How long does it take to gain a level on the beep test?

It depends on where you start and how much you train, so there is no fixed figure. Retest after three weeks to see where you stand. Above level 12, every level asks for more.

Should I run every day to improve my beep test?

No. Two quality sessions a week improve MAS more than a daily jog, because MAS is trained at MAS. A third easy run helps; a fourth adds little for a candidate.

How do I turn faster on the beep test?

Brake on two steps before the line, plant your foot on or just behind the line, pivot to your natural side and drive out with three short strides. In training, run your intervals out and back over 20 m, never in a straight line.

How do I improve my beep test score?

What a level is made of

A level on the beep test is 0.5 km/h more from level 3 onwards, after the jump from 8 to 9 km/h between the first two, and about one more minute, 60 to 66 seconds depending on the level. To gain one you need three things: a higher maximal aerobic speed, a turn that costs less, and pacing in the first levels that wastes nothing. The first is built over weeks. The other two are learned in a couple of sessions and save energy on the day.

The six-week plan

Two sessions a week, a third if you can.

Session 1, short intervals. The 30-30: 30 seconds at 100-105 % of MAS, 30 seconds jogging, twelve to fifteen repetitions. For a MAS of 12 km/h, 30 seconds is 100 to 105 m. Run them as 20 m shuttles, out and back, not in a straight line: the turn is part of the effort you are training. Weeks 1 and 2: 12 repetitions. Weeks 3 and 4: 15. Weeks 5 and 6: two blocks of 10 with three minutes between blocks.

Session 2, threshold. Two to three times eight minutes at 85 % of MAS, two minutes jogging between blocks. For a MAS of 12 km/h that is 10.2 km/h, a pace where you can still say a short sentence. It extends the time you can hold close to your maximum.

Session 3, optional. Thirty to forty-five minutes easy, at 70 % of MAS. It builds the base and speeds up recovery.

Week 3 and week 6: a full test, in exam conditions, to measure and recalibrate. Do not skip week 3: that is the one that tells you whether the paces were right.

The turn, a skill learned in a few sessions

Every shuttle ends in a turn. Eleven at level 8. More than a hundred over a whole test. A bad turn is a metre run past the line, a heavy restart and half a second lost that has to be caught up by accelerating.

The technique: two braking steps before the line, the plant foot on or just behind the line, never past it, a pivot to your natural side, three short strides to drive out. Alternate the pivot side from one shuttle to the next in training, so one leg does not do all the work.

The first levels: give nothing away

Level 1 is run at 8 km/h, a brisk walk. The beep feels slow, and many candidates get ahead of it. That lead is energy spent running faster than required, and it is missing at level 9. Leave on the beep, arrive on the beep, wait for the beep. Up to level 5 you should feel like you are holding back.

Test day

Fifteen-minute warm-up, finishing with two or three progressive 20 m strides.
Indoor shoes if the test is in a gym: road shoes slip on the turn.
No lead on the beep for the first five levels.
Breathe to the rhythm: exhale on the turn, the simplest metronome there is.
Stop rules vary from one test to another: some allow one late arrival and stop at the second, others stop at the first missed line. Check the rules of your own test.

What does not work

Training in straight lines and meeting the turn on test day.
Jogging and hoping MAS goes up: it goes up at MAS, not below it.
Training on an 18 or 19 m course because the gym is small: the level you gain is not real.
Testing tired, after a session or a short night. Fatigue lowers the score.