Beep test · level 20 of 21
Beep test level 20
At level 20 of the Beep test, the required speed is 18 km/h: 16 shuttles of 4 s each. The level lasts 1 min 04 s; when it ends you have covered 4 620 m in 20 min 59 s. Completing it in full credits you with a MAS of 18 km/h. An adult who stops during this level has an estimated VO₂max of 80.6 ml/min/kg (Léger 1988 equation, age set to 18).
Level 20, 18 km/h, sixteen shuttles at exactly 4 seconds. Almost nobody finishes it: this is the zone of middle-distance runners and top-level players, and even they prefer to measure MAS on a track rather than in a shuttle.
The previous level, 19, was run at 17.5 km/h. The next one, 21, moves to 18.5 km/h. On this test the gap between two levels is small in speed and large in feel, because fatigue carries over from one level to the next.
The VO₂max shown comes from the equation Léger and colleagues published with the test in 1988. It starts from the last level announced, the one during which you stop, not the last one completed: S = 8 + 0.5 × 20 = 18 km/h. It also depends on age, capped at 18; the figure above is for an adult. For a child or a teenager the same level gives a higher figure: the VO₂max calculator gives it for every age from 8 to 17. It is an estimate, not a measurement.
Level 20 in the table
Frequently asked questions
What MAS does level 20 of the Beep test give?
A MAS of 18 km/h, provided you complete the level. If you stop midway, the scoring rule credits the last full level, so 17.5 km/h (level 19).
How long does level 20 last?
1 min 04 s, i.e. 16 shuttles of 4 s. From the start of the test that makes 20 min 59 s of running.
What pace per kilometre is this level?
18 km/h is 3:20 /km. That is the pace you would hold on a track, without the turns: in a shuttle the same figure costs more.