Test and Measurement in Sports
This domain tests fitness testing: which test measures which component, how a test is administered, and how to compute a score such as the Harvard step test index.
Common tests and what they measure
- 50 m dash measures speed; the 600 m run or Cooper 12-minute run-walk measures cardiovascular endurance.
- 4 × 10 m shuttle run measures agility; sit-and-reach measures flexibility of low back and hamstrings.
- 30-second sit-ups measure abdominal muscular endurance; push-ups measure upper-body muscular endurance.
- Standing broad jump and vertical jump measure explosive leg power.
- BMI, skinfold measurement and waist-hip ratio assess body composition.
Test quality
A good test is valid (it measures what it claims), reliable (repeatable across trials), objective (the score does not depend on which judge records it) and norm-referenced so the score can be interpreted.
Harvard step test
Fitness index = (duration of exercise in seconds × 100) ÷ (2 × sum of three 30-second recovery pulse counts, taken 1–1.5, 2–2.5 and 3–3.5 minutes after stepping).
Worked example
A student steps for 5 minutes (300 s) and records recovery pulses of 60, 50 and 40. Sum = 150. Index = (300 × 100) ÷ (2 × 150) = 30000 ÷ 300 = 100. On the usual scale, above 90 is excellent, 80–90 good, 65–79 average and below 55 poor, so this result is excellent. Watch the units: duration in seconds, and three separate 30-second counts.
Traps that cost marks
- Using minutes instead of seconds, or multiplying the sum twice.
- Confusing reliability (consistency) with validity (accuracy).
- Assigning the sit-and-reach to cardiovascular endurance.