The fitness test where you run back and forth between two lines 20 meters apart, speeding up with each beep, is the beep test.
Its formal name is the multi-stage fitness test, also called the 20-meter shuttle run, bleep test, or PACER test. Participants run between two markers while audio signals set the required pace. As each level begins, the beeps arrive closer together, forcing runners to accelerate.
The test estimates aerobic capacity, often expressed as VO₂ max, and is widely used in schools, sports programs, military recruitment, and occupational fitness testing. A runner’s score is usually recorded as the last completed level and shuttle, such as 9.5.
It is not the same as the Cooper test, which measures the distance covered in a fixed 12-minute run. The beep test also differs from a treadmill test because it requires repeated turns, acceleration, and deceleration on a marked course. Most versions use a 20-meter distance, although some adaptations use 15 meters.