Beep test · level 21 of 21
Beep test level 21
At level 21 of the Beep test, the required speed is 18.5 km/h: 16 shuttles of 3.89 s each. The level lasts 1 min 02 s; when it ends you have covered 4 940 m in 22 min 01 s. Completing it in full credits you with a MAS of 18.5 km/h. An adult who stops during this level has an estimated VO₂max of 83.6 ml/min/kg (Léger 1988 equation, age set to 18).
Level 21, 18.5 km/h, closes the published chart: 247 shuttles, 4,940 m, just over 22 minutes. There is no level 22 in the official table. An athlete who completes it has a MAS of at least 18.5 km/h, and the test cannot say more.
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 × 21 = 18.5 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.
This is the last published level of the table. Beyond it no official chart exists: an athlete who completes it has a MAS of at least 18.5 km/h, and the test cannot say more.
Level 21 in the table
Frequently asked questions
What MAS does level 21 of the Beep test give?
A MAS of 18.5 km/h, provided you complete the level. If you stop midway, the scoring rule credits the last full level, so 18 km/h (level 20).
How long does level 21 last?
1 min 02 s, i.e. 16 shuttles of 3.89 s. From the start of the test that makes 22 min 01 s of running.
What pace per kilometre is this level?
18.5 km/h is 3:15 /km. That is the pace you would hold on a track, without the turns: in a shuttle the same figure costs more.