Free fitness tool
Bleep Test Level Converter Level to distance, time, speed and shuttles, for the 15m and 20m tests
Quick answer
Police level 5.4 on the 15m test is 35 shuttles, 525 m (0.525 km), reached after about 3 min 35 s, with level 5 run at about 9.8 km/h. On the standard 20m test, 5.4 is 36 shuttles and 720 m in about 4 min 36 s, but only the 15m test counts for the police.
5.4 means level 5, shuttle 4. It is not a decimal.
Level 5.4 on the 15m test is 35 shuttles, 525 m (0.525 km), reached after about 3 min 35 s.
- Level reached
- 5.4
- Total shuttles
- 35
- Total distance
- 525 m
- 0.525 km
- Elapsed time
- 3 min 35 s
- to the nearest second
- Speed at level 5
- 9.8 km/h
- 5.5 s per 15m shuttle
- VO2max
- Not shown
- No published 15m equation we could verify; the College gives a minimum for each standard (list below)
Against police standards (15m)
- 5.4 Police officers (personal safety training), Marine police unit, Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN), Method of entry (College estimate: at least 35 ml/kg/min)Reached
- 5.7 Dog handler, Mounted branch (College estimate: at least 36 ml/kg/min)3 short
- 5.8 Police cyclist (College estimate: at least 36 ml/kg/min)4 short
- 6.3 Police support unit (public order) (College estimate: at least 37 ml/kg/min)8 short
- 6.4 Air support (College estimate: at least 37 ml/kg/min)9 short
- 6.8 Police divers (College estimate: at least 39 ml/kg/min)13 short
- 7.2 Marine police (tactical skills) (College estimate: at least 40 ml/kg/min)16 short
- 7.6 Authorised firearms officer (AFO) (College estimate: at least 41 ml/kg/min)20 short
- 9.4 Armed response vehicle (ARV) (College estimate: at least 46 ml/kg/min)38 short
- 10.5 Dynamic intervention AFO (DIAFO) (College estimate: at least 51 ml/kg/min)49 short
College of Policing job-related fitness standards (implementation guidance, August 2021): 5.4 is the standard for officers who do personal safety training; the rest are its recommended levels for specialist roles, with the College's estimated minimum aerobic capacity for each. Your force sets how they apply. On the real test you stop at your standard.
Figures are worked out from the published protocol tables and published audio can differ by a few hundredths of a second per shuttle, so times are approximate. A practice aid, not the official test.
Common conversions: 15m police test
The levels people ask about most, plus every College of Policing standard. Time is from the start beep, assuming every beep is met.
| Level | Shuttles | Distance | Time | Speed | Police standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | 28 | 420 m | 2 min 56 s | 9.6 km/h | |
| 5.1 | 32 | 480 m | 3 min 19 s | 9.8 km/h | |
| 5.4 | 35 | 525 m | 3 min 35 s | 9.8 km/h | Officer standard (also marine police unit, CBRN and method of entry) |
| 5.7 | 38 | 570 m | 3 min 52 s | 9.8 km/h | Dog handler, Mounted branch |
| 5.8 | 39 | 585 m | 3 min 57 s | 9.8 km/h | Police cyclist |
| 6.1 | 41 | 615 m | 4 min 8 s | 10.5 km/h | |
| 6.3 | 43 | 645 m | 4 min 18 s | 10.5 km/h | Police support unit (public order) |
| 6.4 | 44 | 660 m | 4 min 23 s | 10.5 km/h | Air support |
| 6.8 | 48 | 720 m | 4 min 44 s | 10.5 km/h | Police divers |
| 7.2 | 51 | 765 m | 4 min 59 s | 10.9 km/h | Marine police (tactical skills) |
| 7.6 | 55 | 825 m | 5 min 19 s | 10.9 km/h | Authorised firearms officer (AFO) |
| 8.1 | 60 | 900 m | 5 min 43 s | 11.3 km/h | |
| 9.4 | 73 | 1,095 m | 6 min 45 s | 11.8 km/h | Armed response vehicle (ARV) |
| 10.1 | 80 | 1,200 m | 7 min 17 s | 12.3 km/h | |
| 10.5 | 84 | 1,260 m | 7 min 34 s | 12.3 km/h | Dynamic intervention AFO (DIAFO) |
| 11.1 | 91 | 1,365 m | 8 min 5 s | 13.0 km/h | |
| 12.1 | 102 | 1,530 m | 8 min 50 s | 13.8 km/h |
The 15m table runs to level 13 (125 shuttles). Full level-by-level chart: bleep test levels explained.
Common conversions: standard 20m test
The 20m test (schools, sport, some other services) starts at 8.5 km/h and adds 0.5 km/h each level. These are not police levels. VO2max is a rough estimate from the Léger et al. (1988) equation, adult form.
| Level | Shuttles | Distance | Time | Speed | VO2max (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | 36 | 720 m | 4 min 36 s | 10.5 km/h | about 35.6 |
| 6.3 | 44 | 880 m | 5 min 30 s | 11.0 km/h | about 38.6 |
| 7.6 | 57 | 1,140 m | 6 min 53 s | 11.5 km/h | about 41.6 |
| 8.1 | 62 | 1,240 m | 7 min 25 s | 12.0 km/h | about 44.6 |
| 9.4 | 76 | 1,520 m | 8 min 48 s | 12.5 km/h | about 47.6 |
| 10.1 | 84 | 1,680 m | 9 min 33 s | 13.0 km/h | about 50.6 |
| 11.1 | 95 | 1,900 m | 10 min 34 s | 13.5 km/h | about 53.6 |
| 12.1 | 107 | 2,140 m | 11 min 38 s | 14.0 km/h | about 56.6 |
| 13.1 | 119 | 2,380 m | 12 min 39 s | 14.5 km/h | about 59.6 |
| 15.1 | 145 | 2,900 m | 14 min 46 s | 15.5 km/h | about 65.6 |
VO2max in ml/kg/min. The 20m table runs to level 21 (247 shuttles).
How the converter works
"5.4" means level 5, shuttle 4: you finished every shuttle in levels 1 to 4 and the first four of level 5. Each level has a set number of shuttles and a set time per shuttle, so the converter adds them up: shuttles completed, times the track length, gives the distance; the time allowed for each completed shuttle, added together, gives the elapsed time; track length divided by time per shuttle gives the speed.
Working back from a distance counts only whole shuttles. Working back from a time counts a shuttle once its closing beep has sounded and allows half a second either way because times are typed to the nearest second. Check: the College of Policing gives 5.4 as 35 shuttles, 525 metres and about 3 minutes 35 seconds and the converter reproduces all three.
Want to know your real level rather than convert one? Run the free 15m bleep test simulator on a measured 15 metre track.
Bleep test conversion FAQs
How far is 5.4 on the bleep test in km?
On the 15m police test, level 5.4 is 35 shuttles of 15 metres: 525 m, or 0.525 km. On the standard 20m test, 5.4 is 36 shuttles and 720 m (0.720 km). Only the 15m figure is the police pass mark.
How long does it take to reach 5.4?
About 3 min 35 s on the 15m police test, if you keep to every beep from the start. On the 20m test, 5.4 is reached after about 4 min 36 s. Published timing tables differ by a few hundredths of a second per shuttle, so treat times as approximate to the second.
How many shuttles and metres is 6.3 and 9.4?
On the 15m test, 6.3 (the College of Policing recommended level for Police Support Unit officers) is 43 shuttles, 645 m, about 4 min 18 s. 9.4 (Armed Response Vehicle) is 73 shuttles, 1,095 m, about 6 min 45 s.
What speed is level 5 on the 15m bleep test?
Level 5 allows 5.50 seconds per 15 metre shuttle, which is about 9.8 km/h. On the 20m test, level 5 is 10.5 km/h. The converter shows the speed for whichever level you enter.
What level is 1 km on the bleep test?
On the 15m test, 1,000 metres is 66 whole shuttles, which is level 8.7 (the last 10 metres are part of an unfinished shuttle). On the 20m test, 1,000 metres is 50 shuttles, level 6.9.
Can I convert a 20m bleep test level into a 15m police level?
Not reliably. The two tests have different speeds, shuttle counts and numbers of turns and we know of no published conversion between them that we could verify. The converter shows each test on its own terms. To find your police level, run the 15m test, or practise with our free 15m simulator.
Can I work out my VO2max from the bleep test?
For the 20m test, the converter gives a rough estimate from the equation published by Léger and colleagues in 1988, using the adult form (age held at 18, as the paper suggests for adults). It is a population estimate, not a lab measurement. We do not show a VO2max for the 15m police test because we could not verify a published equation for that protocol.
What bleep test level do the police need?
Level 5.4 on the 15m test for officers who undertake personal safety training. The College of Policing also lists recommended levels for specialist roles, from 5.4 (marine police unit, CBRN) up to 6.3 for Police Support Unit, 7.6 for Authorised Firearms Officers, 9.4 for Armed Response Vehicle officers and 10.5 for Dynamic Intervention AFOs. Your force sets how it applies them.
Fitness test updates
Fitness test changes and new training guides, by email
Leave your email and we will tell you when the police fitness test standards change and when we publish new free training guides. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Sent by a person when there is news, not on a schedule. Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.
Sources
- College of Policing: job-related fitness standards (5.4 standard and specialist role levels)
- 15m multistage fitness test protocol table (Topend Sports)
- 20m multistage fitness test levels table (Topend Sports)
- Léger LA, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J (1988). The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Journal of Sports Sciences 6(2):93-101
Police standards checked against the College of Policing page on 17 October 2026; the College says its job-related fitness guidance is under review. Last updated 17 October 2026.