What is a good beep test score for a 30-year-old man?

On this site’s benchmarks for adults: levels 6 and 7 for an active man who does not run, 8 and 9 for a regular exerciser, 10 to 13 for a well-trained one, 14 and above for an experienced runner. These are coaching benchmarks, not an age norm.

What is a good beep test score for a woman?

Lower on average than a man at the same level of training, with wide overlap, which is why most entry standards set a lower minimum for women. The size of that minimum gap is set by each service.

Is level 6 a bad beep test score?

No. Level 6 (11 km/h) is an active adult who does not run regularly. Two interval sessions a week are the usual way to progress from there.

What is a good beep test score?

What “good” means here

A beep test score is only good against an expectation. There are three: an entry standard, which sets a minimum level and, for some services, awards points above it; a coach, who reads a MAS and infers a potential; and the runner, who compares with last time. The benchmarks below serve the second. For the first, your entry test’s own page gives the exact figure.

The benchmarks, level by level

A level translates into a speed, and a speed into a level of training. This is how a coach reads it, and it should be taken as such: the ranges below are the editorial benchmarks of this site, built from reference books on MAS such as Billat’s, not thresholds established by a study of the shuttle run. The 10 km equivalences assume you hold about 90 % of your MAS over the distance.

Levels 3 to 5 (9.5 to 10.5 km/h): sedentary, or returning after a long break.
Levels 6 and 7 (11 and 11.5 km/h): adult with occasional activity.
Levels 8 and 9 (12 and 12.5 km/h): regular exerciser, two sessions a week.
Levels 10 and 11 (13 and 13.5 km/h): good level. Comfortable team-sport player, 10 km runner around 50 minutes.
Levels 12 and 13 (14 and 14.5 km/h): very good level. Good regional-level amateur footballer, 10 km runner around 47 minutes.
Levels 14 to 16 (15 to 16 km/h): experienced runner, top amateur athlete.
Level 17 and above (16.5 km/h and up): endurance athlete.

These ranges are meant for adults aged 20 to 40. After 40, MAS declines gradually at equal training, and this page gives no figure per decade. Under 18, a school score is better read against a school standard, such as the FitnessGram zone for the PACER.

Men, women: the gap and what it is worth

At equal training, women score lower than men on average, with wide overlap between individuals. Most entry standards set a lower minimum for women, by an amount that varies by service. What does not change is how progress is made: the same sessions at MAS, with gains that depend on the starting point and the training volume.

The same score, as MAS

An examiner reads a level. A coach reads a speed, because that is what sessions are built on. The correspondence is direct: MAS is the speed of the last level completed. Level 8, 12 km/h; level 10, 13 km/h; level 12, 14 km/h. The calculator below does the conversion, shuttles included, and gives the distance run and an estimated VO₂max.

What your score is worth tomorrow

The score that matters most is the next one. Two interval sessions a week are the usual way to raise it, and how much it rises depends on the runner. Above level 12 every extra level asks for more: diminishing returns, and the reason level 14 is an experienced runner’s score even though it is only 1 km/h away from level 12.