The Test is 10 rounds fired into an NRA B-8 repair center at 10 yards inside a 10-second par from the ready, scored by the B-8 rings out of a possible 100 points, with 90 the accepted passing line. It is the most efficient marksmanship gut-check in pistol shooting: 10 rounds tell you whether your grip, sights, and trigger press hold together at a distance where sloppiness shows on paper.
The 10-second par is deliberately generous, which is the point. At one second per shot the clock is not the obstacle; your ability to see the sight, press without disturbing it, and repeat that 10 times is. Shooters who chase speed here score in the low 80s and below. Shooters who shoot to a called sight picture finish with three or four seconds to spare and a cleaner target.
Timer runs prep and par beeps for each step.
25-yard timed and rapid fire bullseye with exact B-8 ring dimensions (X 1.695", 10 3.36", 9 5.54", 8 8"). The standard for The Test and modern pistol standards.
Load 10 rounds and take a two-handed ready position at 10 yards facing a fresh B-8. On the beep, fire all 10 rounds into the target before the 10-second par ends.
Fire 10 rounds at your own cadence inside the 10-second window. The par is generous, so shoot to your called sight picture rather than racing the clock; a controlled 6 to 8 seconds usually scores higher than a hurried run.
Cue: Confirm the sight on the black, press straight, follow through. Ten times.
Add the ring values for all 10 hits out of a possible 100. Anything on paper but outside the scoring rings counts as zero, and a shot fired after the buzzer does not count. Log the score and repeat for three total runs.
Hackathorn scoring is straight B-8 point value: X-ring and 10-ring hits are worth 10, the 9-ring is 9, the 8-ring is 8, and the 7-ring is 7. Add all 10 hits for a score out of 100. A shot on paper but outside the 7-ring scores zero, and a round fired after the buzzer does not count toward the total.
Vickers scoring flips the emphasis to time. Every shot must land in the 5.5-inch black; a hit on the paper outside the black adds a one-second penalty and a shot off the target adds more, and the run passes only if the total time including penalties stays under the 10-second par. Pick one method and hold to it so your scores compare run to run.
| Level | Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | Score 80 or better | On paper and mostly in the rings. Build the habit of finishing under par before chasing points. |
| Intermediate | Score 90 or better | The accepted pass line for a competent defensive shooter. |
| Advanced | Score 95 or better | Almost every shot in the 9 and 10 rings, with time to spare on the clock. |
| Master | Clean 100, or 90+ from concealment | A perfect 100 puts all 10 in the 10-ring; running the same 90 from a concealed holster is an equivalent bar. |
The Test is credited to Ken Hackathorn, the veteran instructor who built it as a compact standard for evaluating a shooter's fundamentals with a single 10-round string. Hackathorn scored it by point value on the B-8 rings, with 90 out of 100 as the threshold for a competent defensive shooter.
Larry Vickers popularized the drill widely and attached an alternate scoring method: keep every hit inside the 5.5-inch black or take a time penalty, one second for a hit on paper outside the black and more for a shot off the target entirely, then measure the run against the 10-second par including penalties. Both accounts agree on the course of fire; they differ only in how the target is scored.
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