Cardio calculator
Cooper test calculator
Turn the distance you covered in a 12-minute run into an estimated VO₂ max and your band on Cooper's own table. Free, instant, no sign-up.
A Cooper score moves when the easy runs are easy and the hard ones are hard — the coach builds that week.
What is the Cooper test?
The Cooper test is a 12-minute run for maximum distance, designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for the US Air Force. You run, jog or walk as far as you can in exactly 12 minutes — normally on a 400 m track, where counting laps makes the distance easy to record — and the distance alone estimates your aerobic fitness. It is still one of the most widely used field tests in schools, armed forces and clubs because it needs a stopwatch and a measured loop, nothing else.
How this calculator works
We use Cooper's own regression: VO₂ max = (distance in metres − 504.9) ÷ 44.73. That is the same equation behind our VO₂ max calculator, so the two pages can never disagree. Your distance is then graded against Cooper's published norm table for your age and sex, and the pace and speed you must have held for 12 minutes are derived from the distance directly.
How to run the test properly
Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, then run for 12 minutes at the hardest pace you can hold to the end — the most common mistake is starting too fast and walking the last three minutes, which understates your fitness. Record the distance to the nearest 10 m. Run it on a track or a flat loop in calm weather; hills, wind and heat all cost distance and will read as a lower VO₂ max. Retest on the same course to compare.
Cooper test norms by age and sex
Cooper published separate distance tables for men and women, in age bands. The school-age bands are harder than the adult ones: a 17- to 19-year-old man needs 3000 m for excellent, while a 20- to 29-year-old needs 2800 m. Every figure below is the minimum distance in metres for that band.
| Age | Excellent | Above average | Average | Below average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13–14 | 2,700 | 2,400 | 2,200 | 2,100 |
| 15–16 | 2,800 | 2,500 | 2,300 | 2,200 |
| 17–19 | 3,000 | 2,700 | 2,500 | 2,300 |
| 20–29 | 2,800 | 2,400 | 2,200 | 1,600 |
| 30–39 | 2,700 | 2,300 | 1,900 | 1,500 |
| 40–49 | 2,500 | 2,100 | 1,700 | 1,400 |
| 50+ | 2,400 | 2,000 | 1,600 | 1,300 |
How accurate is it?
Cooper's equation was derived on trained military personnel, so it estimates VO₂ max to roughly ±10–15% for a general population — good enough to track your own progress, not a substitute for a lab test. Pacing skill matters as much as fitness here: an experienced runner who judges the 12 minutes well will out-distance an equally fit beginner who goes out too hard. Treat your first attempt as a baseline rather than a verdict.