What beep test score do you need for the police?

The answer, force by force

Every level below comes from the force’s own recruitment page or document, read on 10 October 2026. Check the official page before you test, because forces change their standards.

Force	Test	Minimum level	Depends on
England and Wales (College of Policing)	15 m bleep test (JRFT)	5.4	role: higher for specialist posts
Police Scotland	15 m bleep test	5.4	same for all candidates
Ministry of Defence Police	15 m bleep test	5.4	Inspector and above; firearms roles take another test
NSW Police Force	multi-stage fitness test	7.1	same for all, one attempt
Victoria Police	20 m beep test	5.01	same for police and PSO applicants
Queensland Police Service	20 m beep test	5/7	same for all
WA Police Force	20 m beep test	7.01 men, 6.01 women	sex and entry stream
Tasmania Police	20 m beep test	6.01	same for all; 9.01+ rated strong
Australian Federal Police	beep test	6.5	same for all, one attempt
South Australia Police	no beep test	none	fit for duty circuit instead
New Zealand Police	no beep test	none	2.4 km run in a points test

WA’s 7.01 and 6.01 apply to recruit and cadet applicants. Custody support applicants need 5.01 for men and 4.01 for women.

The Northern Territory is not in the table. Its recruitment page refused our requests, so we could not read the level ourselves.

UK: a 15 m test with its own levels

Police forces in the UK do not use the 20 m beep test. They use the Job-Related Fitness Test, a shuttle run over 15 metres with its own audio. The College of Policing sets the standard at 5.4 for any officer who needs personal safety training. That means four shuttles at level 5.

According to the College, the whole test takes 3 minutes 35 seconds and covers 525 m. That is 35 shuttles of 15 m.

Specialist posts have higher recommended standards on the same 15 m test:

Role	Level
Marine police unit, CBRN	5:4
Dog handler, mounted branch	5:7
Police cyclist	5:8
Police support unit	6:3
Air support	6:4
Police divers	6:8
Marine police (tactical skills)	7:2
Authorised firearms officer	7:6
Armed response vehicle	9:4
Dynamic intervention AFO	10:5

The College page says it is under review because of the new national curriculum for public and personal safety training. The figures above are the ones it showed on 10 October 2026.

Australia: each state sets its own level

Australian forces use the 20 m beep test, and the minimum goes from 5.01 to 7.1. NSW asks the most, with 7.1 and a single attempt on the day. Victoria asks 5.01, both in its 2019 police fitness flyer and on its current protective services officer page. Its police officer page confirms the fitness test but does not print the level.

Queensland writes its standard as 5/7, which is level 5, shuttle 7. Its standard also sets the turn: you must stop and turn at the line, not run a loop. WA is the only force in the table with a different level for men and women.

South Australia is the exception. Its recruitment page describes a “fit for duty” circuit with a 10 kg vest, an 80 m run, a carry, a balance beam and a fence. There is no beep test listed. To be competitive you need to finish in under 2 minutes 30 seconds.

New Zealand: a run, not a beep test

New Zealand Police does not use the beep test at entry. Its Physical Appraisal Test has four parts: a 2.4 km run, press-ups, a vertical jump and grip strength. Each part earns points, and you need at least 11 points in total to pass.

Reading a level correctly

A level is written as level, then shuttle. 7.1 at NSW is level 7, shuttle 1, the first shuttle of level 7. Tasmania writes the same idea as 6.01. Queensland uses a slash.

If you train on the 20 m test, put your result into the beep test calculator to see the speed you reached. The full 20 m chart is on the beep test page. A UK applicant should train on 15 m with the 15 m audio, because the 20 m levels do not line up with it.

Standards are set by each force and they change. The level on the force’s own page on the day you apply is the one that counts.