The beep test on your gym TV

The 20 m shuttle run, often called the beep test or PACER test, runs on the TV with the ScoreboardCast app. The teacher starts it from a phone, and the TV shows the level and the laps done and plays a beep at every turn.

What the TV shows

• The laps done in large numbers, readable from the far end of the hall
• The current level and the lap within the level
• A progress bar that shows how much time is left until the next beep
• The elapsed time

The pace gets faster with every level. The TV keeps time on its own clock, so the beeps stay accurate even if the phone locks or the Wi-Fi drops.

Beep test audio from the TV

A short beep sounds at the end of every lap, a triple beep marks a new level and a bell ends the test. A 5 or 10 second countdown can come before the start, or the test can start right away. The sound comes from the TV’s own speakers, so the whole hall hears it without an extra speaker or player. The sound can also be turned off.

Recording drop-outs on the phone

When a student drops out, the teacher taps DROP-OUT to record how many laps they completed and at which level. The list stays on the phone, and the TV only shows the state of the test. After the test is stopped, the result stays on the TV.

What you need

• A Google Cast-enabled TV, or any TV with an external Chromecast
• An Android phone with the free ScoreboardCast app
• Wi-Fi that both the phone and the TV are on

The TV checker tells you in two minutes whether a given TV works.

Built for PE teachers

The shuttle run was requested by the PE teachers of the Kecskemét Reformed High School in Hungary when the scoreboard was set up in their gym. They were using it a week later, together with a timer for the Cooper test. Since then every ScoreboardCast user has it. In Hungary the test is part of the national NETFIT fitness assessment.

Frequently asked questions