PACER (Beep Test)

Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means

The PACER, beep test, bleep test, and 20-metre shuttle run are names used for related progressive shuttle-run tests. The norms here come from Tomkinson et al. 2017, which pooled 1,142,026 performances from 177 studies in 50 countries among youth aged 9-17. The authors included one-minute-stage protocols, converted reported results to a common metric, and standardised protocol differences to the original Leger version before producing lap centiles. Because real-world implementations differ, compare a score only when the course, audio protocol, and stopping rule are compatible. Read more on Wikipedia

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

Reference population: Apparently healthy children and adolescents aged 9-17 from 50 countries (n=1,142,026), extracted from 177 studies with testing conducted from 1981-2014

PACER (Beep Test) Cardiovascular

PACER (Beep Test) Norms Chart 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 the international reference distribution spans 30 to 60 laps for boys and 19 to 40 laps for girls. Median lap counts rise from 32 to 57 between ages 9 and 17 for boys, while girls' medians change from 26 to 30 laps. These are peer percentiles, not FitnessGram Healthy Fitness Zone thresholds.

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 source standardised all performances to the original one-minute Leger protocol: 20-metre shuttles starting at 8.5 km/h and increasing by 0.5 km/h each minute. The published score is completed laps. Local PACER and beep-test recordings can use different start speeds, lap schedules, or stopping rules, so verify the version before comparing it with these norms.

Is the PACER the same as the beep test?

They are closely related. The PACER, beep test, bleep test, multi-stage fitness test, Leger test, and 20-metre shuttle run all involve progressively faster shuttles. Implementations can differ in starting speed, stage structure, lap schedule, and stopping rules. The source harmonised several one-minute-stage variants, but a local recording may still produce a non-comparable lap count.

Why are P25 and P75 listed as approximations?

Tomkinson et al. report P20 and P30 but not P25, and P70 and P80 but not P75. This site averages each adjacent pair and rounds half values up to the nearest completed lap. P5, P50, and P95 are source-reported centiles; P25 and P75 are site-derived estimates.

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

Boys' PACER scores increase steadily from age 9 to 17. Girls' median scores plateau around age 12 to 13 at approximately 28 to 30 laps and remain flat through age 17.

How do I convert PACER laps to VO2 max?

The Leger equation uses final running speed and age, not lap count alone. Converting laps therefore requires the exact audio protocol or a matching lap-to-speed table. Our VO2 max norms page provides separate VO2 max reference values if you already have a laboratory or protocol-derived estimate.

Related Metrics

Eurofit Battery

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