Quick answer: stepping for the full 5 minutes (300 seconds) with recovery pulse counts of 80, 70 and 60 beats gives a physical fitness index of 71.4: 100 x 300 / (2 x 210). Lower counts mean faster recovery and a higher score; counts of 65, 55 and 50 would give 88.2.
How to do the test
- Use a sturdy bench or box 20 inches (about 50 cm) high for men or 18 inches (about 45 cm) for women, the classic heights.
- Step at 30 complete steps a minute (up, up, down, down), one step every two seconds. A metronome set to 120 beats a minute gives one foot movement per beat.
- Keep going for 5 minutes, or stop when you can no longer hold the rhythm. Note the time you stopped.
- Sit down at once. Count your pulse for 30 seconds three times: from 1:00 to 1:30, from 2:00 to 2:30 and from 3:00 to 3:30 after stopping.
- Enter the stepping time and the three counts (the raw counts, not doubled).
The formula
Fitness index = (duration of stepping in seconds x 100) / (2 x sum of the three pulse counts). This is the long form of the test developed at Harvard University, used in the same form across many recent studies. The duration rewards staying the course, and the pulse counts reward a heart rate that falls quickly once the work stops.
Worked example
You manage 4 minutes (240 seconds) before losing the rhythm, and count 90, 80 and 75 beats. The sum is 245, so the index is 100 x 240 / (2 x 245) = 24,000 / 490 = 49.0. Stopping early costs a lot: the same counts after a full 300 seconds would give 61.2.
What the score means
There is no single official chart. As one example, a 2026 study of police officers in BMC Public Health used these bands. Men: under 55 poor, 55 to 64 below average, 65 to 79 average, 80 to 90 above average, over 90 excellent. Women: under 50 poor, 50 to 60 below average, 61 to 75 average, 76 to 85 above average, over 85 excellent. Other studies use slightly different cut-offs, so the number itself, tracked over time, tells you more than the label.
Limits
- Leg length matters: a short person on a 20-inch bench works harder than a tall one.
- Counting your own pulse by hand is easy to get wrong by a few beats; a chest strap or a helper makes the counts more reliable.
- The test is strenuous. Skip it, or ask a doctor first, if you have heart, joint or balance problems.
For a VO2 max estimate instead of an index, try the Rockport walk test or the VO2 max calculator for running tests.
Sources: Cureus (2022), The Impact of Obesity on Cardiovascular Fitness in Young Individuals: Harvard fitness index formula and protocol; Cureus (2023), Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Fitness in Central Indian Athletes: PFI formula and pulse timing; J Funct Morphol Kinesiol (2025), Physical Fitness Index and BMI in Serbian students: bench heights and cadence; BMC Public Health (2026), cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic risk in police officers: PFI formula and fitness bands. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
How do you calculate the Harvard step test score?
Multiply the seconds you kept stepping by 100, then divide by twice the sum of three 30-second pulse counts taken 1, 2 and 3 minutes after you stop. Five minutes with counts of 80, 70 and 60 gives 71.4.
How high is the step in the Harvard step test?
The classic heights are 20 inches (about 50 cm) for men and 18 inches (about 45 cm) for women, stepped at 30 steps a minute for 5 minutes.
What is a good Harvard step test score?
In the bands used by a 2026 BMC Public Health study, men scoring over 90 and women over 85 were rated excellent, and scores under 55 (men) or 50 (women) poor. Cut-offs vary between studies.
Do I double the pulse counts?
No. The formula uses the raw 30-second counts; the factor of 2 in the bottom of the formula already accounts for that.