®Measure yourself
Take the test
Mark your knee height on the wall, enter your age and sex, and press Start. After a 3-second countdown, step on the spot for 2 minutes. The person with you taps the big button each time your right knee reaches the mark; if you are on your own, count out loud and type in the number at the end.
Sex
Middle half of people your ageIndependence threshold
Your previous results (on this device)
0
steps
Ready
Stand in front of the mark and press Start.
Your results are stored only on this device; they are not sent anywhere.
How to do it
- Stand up. Measure the distance between the middle of your kneecap and the top of your hip bone; find half of it.
- Mark this height on the wall beside you with a piece of tape. You can hold on to the wall or the back of a chair if you need to.
- Press Start and step on the spot for 2 minutes, lifting your knees up to the mark.
- Only steps in which your right knee reaches the mark are counted. If you need to stop, stop; the time keeps running.
Stop the test if you get chest pain, dizziness, marked shortness of breath or pain in your legs. If you have heart disease or your doctor has restricted exercise, check with them first.
Values by age
The middle half of people your age (25th–75th percentile) and the threshold linked to independence in later life, as numbers of steps.
| Age | Female | Threshold | Male | Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60–64 | 75–107 | 97 | 87–115 | 106 |
| 65–69 | 73–107 | 93 | 86–116 | 101 |
| 70–74 | 68–101 | 89 | 80–110 | 95 |
| 75–79 | 68–100 | 84 | 73–109 | 88 |
| 80–84 | 60–91 | 78 | 71–103 | 80 |
| 85–89 | 55–85 | 70 | 59–91 | 71 |
| 90–94 | 44–72 | 60 | 52–86 | 60 |
Frequently asked questions
What does this test measure?
Your aerobic endurance: the fitness you need to walk, climb stairs and carry on with daily tasks without tiring. It is part of the Senior Fitness Test, developed for people over 60; because it does not need a long walking space, it can also be done at home. In small studies, its results agreed well with the time to walk 1 mile (about 1.6 km) and with a treadmill test.
How high should I lift my knee?
To halfway between the middle of your kneecap and the highest point of your hip bone (the top of the pelvis). Find this height with a tape measure while standing, and mark it on the wall beside you with a piece of tape. Only steps in which your right knee reaches this mark are counted.
Can I hold on to something?
Yes. If your balance is not good, you can hold on to a wall, a table or the back of a chair. For safety, have someone with you; they can count the steps too.
Where do the values come from?
The ranges in the table show the middle half (25th to 75th percentile) of people your age, from values obtained from 7,183 people aged 60–94 in the USA. The independence thresholds were published by the same researchers in 2013 and aim at the fitness needed to keep living independently into your 90s. Because these thresholds were set taking expected future decline into account, they are slightly above average in the younger age groups.
I am under 60 – what does my result show?
The comparison values for this test are for ages 60–94. If you are younger, you can save your result and repeat the test every few weeks to track your own progress.
How can I improve my result?
With regular aerobic activity: the World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, and brisk walking is the easiest way to get it. Strengthening your leg muscles also helps. Repeat the test every few weeks under the same conditions; small one-off differences may be measurement error, so look at the trend.
For your leg strength, see the 30-second chair stand test; for your walking, the gait speed test; and to build your fitness, the brisk walking metronome.
Sources
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. 2 Minute Step Test. Rehabilitation Measures Database. Last updated 1 August 2021.
- Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Development and validation of a functional fitness test for community-residing older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 1999;7(2):129–161.
- Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Functional fitness normative scores for community-residing older adults, ages 60–94. J Aging Phys Act. 1999;7(2):162–181.
- Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Development and validation of criterion-referenced clinically relevant fitness standards for maintaining physical independence in later years. Gerontologist. 2013;53(2):255–267.
- Human Kinetics. Identifying the recommended senior fitness standards. Excerpt from Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Senior Fitness Test Manual. 2nd ed.
- World Health Organization. Physical activity: recommendations for adults and older adults.