The Cooper test is a test of physical fitness

Physical fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

. It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper

Kenneth H. Cooper

Kenneth H. Cooper is an doctor of medicine and former Air Force Colonel from Oklahoma, who introduced the concept of aerobics. He is the author of the 1968 book Aerobics, which emphasized a point system for improving the cardiovascular system...

 in 1968 for US military use. In the original form, the point of the test is to run as far as possible within 12 minutes. The test is meant to measure the condition of the person taking it and therefore it is supposed to be run at a steady pace instead of sprints and fast running.
The outcome is based on the distance the test person ran, their age and gender. The results can be correlated with VO₂ Max

VO2 max

VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual...

.
It is an easy test to perform on larger groups, but difficult for the runners, as the length of the run is considered to be that of a long distance run, since everything above 3 km is rated "long distance"—which means the runner will predominately use his "red", slow oxidative muscle cells

Muscle

Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...

.

For comparison the 5000 meters world record of Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...

was performed in 12:37.35. This means that in 12 minutes he would reach a distance of around 4750 meters.

The following is an example of the many tables that exist for the test:

Cooper test (Athletes & Juniors)

Age		Very good	Good	Average	Bad	Very bad
13-14	M	2700+ m	2400 - 2700 m	2200 - 2399 m	2100 - 2199 m	2100- m
	F	2000+ m	1900 - 2000 m	1600 - 1899 m	1500 - 1599 m	1500- m
15-16	M	2800+ m	2500 - 2800 m	2300 - 2499 m	2200 - 2299 m	2200- m
	F	2100+ m	2000 - 2100 m	1700 - 1999 m	1600 - 1699 m	1600- m
17-20	M	3000+ m	2700 - 3000 m	2500 - 2699 m	2300 - 2499 m	2300- m
	F	2300+ m	2100 - 2300 m	1800 - 2099 m	1700 - 1799 m	1700- m
20-29	M	2800+ m	2400 - 2800 m	2200 - 2399 m	1600 - 2199 m	1600- m
	F	2700+ m	2200 - 2700 m	1800 - 2199 m	1500 - 1799 m	1500- m
30-39	M	2700+ m	2300 - 2700 m	1900 - 2299 m	1500 - 1899 m	1500- m
	F	2500+ m	2000 - 2500 m	1700 - 1999 m	1400 - 1699 m	1400- m
40-49	M	2500+ m	2100 - 2500 m	1700 - 2099 m	1400 - 1699 m	1400- m
	F	2300+ m	1900 - 2300 m	1500 - 1899 m	1200 - 1499 m	1200- m
50+	M	2400+ m	2000 - 2400 m	1600 - 1999 m	1300 - 1599 m	1300- m
	F	2200+ m	1700 - 2200 m	1400 - 1699 m	1100 - 1399 m	1100- m

Cooper test (Experienced athletes)

	Very good	Good	Average	Bad	Very bad
Male	3700+ m	3400 - 3700 m	3100 - 3399 m	2800 - 3099 m	2800- m
Female	3000+ m	2700 - 3000 m	2400 - 2699 m	2100 - 2399 m	2100- m