PACER test vs beep test: what is the difference?

One test, two names

The beep test was published by Luc Léger in 1982 as the 20 m shuttle run. FitnessGram, the school fitness programme of The Cooper Institute, adopted it under the name PACER, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run. Same two lines 20 metres apart, same beeps that speed up every level. One rule differs: the beep test stops on the second consecutive miss, the PACER on the second miss whether consecutive or not.

Difference one: the score

The beep test reports a level, sometimes with the shuttles of the next one: 7.4 or “7 + 4”. The PACER reports laps, one per 20 m length, and compares the total with a Healthy Fitness Zone by age and sex.

The two convert exactly, because the chart is the same. Level ends fall on laps 7, 15, 23, 32, 41, 51, 61, 72, 83, 94, 106, 118, 131, 144, 157, 171, 185, 200, 215, 231 and 247. A PACER score of 65 laps is level 7 complete plus four shuttles into level 8.

Difference two: the first level

The original Léger recording starts at 8.5 km/h. The PACER recording, like the Eurofit version used in French, British and Irish entry tests, starts at 8.0 km/h and jumps to 9.0 km/h at level 2. From level 2 onwards the two charts are identical: same speeds, same shuttle counts, same durations. The difference sits in the first level only, and published shuttle totals vary from one source to another depending on how each level is rounded. The charts and calculators on this site use the 8.0 km/h version, 247 shuttles over 21 levels, for both names, because it is the recording played in the entry tests and school programmes people prepare for; the 8.5 km/h start is the one described in Léger’s 1988 paper.

Difference three: the 15 m PACER

FitnessGram also provides a 15 m recording for gyms that cannot fit 20 m. Speeds are matched, but the laps are shorter and the turns more frequent, so the totals are not comparable and FitnessGram publishes a separate look-up table. There is no 15 m beep test, apart from the UK police JRFT, which is a different chart altogether.

Which name to use

Use the name your audience uses. Schools in the United States say PACER and count laps. Entry tests for uniformed services usually say beep test or bleep test and quote a level. Coaches say shuttle run or 20 m MSFT. On a results sheet, write the level and the lap count side by side, so that both readers find their number.

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert a PACER score to a beep test level?

Yes, exactly, because the chart is the same. Level ends fall on laps 7, 15, 23, 32, 41, 51, 61, 72, 83, 94. So 61 laps is level 7 complete, and 65 laps is four shuttles into level 8, written 8.4 or 8 + 4 on a beep test sheet.

Is the PACER easier than the beep test?

Not on the course: same speeds, same chart, same beeps. The stop rule is slightly stricter on the PACER, which ends on the second miss whether consecutive or not, where the beep test needs two misses in a row. The 15 m PACER, used in small gyms, is the only version that really differs, with more turns per minute and its own lap table.

Which one do police and the military use?

Entry tests report a level, not laps, and each service publishes its own protocol and minimum. The police in England and Wales, for example, use a 15 m variant called the JRFT, with its own chart and its own minimum. Schools in the United States use the PACER and report laps.