How far should I run in the Cooper test?

There is no pass distance: the test records what you cover in 12 minutes. To place a result, convert it to speed. 2,000 m is 10 km/h, 2,400 m is 12 km/h and 3,000 m is 15 km/h.

How do I get my MAS from the Cooper test?

Divide the distance in metres by 200. A run of 2,600 m gives 13 km/h. It is an approximation, closer to the truth when the pace was even for the whole 12 minutes.

What is the difference between the Cooper test and the half Cooper?

The half Cooper lasts 6 minutes instead of 12. It is quicker to organise, but the average speed over 6 minutes sits above MAS, while over 12 minutes it comes closer to it.

Can I run the Cooper test on a treadmill or a road?

A 400 m track is the easiest, because laps and markers give the distance. A flat, measured course also works if you know its exact length. A treadmill gives distance too, but the result is not comparable with a track run.

Cooper test: 12-minute run, distance, MAS and VO₂max

What the test measures

The Cooper test measures the distance you cover in 12 minutes of running. It is a field test of aerobic endurance, used to estimate MAS and VO₂max. Kenneth Cooper published it in 1968 after comparing, in US Air Force men, the distance run in 12 minutes with VO₂max measured on a treadmill. The two were strongly correlated.

There are no levels and no beeps. You choose your own pace, which is what sets it apart from the beep test or the VAMEVAL, where the audio sets the speed.

How to run it

You need a 400 m track, or a flat course of known length, with markers every 50 m to read the distance at the end.

Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, with two or three short accelerations.
Start on the signal and run for 12 minutes. Someone calls the minutes left.
Run as far as you can. Walking is allowed if you must.
At the whistle, stop where you are. Record full laps plus the metres to the last marker.

The result is the distance in metres.

From distance to speed and MAS

Twelve minutes is one fifth of an hour, so the average speed in km/h is the distance in metres divided by 200.

Distance in 12 min	Average speed	VO₂max (Cooper’s equation)
1,600 m	8 km/h	24.5
2,000 m	10 km/h	33.4
2,400 m	12 km/h	42.4
2,800 m	14 km/h	51.3
3,000 m	15 km/h	55.8

The average speed is the usual estimate of MAS from this test. The Daniels and Gilbert model, which Cadlo uses for timed runs, gives almost the same figure for 12 minutes: about 12.1 km/h for 2,400 m and 14.1 km/h for 2,800 m. The estimate holds best when you ran at an even pace.

Two ways to estimate VO₂max

Cooper’s equation is (distance in metres − 504.9) ÷ 44.73, in ml/kg/min. It was fitted on the men of the 1968 study. The Daniels and Gilbert model starts from speed and duration and gives lower values: 36.3 for 2,400 m against 42.4.

Both are estimates, and they do not agree with each other. Pick one and keep it, so that your tests stay comparable. This page does not give norms by age and sex, because no table has been read on a source for it. To compare a Cooper with a beep test result, see the VO₂max calculator.

How to pace the 12 minutes

Start even. The common mistake is to open at 15 km/h and fade by minute six. An even runner covers more ground than one who starts too fast.
Know your target lap time before the start. For 2,400 m, each 400 m lap takes 2 minutes.
Run on the inside lane, where the markers were measured.
Run until the whistle. Slow down if you must, but do not stop early.

Training for a better score

The Cooper rewards steady endurance work more than speed work.

A baseline test, to know your starting distance.
Two or three runs a week, one of them long at a comfortable pace.
One interval session at your estimated MAS, such as 30-30 or 6 × 400 m with a jog recovery.
A retest every four to six weeks, on the same course at the same time of day.

To turn the test speed into session paces, the MAS pace calculator gives speeds from 60 to 105 % of MAS. The Cooper calculator converts a distance for you.

What distorts the result

A track whose markers were paced out by foot.
A fast start followed by walking.
A strong wind on half of each lap, ignored when you read the result.
Testing the day after a hard session.
Comparing a Cooper distance with a beep test level: one is self-paced, the other is set by the audio.

Cooper or beep test

A paced test such as the beep test makes results comparable between runners. The Cooper is simpler to organise: a stopwatch and markers are enough, with no audio. It suits a coach with a track and no sound system.