PACER (Beep Test)

The PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), also known as the beep test, bleep test, or 20-metre shuttle run, is the most widely used field test of cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents. Participants run back and forth along a 20-metre course, keeping pace with audio beeps that get progressively faster each minute. The test ends when the participant can no longer keep pace for two consecutive laps. Norms on this page are drawn from Tomkinson et al. 2017, the largest international 20m shuttle run normative study, covering 1,142,026 performances from 50 countries in children and adolescents aged 9 to 17. Read more on Wikipedia

Data source: Tomkinson et al. (International 20mSRT) (2017) · n=1.1M About this study

PACER (Beep Test) Cardiovascular

PACER (Beep Test) Norms by Age and Sex (laps)

Age Sex Percentile
5th 25th 50th 75th 95th
9 Male 9 22 32 43 58
Female 8 19 26 35 47
10 Male 9 23 33 45 62
Female 7 19 27 36 49
11 Male 9 25 36 48 67
Female 6 19 28 38 52
12 Male 9 27 39 54 75
Female 5 19 28 39 54
13 Male 11 30 44 60 84
Female 5 19 29 40 56
14 Male 13 33 48 66 92
Female 5 19 29 41 57
15 Male 14 35 52 70 97
Female 5 20 30 41 58
16 Male 15 37 54 74 102
Female 5 20 30 42 59
17 Male 16 39 57 77 107
Female 5 20 30 42 60

What to expect by age group

At age 13, the middle 50% of boys complete 30 to 60 laps and girls complete 19 to 40 laps. Boys' scores increase continuously from age 9 through 17, while girls' scores plateau around age 12 to 13 at roughly 28 to 30 laps, reflecting well-documented sex divergence in aerobic fitness during puberty. Scores below 30 laps (boys) or 19 laps (girls) are typically below average for 13-year-olds; scores above 60 laps (boys) or 40 laps (girls) are above average.

Typical range (25th to 75th percentile) by age group (laps)
Age MalesFemales
9 22 to 4319 to 35
10 23 to 4519 to 36
11 25 to 4819 to 38
12 27 to 5419 to 39
13 30 to 6019 to 40
14 33 to 6619 to 41
15 35 to 7020 to 41
16 37 to 7420 to 42
17 39 to 7720 to 42

Detailed Breakdowns

Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.

Males
91011121314151617
Females
91011121314151617
Age trend (percentiles)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the PACER test?

The PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) is a 20-metre shuttle run test used in FitnessGram, Eurofit, and school PE programmes worldwide. Participants run 20 metres between two lines, keeping pace with recorded beeps. The starting speed is 8.5 km/h, increasing by 0.5 km/h each minute (each minute is called a 'level'). The score is the total number of laps completed before the participant fails to reach the line in time twice.

Is the PACER the same as the beep test?

They are closely related. The PACER, beep test, bleep test, multi-stage fitness test, Léger test, and 20-metre shuttle run all involve running 20-metre shuttles at progressively increasing speeds. However, implementations can differ slightly, for example, the FitnessGram PACER and the original Léger protocol use different starting speeds. The norms on this page are derived from studies using multiple protocol variants, so small differences in lap counts may occur depending on which version you used.

Why are P25 and P75 listed as approximations?

The source study (Tomkinson et al. 2017) reports P20 and P30 but not P25, and P70 and P80 but not P75. We approximate P25 as the average of P20 and P30, and P75 as the average of P70 and P80. These are estimates, not source-reported values.

Why do girls' scores plateau while boys' keep rising?

Boys' PACER scores increase steadily from age 9 to 17, driven by testosterone-related gains in VO2 max, muscle mass, and haemoglobin. Girls' median scores plateau around age 12 to 13 at approximately 28 to 30 laps. This mirrors the well-documented sex divergence in cardiorespiratory fitness during puberty.

How do I convert PACER laps to VO2 max?

The Léger equation estimates VO2 max from the final running speed reached on the 20m shuttle run. However, the raw lap count is the most common score reported in schools and the unit students search for. Our VO2 max norms page provides direct VO2 max percentiles if you have a laboratory or estimated value.

Related Metrics

Eurofit Battery

This metric is part of the Eurofit, a standardised 9-test battery for children and adolescents aged 6-18.