Do I have to run both the mile and the beep test?

No. The White House table marks the cardiorespiratory column as one the student may pick one of. Meeting the benchmark in either one counts for that category, alongside one benchmark each in core strength and upper body.

Is 55 beep test laps the same as a 7:57 mile?

The table pairs them for a 10-year-old boy, but it does not say they are equivalent, and there is no published formula to convert one into the other. Treat them as two separate targets set for the same age.

It depends on the student. The mile rewards steady pacing, the beep test rewards holding a speed that rises every minute. A student who starts too fast loses more in the mile, and one who turns slowly loses more in the beep test.

Can I run the mile on a treadmill?

The White House PDF does not say. It lists the mile time as the benchmark and gives no rule about the surface, so check the instructions of the program that administers your test.

Presidential Fitness Test: beep test vs one-mile run

One category, two ways to meet it

The Presidential Physical Fitness Test has three categories: core and abdominal strength, cardiorespiratory fitness and upper body strength. In each one the student picks one exercise. The White House table says a student must meet the benchmark in all three categories to earn the award.

In the cardio category the choice is the one-mile run or the 20 m beep test. You run one of them, not both.

The targets side by side

Each age and sex has one mile time and one lap count. A lap is one 20 m length. The speed columns are our own arithmetic: the mile time turned into km/h, and the beep test level where the target lap falls.

Age	Boys: mile	Boys: mile speed	Boys: beep laps	Boys: level
6	10:15	9.4 km/h	27	4
8	8:48	11.0 km/h	39	5
10	7:57	12.1 km/h	55	7
12	7:11	13.4 km/h	65	8
14	6:26	15.0 km/h	75	9
16	6:08	15.7 km/h	84	10
17+	6:06	15.8 km/h	84	10

Age	Girls: mile	Girls: mile speed	Girls: beep laps	Girls: level
6	11:20	8.5 km/h	22	3
8	10:02	9.6 km/h	29	4
10	9:19	10.4 km/h	41	5
12	8:23	11.5 km/h	49	6
14	7:59	12.1 km/h	50	6
16	7:59	12.1 km/h	50	6
17+	7:59	12.1 km/h	50	6

The PDF lists every age from 6 to 17+. The tables show every second age to stay short.

Two different efforts

The two tests do not feel alike, even for the same student.

The mile is a time trial. You choose your pace. A 10-year-old boy aiming for 7:57 runs about 4:57 per kilometre, from the first lap to the last. A start that is too fast shows up in the final lap.

The beep test is a ramp. The speed is chosen for you and rises every minute. The same boy has to be at lap 55, which is level 7 at 11.5 km/h, before he is allowed to stop. The test ends when he misses two beeps in a row. The rule is explained in how the PACER test is scored.

A mile at 12.1 km/h and a beep test that ends in level 7 at 11.5 km/h are different efforts. The table puts them next to each other, but a student who passes one has not shown that they would pass the other.

Where the table is not symmetrical

Girls stop rising early. The girls’ mile target stays at 7:59 from age 14, and the beep test target stays at 50 laps from age 13. The boys’ targets keep getting harder until 16. The PDF gives no reason for the difference.

How to choose

Choose the mile if you have a track or a flat 400 m loop, you run alone or in a small group and you know how to hold a pace. One stopwatch per student is enough.

Choose the beep test if the test is indoors, with a 20 m space and a sound system, and the group is large. Everyone runs at once and the beeps set the pace, so a student cannot start too fast. It also needs a turn at each end, and a slow turn costs time in every length.

One point applies to the beep test. The targets are written for the 20 m course, so a 15 m gym needs another table, see the PACER page.

Preparing for the one you picked

For the mile, practise your target pace over shorter repeats, for example 400 m at the pace you need, with a walk between. For the beep test, practise the turn and run the first levels without getting ahead of the beep. Both are easier after one trial run, which gives you a lap count or a time to measure against.

To see what a lap count means in speed, the PACER calculator gives the level, speed and distance.

Presidential Fitness Test: should I run the beep test or the one-mile run?