Sitting-rising test: score and norms by age
Sitting down on the floor and getting back up without your hands: this simple test says a lot about your mobility, strength and balance. Here is how to do it at home, how to score it and what score people your age usually get.
What the test is
You start standing, sit down on the floor, then stand back up, using your hands, knees or furniture as little as possible. The test was developed by Brazilian physician Claudio Gil Araújo, and is also known as the sit-to-stand test from the floor.
It takes mobility in the hips and ankles, leg strength, balance and coordination all at once. It takes a minute and needs no equipment, which makes it a good summary of your physical fitness.
How to do the test at home
- Pick a clear floor without a slippery rug, with a wall or sturdy piece of furniture within reach in case you need it.
- Wear loose clothing. Do the test barefoot or in non-slip socks.
- From standing, sit down on the floor without rushing, using as little support as possible.
- Stand back up the same way, until you are upright and steady.
You may cross your legs or not: only the number of supports counts. If you have pain, a recent injury, a hip or knee problem, or any doubt, ask a health professional before doing the test.
How to score yourself
You start from 10 points: 5 for sitting down and 5 for standing up. Each support takes off 1 point: a hand, a forearm, a knee, the side of a leg, or a hand on your knee or thigh. A visible loss of balance takes off half a point.
A score of 10 means you sat down and stood up without any support. A score of 8, for example, means two supports, or one support and two losses of balance.
| Age | Women | Men | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle | Top 25% | Middle | Top 25% | |
| 40 | 9.5 | 10* | 9 | 10 |
| 45 | 9 | 10 | 8.5 | 10 |
| 50 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| 55 | 8 | 9.5 | 8 | 9 |
| 60 | 7.5 | 9 | 8 | 8.5 |
| 65 | 6.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| 70 | 5.5 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| 75 | 3 | 6 | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| 80 | 1 | 3 | 3.5 | 6 |
Middle: half of people this age and sex score lower, half score higher. Top 25%: the result from which you do better than about three people in four.
* A perfect score of 10 is so common at this age that it is not enough for the top quarter.
Scores read from the 6,141-adult study by Araújo and colleagues (2020), in five-year age bands.
Where do you stand?
The calculation runs in your browser: nothing is sent. This is not medical advice.
What your score says, and what it does not
The score drops with age, and faster after 60, as the table shows. Two Brazilian studies linked it to long-term health. The first followed 2,002 adults aged 51 to 80 for about six years, the second more than 4,000 adults aged 46 to 75 for about twelve years. In both, a lower score was associated with a higher risk of death.
These are associations. They do not prove that improving your score lengthens your life, and the test does not diagnose anything. Mostly they show that mobility, leg strength and balance matter, and these abilities can be trained.
The test in BodyYears
In BodyYears, your iPhone camera spots every hand or knee support and scores the test for you. Images are never recorded or sent. Together with the chair stand and one-leg balance, this score gives your body age. The method explains the whole calculation.
Sources
- Araújo CGS, Castro CLB, Franca JFC, Araújo DSMS. Sitting-rising test: sex- and age-reference scores derived from 6141 adults. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2020.
- Brito LBB et al. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2014.
- Araújo CGS et al. Sitting-rising test scores predict natural and cardiovascular causes of deaths in middle-aged and older men and women. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025.