How to use this tool
- 01
Answer the first questions about how you feel right now. If any answer is yes, stop and get urgent help.
- 02
Answer the health history questions honestly. A yes means you should talk to a doctor before you start or step up activity.
- 03
Tell us your age group, how active you are now, and what you plan to do.
- 04
Read your result and any notes added to it.
- 05
If a club, gym or event wants a certificate or a form, use the optional check to see the rules for your country and sport.
What is the official physical activity readiness questionnaire?
The official questionnaire is a screening form that helps people decide whether they need advice from a doctor or a qualified exercise professional before becoming more physically active. A group called the Collaboration writes and owns it.
The current form has four pages. Page 1 holds seven general health questions. If you answer no to all of them, you sign a declaration and you are done. If you answer yes to any, you go on to follow up questions on pages 2 and 3 about specific conditions. Page 4 gives recommendations and a final declaration.
If the follow up questions raise a concern, the form sends you to an online follow up form from the same group, or to a qualified exercise professional.
The Collaboration releases a revised version each year. Clubs and gyms should use the current one.
Why does this page not show the official questions?
The official questionnaire is copyrighted. The form allows photocopying, but only of the whole questionnaire, with no changes. Its owners also ask organisations to use and link to the official versions, because other copies may be old or altered.
An interactive tool would split the questions up and change how they look and work. That would be a change to the form. So we do not copy, reword or score the official questions here.
Instead, this page does two separate things:
- It points you to the official form, so you can fill in the real thing if your club or gym asks for it.
- It asks our own screening questions, written by us from public health guidance. They are not the PAR-Q+, and the group that owns it has not reviewed or endorsed them.
If your club, gym or federation asks for the official questionnaire, give them the official form, not a printout of our result.
What do the three results mean?
Your answers lead to one of three results. Each one tells you what to do next in plain words.
| Result | When you get it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Stop and get urgent care | Any answer in the first step is yes, such as chest pain now that is not going away, or fainting while exercising | Do not exercise. Call 112, or 999 in the UK. Do not drive yourself to hospital. |
| See a doctor before you start or step up activity | No urgent signs, but at least one health history answer is yes | Book a doctor's appointment before you begin or increase activity. Take your answers and your medicines list. |
| No red flags in your answers | Every answer in the first two steps is no | Start gently and build up. Stop if warning signs appear. Check again if your health changes. |
A “no red flags” result is not a medical clearance. It means our questions did not pick up anything that needs a doctor first. You still need to listen to your body.
Extra notes may appear under any result. For example, if you have a cold or fever today, the tool tells you to wait until you feel better.
What do our screening questions ask about?
Our questions cover the warning signs and health history that public health services, such as the NHS, tell people to take seriously. They are grouped by how urgent they are.
Urgent signs right now. These are signs that the NHS says need an emergency call:
- Chest pain or pressure that does not go away, or that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- Chest pain together with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light headed or being short of breath.
- A pounding or uneven heartbeat together with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint.
- Fainting while exercising.
- After a head injury: being knocked out, a seizure, new weakness or numbness, trouble speaking, walking or balancing, or changes in sight or hearing.
Health history. These point to talking with a doctor before you start:
- A heart problem, or a heart operation or procedure.
- Chest discomfort when you exert yourself, even if it settles with rest.
- Fainting or nearly fainting during or just after exercise.
- A racing or uneven heartbeat that keeps coming back or lasts more than a few minutes.
- A close relative with heart problems, or a sudden unexplained death at a young age in the family.
- A long term condition that a doctor treats.
- Being told by a health professional to limit exercise.
- An injury or a joint, bone or muscle problem that hurts when you move.
- A concussion in the last 3 weeks if you plan to play a contact sport.
- Pregnancy, or having had a baby in the last 8 weeks.
- A recent serious illness, operation or hospital stay.
Today and your plans. Your age group, how active you are now and how hard you plan to train. These add notes but never count as red flags on their own.
Do I need to see a doctor before I start exercising?
Most people do not. Moving more is safe for most people. The NHS advises speaking to a GP first if you have not exercised for some time, or if you have medical conditions or concerns.
Our tool turns that advice into specific questions. If any health history answer is yes, the result says to see a doctor first. That does not mean you cannot exercise. It means a doctor should help you choose what kind, how hard, and what to watch for.
The official form gives similar advice in its own words. It also suggests that people over 45 who are not used to very hard exercise get advice from a qualified exercise professional before training at that intensity. Our tool adds this as a note when it applies to you.
How long is a completed official questionnaire valid?
On the current official form, the clearance lasts for a maximum of 12 months from the date you complete it. It stops being valid sooner if your health changes.
That means a gym may ask you to fill in a new form each year, or after an illness, injury or new diagnosis. If anything changes, the form tells you to answer the follow up questions or speak to a health professional before carrying on.
Our own screening result has no fixed validity. It reflects only what you answered today. Run it again whenever your health changes.
Can children and teenagers use the official questionnaire?
Yes, with an adult involved. The official form says that if you are under the legal age of consent, or need a care provider's agreement, a parent, guardian or care provider must also sign it.
Our tool works the same way in spirit. If you choose “under 18”, a note asks a parent or guardian to go through the questions with you.
Club rules for young people often differ from the adult rules. In France, for example, a minor and a parent fill in a health questionnaire before a sports licence, and a certificate under 6 months old may then be needed. In Lithuania, under 18s need a check at a sports medicine clinic. The country tables on our sports medical certificate requirements page cover these rules.
Is a health questionnaire the same as a sports medical certificate?
No. A questionnaire is something you fill in about yourself. A sports medical certificate is a document a doctor signs after assessing you. Clubs and countries decide which one they want.
Some places accept a self declaration or questionnaire. Others need a doctor's certificate, and some need an exam in person with tests. Here are examples from the rules we checked for Tool 8:
| Place or event | What they ask for |
|---|---|
| France, minors applying for a sports licence | A health questionnaire with a parent first; a medical certificate under 6 months old if the answers call for it |
| France, adults without a licence in running races | A health pass valid 1 year, fee 5 euros, from the national athletics federation |
| Lithuania, high exertion events | A signed health declaration from adults; organisers must recommend a health check |
| Warsaw Half Marathon and Poznan Marathon | A self declaration of fitness, 18 or over |
| Belgium, Wallonia Brussels Federation | A sworn statement in most cases; a certificate after a clinical exam for competition, mass events, combat and risk sports |
| Italy, organised sport | A certificate after an exam in person with an ECG; competitive sport adds more tests |
| Croatia, athletes | A fitness assessment by an occupational and sports medicine specialist, with ECG, blood and urine tests and spirometry |
Where a rule needs an exam or tests in person, an online doctor cannot help, and we do not offer our certificate.
Can I get a sports certificate after the screening?
Sometimes. The optional last step checks the rules for your country, sport, level and age, using the same data as our sports medical certificate requirements tool.
We only offer our sports fitness certificate when all of these are true:
- Your screening result is “no red flags in your answers”.
- You are 18 or over.
- The rule for your case accepts a certificate from any doctor, with no exam or tests in person. In countries without a national rule, this usually means your club, gym or organiser has told you in writing that a note from any doctor is enough.
If the rule needs a specialist, a clinic, an ECG or other tests, the tool tells you to book in person instead. If the rule is unclear, it tells you to ask your club or federation first.
Worked examples
These are hypothetical cases. They show how the tool reaches each result.
Example 1: returning to football in Germany. Marta is 52. She played football years ago and wants to join a local club. She answers no to every urgent sign and every health history question. She is rarely active now and plans competitive matches.
- Result: “No red flags in your answers”.
- Note added: because she is over 45, not used to very hard exercise and plans it, the tool suggests advice from a qualified exercise professional first.
- General advice: start with lighter sessions and build up. The NHS suggests adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, with strength work on 2 days.
- Certificate check: she enters Germany, team ball sports, club member. Our data shows no national rule in Germany, so the tool asks whether her club has said in writing that a note from any doctor is enough, with no tests. She answers yes, so our sports fitness certificate is offered, with a reminder to confirm the club accepts a remote consultation.
Example 2: a runner with a recurring racing heartbeat. Luca is 30 and lives in Italy. He wants to enter his first half marathon. He has no urgent signs today. He answers yes to a racing heartbeat that keeps coming back.
- Result: “See a doctor before you start or step up activity”.
- The tool lists the reason and suggests what to bring to the appointment.
- No certificate is offered. For Italy, every route to a sports certificate needs an exam in person with an ECG anyway.
Example 3: chest pain during the check. Someone answers yes to chest pain that is not going away right now. The tool stops at once and shows only the urgent care panel: call 112, or 999 in the UK, and do not exercise.
What warning signs mean I should stop exercising?
Stop straight away if you feel chest pain or pressure, faint or nearly faint, become unusually short of breath, or feel your heart racing or beating unevenly. Do not try to push through these signs.
Rest and see how you feel. If chest pain does not go away, or comes with sweating, sickness, light headedness or breathlessness, call for emergency help. If you fainted while exercising, the NHS says to call 999 in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, call 112.
If the signs settle quickly, still see a doctor before your next session. The NHS advises seeing a GP after any faint, even without other symptoms, to find the cause.
When to see a doctor straight away
Call 112, or your local emergency number, if you or someone near you has:
- Chest pain that does not go away, or that spreads to the arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- Chest pain with sweating, sickness, light headedness or shortness of breath.
- A pounding or uneven heartbeat with chest pain, breathlessness or fainting.
- Fainted while exercising.
- A head injury followed by being knocked out, a seizure, new weakness, or trouble speaking, walking or seeing.
In the UK, call 999. Do not drive yourself to hospital. See a doctor soon, but not urgently, if you have a heart condition, a family history of sudden death at a young age, recent serious illness, or palpitations that keep coming back.
What if I am pregnant or recently had a concussion?
Both mean you should talk to a health professional before starting or stepping up sport, so the tool gives the “see a doctor” result.
Pregnancy. The NHS says exercise is usually safe in pregnancy and that you can often keep doing what you already do. Tell your instructor you are pregnant. Avoid sports with a risk of falling or blows to the bump, such as hockey, rugby or mountain biking, and avoid scuba diving. If you are new to exercise, start with about 10 minutes a day and build up slowly. The official form also says to talk to a health professional before becoming more active while pregnant.
Concussion. The NHS advises not playing contact sport for at least 3 weeks after a concussion, and not returning to sport until you feel better. If you are unsure whether it is safe to go back, see a GP.
How getmedicalcertificate.com can help
If your club, gym or event accepts a certificate from any doctor and does not require tests in person, our sports fitness certificate may help. It is valid for 12 months, though your club may ask for a newer one.
A doctor reviews your case and decides. You pay EUR 34.99 only after that review, with no added fees at checkout. If no certificate is issued, you get a full refund. You receive a signed PDF, usually within about 30 minutes of approval, with a reference code anyone can check. Certificates are issued in English, across 42 countries in Europe.
If your screening suggests seeing a doctor first, do that before you order anything. For the rules in your country, see our sports medical certificate requirements page.
FAQ
It is a screening form written and owned by a group called the Collaboration. It helps you decide whether you should get advice from a doctor or a qualified exercise professional before becoming more active. It starts with seven general health questions, then follow up questions if you answer yes to any of them, and ends with a signed declaration.
The PAR-Q+ Collaboration owns it, and it is copyrighted with all rights reserved. The form allows photocopying of the whole questionnaire with no changes. The Collaboration asks organisations to use and link to the official version. For that reason, our page links to the official form and asks only our own screening questions.
According to the current official form, the clearance lasts for a maximum of 12 months from the date you complete it. It becomes invalid earlier if your health changes, for example after a new diagnosis, illness or injury. So many gyms and clubs ask members to complete a fresh form each year or after any health change.
On the official form, a yes to any of the first seven questions sends you to follow up questions about specific conditions. If those raise a concern, the form recommends the online follow up form from the same group, or a visit to a qualified exercise professional. If in doubt, it advises seeing your doctor.
No. This tool asks our own screening questions, written from public health guidance such as NHS advice on chest pain, fainting, palpitations, concussion and pregnancy. It is not the official questionnaire, and its owners have not reviewed or endorsed it. If a club or gym asks for the official questionnaire, complete the official form.
Most people do not, because moving more is safe for most people. The NHS advises speaking to a GP first if you have not exercised for a while or have medical conditions or concerns. See a doctor first if you have a heart problem, chest discomfort on exertion, fainting during exercise, or a family history of sudden death at a young age.
Stop exercising straight away. If the pain does not go away, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, sickness, light headedness or breathlessness, call 112 or your local emergency number. In the UK, call 999. Do not drive yourself to hospital. Even if the pain settles, see a doctor before exercising again.
The NHS advises not playing contact sport for at least 3 weeks after a concussion, and not returning to sport, work or school until you feel better. If you are unsure whether it is safe to return, see a GP. Your club or federation may also have its own return to play rules, so ask them before your next match.
No. A "no red flags" result means our questions did not pick up anything that needs a doctor first. It is not a medical clearance or a certificate. Start gently, build up gradually and stop if warning signs appear. If your club needs a sports medical certificate, check the rules for your country, sport and level.
Sometimes. getmedicalcertificate.com offers a sports fitness certificate only when your screening shows no red flags, you are 18 or over, and the rule for your country and sport accepts a certificate from any doctor without tests in person. Italy, Croatia and Portugal require an exam in person for organised or federation sport, so no online certificate is offered there.
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