All Chester tests: guides and tools
The Chester Treadmill Police Run Test (CTPRT) is a prescribed treadmill performance assessment. Confirm the test, role requirement and authorised protocol with the responsible force before administering or preparing for it.
It is different from the police walk test and the general Chester treadmill prediction method. The Chester comparison guide explains the different purposes.
Published protocol and role benchmarks
The College of Policing’s August 2021 implementation guidance describes running at 10.4 km/h with the gradient schedule below. It lists eight minutes for ARV and ten minutes for DIAFO, associated with benchmark demands of 46 and 51 mL/kg/min respectively. These are dated source details, not confirmation of the requirement for every current force or appointment.
| Elapsed test time | Gradient |
|---|---|
| 0–2 min | 0% |
| 2–4 min | 2% |
| 4–6 min | 4% |
| 6–8 min | 5% |
| 8–10 min | 8% |
Use the authorised endpoint and stopping criteria. The final row is not a target for every participant, and the walking test’s gradient schedule must not be substituted.
Preparation for practitioners
This overview is not a complete operating protocol. Before the session, establish:
- The requirement: test name, role, source/version, required endpoint and any approved local arrangements.
- Suitability: completion of the setting’s screening and consent process, with questions about symptoms, illness, medication or exercise suitability resolved through the responsible practitioner.
- The equipment: treadmill capability, documented speed/incline checks, maintenance, safety controls and the monitoring/effort scale required by the procedure.
- Administration: a competent operator, clear briefing, familiarisation, warm-up, observation, stopping and recovery arrangements.
- The record: a way to retain actual observations, elapsed time, completion/stopping reason and deviations.
Do not alter prescribed medication for a test. Do not import the Step Test’s heart-rate stopping percentage into this performance protocol. Apply the authorised procedure and respond to safety concerns rather than continuing to secure a pass.
What does the result establish?
Report the outcome of the prescribed task. Completion should not be written as a directly measured maximum oxygen uptake or an individual prediction generated by a different test.
If an assessment is interrupted or the protocol is not followed, document what happened. Do not reconstruct an unobserved stage, silently round up an elapsed time or select a different test standard after seeing the outcome. Refer interpretation and any repeat or occupational decision through the approved process.
Copyable assessment record
Participant/session reference: [ ]. Role and assessment purpose: [ ]. Protocol/source and version: [ ]. Authorised endpoint: [ ]. Treadmill ID and checks: [ ]. Screening/consent references: [ ]. Familiarisation and preparation: [ ]. Required observations: [ ]. Actual elapsed time/stage: [ ]. Completion or stopping reason: [ ]. Deviations and recovery: [ ]. Responsible reviewer, outcome and follow-up: [ ].
This original record structure supports documentation; it does not determine a pass. Use the team standardisation pack to agree a consistent review process.
Questions before your appointment
Which version and endpoint will I be assessed against?
Ask the testing team to provide the named test and current requirement for your role. Do not assume that a benchmark on a general website is the one your organisation will use.
How should I prepare?
Follow the preparation and familiarisation instructions supplied for the assessment. Tell the team about relevant health changes or difficulty using a treadmill and ask for advice before testing. Avoid improvising an unsupervised test from this summary.
Is this the same as a clinical treadmill stress test?
No. This page concerns a police fitness performance assessment. A clinical investigation has a different purpose and requires its own referral, supervision, monitoring and interpretation.
Can I use a Chester Step estimate instead?
Only the responsible organisation can confirm which test and alternatives are accepted. A similar numerical result from another method does not establish that its prescribed task has been completed.
Sources and scope
Protocol identifiers and historical benchmarks checked against the College of Policing’s Implementation guidance for fitness testing, August 2021, pages 12 and 16–20. The source is linked above. Confirm current force instructions before use. Reviewed 19 October 2026.
Prepare for your Chester police treadmill run test
Ask your force to confirm that this is the accepted test for your situation, the exact current protocol and the standard for your role. Published guidance and local implementation can differ; use the force’s written instructions for the actual assessment.
Choose the eight-week active-adult plan or twelve-week foundation plan according to current ability. Use the treadmill-run adaptation and the exercise companion. These plans are general training examples, not a force-approved pass guarantee.
Running entry criterion: use the eight-week running adaptation only if you already run comfortably for 20 minutes and meet the other starting criteria. Regular cycling or walking does not automatically establish this. New runners should build up gradually; the NHS Couch to 5K programme is a separate starting route.
- Use the treadmill safety clip and a clear area. Have the equipment explained if unfamiliar.
- Train at a pace and incline you can control. If you need to hang on the rails, reduce the training demand and get advice on technique. During the test, follow the assessor’s actual rail-use and stopping instructions.
- Keep the programme’s recovery gaps and use easier weeks. Arrange familiarisation with the accepted provider when possible.
- Do not replace the official protocol with an outdoor hill session, a step test or a watch score. Those are not equivalent assessment evidence.
- Ask for a clear outcome and follow-up plan if you stop early, are below the standard or have symptoms.
The Chester police treadmill walk test is a separate route. Confirm acceptance before switching. See the preparation hub for final-week guidance, common questions and a printable training route.