How Far Am I From
9.4, 7.6 or 10.5?
Enter your last 15m bleep test mark and pick a role. The calculator shows exactly how far you are from the College of Policing standard for it: shuttles, metres, extra seconds of running and the speeds you have not yet run, plus the treadmill alternative and weekly checkpoints to your test date.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
The College of Policing's recommended 15m bleep test standards are 5.4 for recruits and personal safety training (also marine unit, CBRN and method of entry), 5.7 dog handlers and mounted, 5.8 cyclists, 6.3 public order (PSU), 6.4 air support, 6.8 divers, 7.2 marine tactical, 7.6 AFO, 9.4 ARV and 10.5 DIAFO. Forces can publish their own variations, so check yours.
How far am I from my role standard?
Standards from the College of Policing's fitness testing guidance. Enter your last 15m bleep test mark.
7.4 to 9.4: 20 shuttles short (300 m)
That is about 96 more seconds of running, with the last level at 4.59 s per 15 m (11.8 km/h) against 10.9 km/h at your current level. Over 7 build weeks, that is about 2.9 shuttles a week.
| Standard | Armed response vehicle (ARV): 9.4 |
|---|---|
| Test to the standard | 73 shuttles, 1095 m, 6:45 of running, 72 turns |
| Your mark | 53 shuttles, 5:09 |
| College estimate of aerobic capacity | 46 ml/kg/min |
| Treadmill alternative | Chester run test (10.4 km/h): 8:00 |
Speeds you have not yet run in the test
Weekly checkpoints (equal steps)
- Week 1: reach 7.7
- Week 2: reach 7.10
- Week 3: in the full plan
- Week 4: in the full plan
- Week 5: in the full plan
- Week 6: in the full plan
- Week 7: in the full plan
- Week 8: taper, then test at 9.4
Shuttle counts and speeds above level 5 come from the standard 15m multi-stage table; the College publishes per-shuttle times only to 5.4. Officers should not run beyond the standard in the test (College health warning). General training information, not medical advice.
Your 8-week plan from 7.4 to 9.4
- Every week laid out: shuttle intervals at your target speed (4.59 s per 15 m at level 9), an easy run, tempo shuttles or a checkpoint run and, if you choose, a strength session
- All 7 weekly checkpoints, closing your 20-shuttle gap in equal steps, then a taper week
- A pace beeper at your target level for the intervals
- The Chester run test alternative for your role, and a test-week checklist
- Rebuild it for a new date or role at any time for 12 months
Training a recruit for 5.4? The Fitness Pass Suite (£19.99) is built for that. No plan can guarantee a pass.
Every College standard, worked out
The level and treadmill targets are the College's. The shuttles, time, distance and speed are worked out from the shared 15m table the whole site uses. The College publishes per-shuttle times only to 5:4; above level 5 the table uses the standard 15m multi-stage values.
| Role | Standard | Shuttles (distance) | Running time | Last level speed | Treadmill alternative | Est. VO2 (ml/kg/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal safety training (all officers who do PST) and recruits | 5.4 | 35 (525 m) | 3:35 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:00 | 35 |
| Marine police unit | 5.4 | 35 (525 m) | 3:35 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:00 | 35 |
| Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) | 5.4 | 35 (525 m) | 3:35 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:00 | 35 |
| Method of entry | 5.4 | 35 (525 m) | 3:35 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:00 | 35 |
| Dog handler | 5.7 | 38 (570 m) | 3:52 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:20 | 36 |
| Mounted branch | 5.7 | 38 (570 m) | 3:52 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:20 | 36 |
| Police cyclist | 5.8 | 39 (585 m) | 3:57 | 9.8 km/h | Walk 10:20 | 36 |
| Police support unit (public order) | 6.3 | 43 (645 m) | 4:18 | 10.5 km/h | Walk 10:40 | 37 |
| Air support | 6.4 | 44 (660 m) | 4:23 | 10.5 km/h | Walk 10:40 | 37 |
| Police divers | 6.8 | 48 (720 m) | 4:44 | 10.5 km/h | Walk 11:20 | 39 |
| Marine police (tactical skills) | 7.2 | 51 (765 m) | 4:59 | 10.9 km/h | Walk 11:40 | 40 |
| Authorised firearms officer (AFO) | 7.6 | 55 (825 m) | 5:19 | 10.9 km/h | Walk 12:00 | 41 |
| Armed response vehicle (ARV) | 9.4 | 73 (1095 m) | 6:45 | 11.8 km/h | Run 8:00 | 46 |
| Dynamic intervention AFO (DIAFO) | 10.5 | 84 (1260 m) | 7:34 | 12.3 km/h | Run 10:00 | 51 |
How to read your gap
The jump from 5.4 to a specialist level is not linear. Each new level is faster, so the last shuttles are the hardest. That is why the calculator shows both the shuttles you are short and the extra seconds of running, and lists each level whose speed you have not yet held.
- Shuttles short is the honest headline: it is what you have to add on the day.
- Extra seconds tells you how much longer you must keep going at rising speed.
- Shuttles per week spreads the gap over the build weeks before a taper week. It is arithmetic, not a forecast: some weeks you will gain more and some none.
A mark from a properly paced 15m recording on a hard floor is worth far more than a guess. If you do not have one, run the free 15m simulator first. The calculator fills in your last simulator result on this device automatically.
The treadmill alternatives
The College's guidance offers two treadmill tests developed for the police service. The Chester treadmill police walking test (CTPWT) is walked at 6 km/h, with the gradient raised by 3% every two minutes until the target time is reached; it covers every standard except ARV and DIAFO. The Chester treadmill police run test (CTPRT) is run at 10.4 km/h with the gradient rising every two minutes: 8 minutes meets the ARV standard and the full 10 minutes meets DIAFO.
Whether you can choose the treadmill is a force decision. In practice the walking test has been used after an occupational health referral. Ask your force before you plan around it. Our guide to the Chester treadmill test covers the protocol.
The Specialist Fitness Plan
The calculator shows your first two weekly checkpoints free. The Specialist Fitness Plan (£24.99, one payment, 12 months of access) lays out every week from your current mark to your standard:
- shuttle intervals at the speed of the levels you are building to, with sets, reps and rest;
- an easy continuous run that grows through the plan;
- a checkpoint run to a set mark every other week (never past it), with tempo shuttle blocks between;
- an optional strength and robustness session for the turns;
- a taper week, a test-week checklist and the treadmill alternative for your role;
- a pace beeper at your target level.
It is general training information, not medical advice, and no plan can guarantee a pass. If you are a recruit training for 5.4, the Fitness Pass Suite (£19.99) is built for that instead.
Force variations
The College's levels are recommended national standards. Forces can and do publish their own: the Met's FOI response (March 2024 standards) lists 10.2 for evidence gatherers and public order medics and instructors, and 10.5 plus a 20 second rope hang for specialist firearms officers. West Yorkshire Police lists firearms officers at 9.4. Always check the course joining instructions for your role.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What bleep test level do you need for ARV?
The College of Policing's recommended standard for armed response vehicle (ARV) officers is 9:4 on the 15m multi-stage fitness test, or 8 minutes on the Chester treadmill police run test, with an estimated aerobic capacity of 46 ml/kg/min (fitness testing guidance, August 2021).
What is the firearms officer fitness test level?
For an authorised firearms officer (AFO) the College standard is 7:6, or 12 minutes on the Chester treadmill walking test. ARV is 9:4 and dynamic intervention AFO (DIAFO) is 10:5. Some forces publish their own levels: West Yorkshire Police lists firearms officers at 9.4 and specialist firearms officers at 10.5.
What is the police public order (PSU) fitness level?
Police support unit (public order) officers have a College standard of 6:3 on the 15m test, or 10 minutes 40 seconds on the Chester walking test.
Is there an SFO 10.5 standard?
The College table names the 10:5 standard dynamic intervention AFO (DIAFO). There is no separate College standard called SFO or CTSFO. Some forces use the name: the Met's FOI response lists SFO at 10.5 with a 20 second rope hang.
How much faster is level 9 than level 5?
On the shared 15m table, a level 9 shuttle allows 4.59 seconds per 15 metres (about 11.8 km/h), against about 9.8 km/h at level 5. The calculator shows the speeds of every level you have not yet run.
Should I run past my standard in the test?
No. The College's guidance carries a health and safety warning that officers undertaking the tests should not run beyond the endurance pass standards. The test is delivered to the standard only.
What is in the paid Specialist Fitness Plan?
A week-by-week plan from your current mark to your role standard over 4 to 16 weeks: shuttle intervals at your target speed, an easy run, a checkpoint run or tempo shuttles and an optional strength session each week, a taper week, a pace beeper and the treadmill alternative for your role. It costs £24.99, one payment, with 12 months of access to rebuild it.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- College of Policing: Implementation guidance for fitness testing (August 2021, PDF) : p.9 15m table to 5:4; p.10 standards for specialist roles; p.11-12 CTPWT target times and aerobic capacity; p.12 and p.20 CTPRT for ARV and DIAFO; health and safety warning on running beyond the standard (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Job-related fitness standards (web page) : the College's summary page for the job-related fitness standards (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.24.036931: JRFT data April 2021 to March 2024 (May 2024) : the Met's own specialist standards from March 2024, including SFO 10.5 and EG, POM and POI 10.2 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police FOI 1994451-24: officer fitness test (April 2024) : West Yorkshire Police standards: public order 6.3, firearms 9.4, specialist firearms 10.5 (accessed 21 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.