Fitness Testing

What Fitness Testing covers

Fitness Testing is assessed in Unit AS 1, Fitness and Training for Sport, which is internally assessed and externally moderated. It covers purpose, protocol, validity and reliability of tests, choosing tests: maximal, sub-maximal and technology, tests of aerobic endurance, tests of strength, muscular endurance and power, speed, agility, flexibility, balance, co-ordination and reaction tests and Supervising, recording and evaluating test results.

The 6 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Purpose, protocol, validity and reliability of testsWhy fitness tests are used, their limits, test protocols, validity and reliability, human error, test conditions and familiarisation.Open →
• Choosing tests: maximal, sub-maximal and technologyMaximal and sub-maximal tests, laboratory and field tests, heart rate monitors, video, timing gates and GPS, and choosing tests for netball, cycling and rugby players.Open →
• Tests of aerobic enduranceThe multi-stage fitness test, Yo-Yo test, Cooper run, Harvard and Queens College step tests, the Rockport walk, worked VO₂ max and fitness index calculations, and heart rate recovery.Open →
• Tests of strength, muscular endurance and powerThe handgrip dynamometer, 1RM, press-up, sit-up and abdominal curl tests, the vertical jump with a worked score, the broad jump, the Wingate test and the medicine ball throw.Open →
• Speed, agility, flexibility, balance, co-ordination and reaction testsThe 30 m and flying sprints, the Illinois agility run and T-test, the stork stand, sit-and-reach, the alternate hand wall toss and the ruler drop test with a worked reaction time.Open →
• Supervising, recording and evaluating test resultsPreparing a testing session, the order of a test battery, record sheets, normative data, percentage improvement calculations, feedback, confidentiality and evaluating before and after scores.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Fitness Testing further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Validity vs Reliability

  Validity: whether an assessment measures what it claims to measure. Reliability: whether an assessment gives consistent results when repeated in the same conditions.

• Maximal test vs Sub-maximal test

  Maximal test: an assessment that pushes the performer to exhaustion or their absolute limit. Sub-maximal test: an assessment done below full effort whose result is used to predict capacity.

• Laboratory test vs Field test

  Laboratory test: an assessment using specialist equipment in controlled conditions. Field test: a simpler assessment done in a sports setting with basic equipment.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Why are fitness tests carried out?

   Model answer

   Fitness tests give baseline measures of a performer's strengths and weaknesses. Retesting later shows whether a training programme has worked.

2. 2

   How do fitness test results help a coach design training?

   Model answer

   Results show which components are weakest compared with the sport's needs. The coach can then target those components and set measurable goals.

3. 3

   How can fitness testing motivate a performer?

   Model answer

   Improved scores give clear evidence of progress. A target score for the next test gives the performer something specific to work towards.

4. 4

   What are the limitations of fitness testing?

   Model answer

   Many tests measure one component in isolation, not performance in a real game. Results can also be affected by motivation, weather and the tester's skill.

5. 5

   What is a test protocol?

   Model answer

   A protocol is the standard, step-by-step procedure for carrying out a test. Following the protocol exactly makes results comparable with norms and earlier scores.

6. 6

   Why must a test protocol be followed exactly every time?

   Model answer

   Any change, such as a different surface or warm-up, alters the result. The new score could not then be fairly compared with previous scores or published norms.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Fitness Testing revision questions

What does Fitness Testing cover in CCEA A-Level Sports Science and the Active Leisure Industry?

6 subtopics: purpose, protocol, validity and reliability of tests, choosing tests: maximal, sub-maximal and technology, tests of aerobic endurance, tests of strength, muscular endurance and power, speed, agility, flexibility, balance, co-ordination and reaction tests and supervising, recording and evaluating test results. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Fitness Testing organised?

By the CCEA 7210 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.