30-Second Chair Stand Test (30s CST)
The 30-second chair stand test counts how many times someone can stand from a chair and sit back down in 30 seconds. More repetitions is better. epnote records it in repetitions as a whole number.
Last reviewed
What this measure records
A count of full stands in 30 seconds, recorded as a whole number of repetitions. Higher is better.
It is a lower limb strength and endurance measure, and it is one of the three tests in the CDC STEADI falls screen that epnote ships as an assessment template.
Protocol
epnote does not hold a transcribed standardised protocol for this measure yet. The detail that matters clinically, such as chair height, arm position, counting rules and course length, is not in this repository's research, so it is not written here.
Normative values
epnote does not hold sourced normative values for this measure yet. Rather than publish a table from memory, this section is empty until the numbers are transcribed from a primary source and checked against it, the same way the change thresholds below were.
Change thresholds
A change on any measure can be the client or it can be the test. The minimal detectable change (MDC) is the smallest change larger than the measurement error. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is the smallest change a client would notice as worthwhile.
Only thresholds that have been read from the primary paper and checked against it appear below. Everything else is withheld.
| Population | Threshold | Value | Measured in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkinson's disease | MDC95 | 3 reps | Parkinson's disease | Petersen C, Steffen T, Paly E, Dvorak L, Nelson R (2017) Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change for Sit-to-Stand Tests and the Functional Gait Assessment for Individuals With Parkinson Disease. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. doi:10.1519/JPT.0000000000000102 |
A threshold belongs to the population it was measured in. Check the MCID and MDC calculator to compare a client's own change against these.
- MDC95, Parkinson's disease: Exact chair height, arm use, and familiarisation details were not present in the available abstract. Limited population/protocol coverage.
Reporting this measure in a funder report
- Write the test name in full the first time, then the short form if you must.
- Write the unit in words: seconds, metres, repetitions.
- Put the change in daily life before the number.
- Give the baseline and the current value, so the reader can see the change without doing the arithmetic.
- Say how the test was done if anything about it was unusual, such as a walking aid or a different chair.
Related measures
- Five times sit to stand, which times five repetitions instead of counting repetitions in a fixed time.
- The chair stand component of the Short Physical Performance Battery.
Questions
- Is the 30-second chair stand test the same as the 30-second sit to stand?
- Yes, they are two names for the same test. epnote lists it as the 30-second sit-to-stand and matches both names when you search for it.
- What is the difference between the 30-second chair stand and five times sit to stand?
- The 30-second chair stand counts repetitions in a fixed time, so a higher number is better. Five times sit to stand times a fixed number of repetitions, so a lower number is better. They are not interchangeable, and epnote keeps their directions separate so a change is never read the wrong way round.
- What change on the 30-second chair stand is larger than measurement error?
- That depends on the population. The change thresholds section on this page shows every threshold epnote has checked against its primary paper, with the population it was measured in and the citation. If your client's population is not there, epnote has no verified threshold for it.
- How do you report a 30-second chair stand result in a funder report?
- Name the test in full, give the count in repetitions, and give the baseline alongside it so the reader can see the change. Put the change in daily life first, then the number.
Write this report in epnote, free
epnote is report software for Australian exercise physiologists. Enter your measurements once and it works out the change and lays the report out, ready to sign. What you write about a client stays on your device.
Write this report in epnote, freeRelated
Sources
Everything on this page comes from one of these. epnote writes nothing clinical from memory.
- epnote measures library: the unit, direction and decimal places each measure is recorded in
data/measures.ts and data/tests-listed.ts - epnote listed tests and batteries research, which sources each measure's unit and direction
docs/research/tests-listed.md - epnote threshold verification pack, 25 October 2026: all 83 evidence rows checked against their primary papers, 57 cleared on 26 October 2026
docs/research/2026-10-25-threshold-verification.md - epnote NDIS EP report template research, for the plain-language rules on reporting a measurement
docs/research/ndis/ndis-ep-report-templates-2026-10-20.md
What this page does not cover yet
- Normative values by age and sex for 30-Second Chair Stand Test (30s CST) are not in the repo's research, so that section is empty.
- A transcribed standardised protocol for 30-Second Chair Stand Test (30s CST) is not in the repo's research, so that section is empty.
- The brief's falls risk interpretation section needs a sourced cut-off, which the repo does not hold, so it is not on the page.
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