A client reports feeling unsteady when getting out of a chair and walking across the room.
Rather than relying only on their description, the Timed Up and Go Test provides a quick, repeatable way to measure basic functional mobility.
It captures several everyday tasks in one simple sequence:
Standing from a chair
Walking
Turning
Returning
Sitting down with control
Test name: Timed Up and Go Test
Also known as: TUG
Purpose: Assess functional mobility, turning and transitional movement
What it assesses: Sit-to-stand, gait, turning, return walking and sitting control
Equipment required: Chair, 3 m walkway, marker line and stopwatch
Key finding: Time to complete the task
Best used with: Balance testing, gait speed, strength testing, falls history and client-reported function
Key limitation: Fall-risk prediction varies by population and cut-off
The Timed Up and Go Test is a functional mobility assessment.
The client starts seated, stands up, walks 3 metres, turns around, walks back and sits down. The total time is recorded in seconds.
The original TUG was described by Podsiadlo and Richardson as a test of basic functional mobility in frail older adults.
Today, it is widely used because it is:
Quick
Low-cost
Easy to repeat
Simple to record
Relevant to everyday function
The TUG is used to assess functional mobility in a practical way.
It can help professionals monitor:
Sit-to-stand ability
Walking speed
Turning control
Balance during movement
Confidence with mobility
Changes over time
Response to exercise or intervention blocks
It is especially useful when a client reports difficulty with everyday movement tasks such as getting out of a chair, walking indoors, turning or sitting down safely.
The TUG measures the time needed to complete a basic mobility sequence.
It reflects:
Lower-limb function
Sit-to-stand capacity
Walking speed
Dynamic balance
Turning ability
Coordination
Movement confidence
It does not identify the exact cause of a mobility limitation.
A slower score may be influenced by:
Strength
Balance
Pain
Fatigue
Confidence
Vision
Assistive device use
Gait pattern
Turning strategy
For this reason, the TUG should be interpreted with other findings.
The TUG may be useful for:
Older adults
Clients with balance concerns
Clients with reduced walking confidence
Clients with mobility limitations
Clients returning to walking function
General population clients where functional mobility is relevant
Clients completing falls-risk screening as part of a broader assessment
It is most useful when the professional wants a simple measure of everyday movement ability.
You will need:
Standard chair
3 m clear walkway
Tape or marker line
Stopwatch or timing system
Measurz or MAT recording system
Optional:
Notes on assistive device use
Notes on footwear
Supervision where appropriate
Video review for gait or turning strategy
The original protocol used a chair with armrests, so chair type and armrest use should be recorded.
Place a chair at the start point.
Mark a line 3 metres from the front of the chair.
Ask the client to sit with:
Back against the chair
Feet flat on the floor
Arms positioned according to your chosen protocol
Usual footwear and walking aid if normally used
Explain the task clearly:
“When I say go, stand up, walk at your comfortable pace to the line, turn around, walk back and sit down.”
Start timing when the instruction to go is given, or when the client begins moving, depending on your chosen protocol.
Stop timing when the client is seated again.
Record the time in seconds.
Repeat trials only if this is part of your protocol. If multiple trials are used, record whether the final score is the best time, average time or first trial.
The score is the time taken to complete the test.
A lower time generally suggests better functional mobility.
A higher time may indicate slower movement, reduced balance confidence, difficulty turning or reduced sit-to-stand capacity.
Interpretation should consider:
Age
Health status
Assistive device use
Chair height
Armrest use
Footwear
Pain
Fatigue
Confidence
Falls history
Gait quality
Turning strategy
The TUG is useful for tracking change, but it should not be used alone to make decisions about falls risk or mobility status.
Reference values vary by age, population and protocol.
A descriptive meta-analysis by Bohannon reported the following reference values for apparently healthy older adults:
60–69 years: approximately 8.1 seconds
70–79 years: approximately 9.2 seconds
80–99 years: approximately 11.3 seconds
Overall 60+ years: approximately 9.4 seconds
These values are useful as general reference points, but they should not be applied to every client without context. Chair setup, use of armrests, timing rules, walking speed instructions and assistive device use can all affect results. ()
The commonly used 13.5-second cut-off has often been discussed in relation to falls risk. However, systematic review evidence suggests that this threshold has limited ability to predict falls in community-dwelling older adults and should not be used in isolation. One meta-analysis reported pooled sensitivity of 0.31 and specificity of 0.74 at the 13.5-second threshold. ()
Practical interpretation:
Around 10 seconds or less is often considered typical for many healthy older adults
Slower scores may suggest reduced functional mobility
A result above a cut-off should trigger broader assessment, not automatic classification
Change over time may be more useful than one isolated score
The TUG is widely used and practical, but reliability and validity depend on the population and protocol.
The original TUG study reported strong association with balance, gait speed and functional measures in frail older adults. Later systematic review evidence suggests that the TUG can be useful as part of a mobility and falls-risk assessment, but it is not strong enough to predict falls by itself. ()
Recent research has also reviewed instrumented versions of the TUG, which use sensors to capture more detailed movement data. A 2025 systematic review found that instrumented TUG research is growing, but interpretation still depends on the device, metric and population studied. ()
To improve consistency:
Use the same chair setup
Use the same timing rule
Record assistive device use
Keep the walkway distance consistent
Use the same walking instruction
Record whether a practice trial was used
Document pain, fatigue and confidence
Sensitivity and specificity are only relevant when the TUG is used as part of falls-risk screening.
They should not be treated as universal values.
For community-dwelling older adults, one systematic review and meta-analysis found that a 13.5-second cut-off had limited ability to predict falls, with pooled sensitivity of 0.31 and specificity of 0.74. The authors concluded that the TUG should not be used alone to identify high fall-risk individuals in that setting. ()
This supports using the TUG alongside:
Falls history
Balance testing
Gait speed
Strength testing
Medication or health context where relevant
Client confidence
Functional task observation
Common errors include:
Using different chair heights
Changing armrest use
Changing the timing start or stop rule
Not recording assistive device use
Changing walking instructions
Not marking exactly 3 metres
Not recording footwear
Comparing results across different protocols
Using one score alone to determine falls risk
Key limitations include:
It does not identify the cause of reduced mobility
It may not detect subtle balance problems in higher-functioning clients
Fall-risk prediction varies by population
Results can be affected by pain, fatigue, confidence and walking aid use
Cut-offs should not be applied without context
Use the TUG to:
Monitor functional mobility
Track change over time
Assess sit-to-stand and turning ability
Support falls-risk conversations
Guide further assessment
Compare mobility before and after an exercise or intervention block
It works best when paired with other measures, such as gait speed, balance testing, lower-limb strength testing and client-reported function.
In Measurz, record enough detail to make the test repeatable.
Useful fields include:
Time in seconds
Trial number
Best or average score
Chair type
Chair height if known
Armrest use
Assistive device use
Footwear
Timing rule
Walking instruction
Pain score
Fatigue rating
Confidence rating
Gait quality
Turning strategy
Balance loss or hesitation
Symptoms during the test
Example note:
“TUG completed using 3 m walkway and chair with armrests. Usual footwear used. No walking aid. Average of three trials recorded: 10.8 seconds. Mild hesitation on turn. No pain reported.”
Useful related assessments include:
10 m Walk Test
6-Minute Walk Test
2-Minute Step-in-Place Test
Single Leg Balance
Sit-to-Stand Test
Lower-limb strength testing
Falls history
Pain score
Fatigue monitoring
It measures basic functional mobility, including standing from a chair, walking, turning, returning and sitting down.
The standard TUG uses a 3 metre walkway.
Many healthy older adults complete the TUG in around 10 seconds or less. Reference values vary by age, protocol and health status.
The TUG may support falls-risk screening, but it should not be used alone. Fall prediction varies by population and cut-off.
If the client normally uses a walking aid, record this clearly and keep it consistent when comparing results over time.
The TUG is a quick test of functional mobility.
It assesses sit-to-stand, walking, turning and sitting control.
Reference values vary by age, population and protocol.
The 13.5-second falls cut-off should not be used alone.
Measurz should record timing, setup, assistive device use and movement quality.
Bohannon, R. W. (2006). Reference values for the timed up and go test: A descriptive meta-analysis. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 29(2), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1519/00139143-200608000-00004
Barry, E., Galvin, R., Keogh, C., Horgan, F., & Fahey, T. (2014). Is the Timed Up and Go test a useful predictor of risk of falls in community dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics, 14, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-14-14
Podsiadlo, D., & Richardson, S. (1991). The timed “Up & Go”: A test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 39(2), 142–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb01616.x
Schoene, D., Wu, S. M. S., Mikolaizak, A. S., Menant, J. C., Smith, S. T., Delbaere, K., & Lord, S. R. (2013). Discriminative ability and predictive validity of the Timed Up and Go Test in identifying older people who fall: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61(2), 202–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12106
Zhou, J., Yao, Q., Han, R., De Bock, P., Vassard-Yu, G., Hallemans, A., & Van Laer, L. (2025). Reliability and validity of instrumented Timed Up and Go Test in typical adults and elderly: A systematic review. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 106(7), 1092–1107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2025.03.001
.
