Turning a beep test result into VO2max
The 20m shuttle run is a progressive test: you run back and forth between two lines 20m apart, keeping pace with an audio signal that speeds up at every level. The test ends when you can no longer reach the line in time with the beep, and your result is the level you were on plus the number of shuttles you finished inside that level. This calculator takes those two numbers and reports an estimated VO2max, the running speed of that level, the total shuttles you ran and the total distance covered.
The conversion uses the equation published by Ramsbottom and colleagues: the level plus the fraction of that level completed, multiplied by 3.46, plus 12.2. Because each level holds a different number of shuttles, from 7 up to 16, the same shuttle count means a different fraction depending on the level. Finishing all 21 levels is 247 shuttles and 4,940m. Level 2 runs at 9.0 km/h and every further level adds 0.5 km/h. Figures current as of October 2026.
The level 1 speed is deliberately left blank because published sources disagree. A validation study in adolescents also concluded that the accuracy of this estimate at the individual level is questionable, so treat the number as a way to track your own change over time rather than a substitute for a laboratory measurement. This tool assigns no grade or score. The test is a maximal effort, so check with a clinician first if you have a cardiovascular condition.
FAQ
Each single 20m length counts as one shuttle. Enter the last length you completed in time with the beep as the shuttle count for that level.
Published sources list the level 1 speed as either 8.0 km/h or 8.5 km/h, so neither can be stated with confidence. Speeds appear from level 2 up.
No. There is no verified official table that turns an adult beep test result into a grade, so this tool reports only the estimated VO2max and the distance covered.