PACER Test

What is PACER

The PACER test is a progressive shuttle run used to measure aerobic fitness in a way that is practical for PE classes and large groups. It is designed so that most students can start comfortably and continue until the pace becomes too fast to maintain.

In everyday terms, a PACER is a “beep test” where your score is the number of shuttles (often called laps) you complete before you can no longer reach the line on time.

How it works

Most PACER setups use a 20m course (the standard used in many FitnessGram PACER materials). Two parallel lines are marked 20 meters apart. When the audio starts, you run from one line to the other, arriving before the beep, then turn and run back on the next beep.

To keep scoring and administration consistent, PACER protocols commonly use a “two misses” rule: if a participant fails to reach the line before the beep, they recover on the next lap; the test ends after a second miss (often required to be consecutive, depending on the audio and local rules).

For a smooth session with a full class, schools typically use a simple lane system: a small number of students per “lane”, each student counts their own laps, and a partner or teacher verifies the final score. Turning technique also matters more than most people expect: a clean turn with one foot on/over the line is faster and safer than cutting early or stopping short.

Levels breakdown

In many PACER recordings, time is divided into stages (often called levels). Each level lasts a fixed amount of time, and when the level changes the required running speed increases slightly. This is why people search for PACER test levels and ask how many laps are “good” at different ages: the test is meant to be progressive, and it becomes demanding quickly once you reach the later levels.

In practical scoring terms, PE staff usually record:

• Total laps completed (primary score).
• Final level (optional, depending on the audio).
• Any notes (surface, footwear, illness, injury, etc.) to explain outlier results.

FitnessGram standards

FitnessGram reports PACER performance using age and sex specific reference standards. The best-known category is the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ), which is intended to represent a level of fitness associated with health benefits.

Some reporting formats also convert laps and age into an estimated aerobic capacity score (often reported as VO2 max). That conversion is useful for trend tracking, but schools usually focus on lap counts for goal-setting because it is easy to explain and simple to record during a live class.

Because standards can be updated and adopted differently across districts and states, treat any single chart as a reference point rather than a universal rule. The table below is a commonly published “look-up and goal setting” view for the 20m PACER.

Scores by age/grade

Schools usually report PACER by age rather than grade, because grade-to-age mapping varies. If you are searching for what is a good PACER score, a simple starting point is: “at or above the HFZ minimum for your age and sex”.

20m PACER: minimum laps to reach the Healthy Fitness Zone

Age	Female (minimum 20m laps)	Male (minimum 20m laps)
10	17	17
11	20	20
12	23	23
13	25	29
14	27	36
15	30	42
16	32	47
17	35	50
17+	38	54

These values are for the 20m PACER and represent commonly published HFZ minimums by age and sex. Some schools use a 15m PACER for space constraints; 15m results are not directly interchangeable with 20m lap counts.

How schools use it

PE departments like the PACER because it scales well in a gym, sports hall, or outdoor court. It can be administered to a class with minimal equipment (cones/lines and the audio track), and scores are easy to record as a simple lap count.

For best results, schools typically focus on consistency rather than “maxing out” every term:

• Use the same course length (20m vs 15m) every time.
• Keep the surface and footwear similar between tests.
• Teach turning technique and pacing early, so the test reflects aerobic fitness rather than confusion.
• Use results to set individual goals (for example, “+5 laps” over the next unit) instead of comparing students directly.

Related tools: if you want to compare shuttle-run style scores across formats, use the score converter and the VO2 max calculator.

Quick facts

• School-focused progressive shuttle test
• Often run over 20m (sometimes 15m)
• Score is usually total laps completed
• FitnessGram PACER uses HFZ standards by age and sex

Also see: Yo-Yo test and 20m bleep test.

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