/h | 5:27 /km | 10 | 6.55 | 1,020m | 36 |
| 7 | 11.5 km/h | 5:13 /km | 10 | 6.26 | 1,220m | 40 |
| 8 | 12 km/h | 5:00 /km | 11 | 6.00 | 1,440m | 43 |
| 9 | 12.5 km/h | 4:48 /km | 11 | 5.76 | 1,660m | 46 |
| 10 | 13 km/h | 4:37 /km | 11 | 5.54 | 1,880m | 49 |
| 11 | 13.5 km/h | 4:27 /km | 12 | 5.33 | 2,120m | 53 |
| 12 | 14 km/h | 4:17 /km | 12 | 5.14 | 2,360m | 56 |
| 13 | 14.5 km/h | 4:08 /km | 13 | 4.97 | 2,620m | 59 |
| 14 | 15 km/h | 4:00 /km | 13 | 4.80 | 2,880m | 62 |
| 15 | 15.5 km/h | 3:52 /km | 13 | 4.65 | 3,140m | 66 |
| 16 | 16 km/h | 3:45 /km | 14 | 4.50 | 3,420m | 69 |
| 17 | 16.5 km/h | 3:38 /km | 14 | 4.36 | 3,700m | 72 |
| 18 | 17 km/h | 3:32 /km | 15 | 4.24 | 4,000m | 76 |
| 19 | 17.5 km/h | 3:26 /km | 15 | 4.11 | 4,300m | 79 |
| 20 | 18 km/h | 3:20 /km | 16 | 4.00 | 4,620m | 82 |
| 21 | 18.5 km/h | 3:15 /km | 16 | 3.89 | 4,940m | 85 |
Level 1 at 8.0 km/h follows the version used by most Australian and UK beep test recordings; the original Léger protocol starts at 8.5 km/h, and every later level is identical. VO2max is a rough estimate from final running speed (Flouris et al., 2005). Running efficiency and turning skill shift it by several points either way.
Why repeat a single level?
Running the full test every time you train teaches you one thing: how to fail. Most of the session is spent at levels that are too easy, and the part that matters lasts a minute or two.
Level repeats fix that. Choose a level near your score, run it for a few minutes, rest, and go again. You get many more minutes at the pace that decides your result, and plenty of chances to practise smooth turns and arriving right on the beep.
Level repeats come with our free 8-week beep test training program. Start it and the player unlocks Level repeats (set the level, rep length, reps and rest), and every session of your plan, built from your current score, plays with one tap.
Beep test questions
How does the beep test work?
You run back and forth between two lines 20 metres apart, reaching the far line before each beep. Every minute or so the level goes up and the beeps get closer together. When you miss the line twice in a row, your test is over and your score is the last level and shuttle you completed.
How long does the beep test take?
Each level lasts about a minute, so your test takes roughly as many minutes as the level you reach. Most people finish somewhere between 6 and 12 minutes. Running all 21 levels takes about 22 minutes.
What does a score like 7.5 mean?
Level 7, shuttle 5. It is not a decimal: 7.10 (level 7, shuttle 10) is a better score than 7.9.
How far do you run in the beep test?
Every shuttle is 20 metres. Reaching the end of level 7 is 1,220 metres, the end of level 10 is 1,880 metres, and all 21 levels is 4,940 metres.
What speed is level 1 of the beep test?
This version starts at 8.0 km/h (9 seconds per shuttle), jumps to 9.0 km/h at level 2, then adds 0.5 km/h every level up to 18.5 km/h at level 21. The original Léger version starts at 8.5 km/h; every level after that is the same.
What is a good beep test score?
It depends on your age, sport and position. As a rough guide for adult team-sport athletes: level 8–10 is a solid base, 11–13 is strong, and 14+ is elite. More important than any table is the score your sport, club or grading asks of you. That is the number to train for.
Is the beep test the same as the Yo-Yo test?
No. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test also uses 20m shuttles, but gives you 10 seconds of active recovery after every 40 metres. Many professional sports now use the Yo-Yo, but the beep test is still the most common fitness test in schools, clubs and recruitment.
How do I improve my beep test score?
Train the things the test actually rewards: efficient turns, relaxed running, pacing each shuttle so you arrive on the beep, and fitness at and just above your current level. Our free 8-week beep test training program builds a plan around your current score.
Beat your beep test score
Enter your current level and get a personalised 8-week plan: turn technique, running drills, pacing practice and level repeats that load straight into this player.
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