Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale

OT Dude Academy’s Free NBCOT® Exam Prep Course Cardiology Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale
  • Measures physical activity intensity as perceived by the client of how hard the body is working.
  • Based on the client’s experiences based on increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, increased breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue.
  • Subjective measure
  • Rating from 6-20
  • Self-monitoring can tell the client how hard they are working and to adjust the intensity accordingly.
  • Provides a good estimate of the client’s actual heart rate during activity by multiplying RPE x 10, e.g., RPE of 12×10 = 120 beats per minute.
  • The preferred method for assessing intensity for clients who take medications that affect their heart rate or pulse.
6
7 Very, Very Light
8
9 Very Light
10
11 Fairly Light
12
13 Somewhat Hard
14
15 Hard
16
17 Very Hard
18
19 Very, Very Hard
20

Revised RPE (1-10) Scale

0 Rest
1 Really Easy
2 Easy
3 Moderate
4 Sort of Hard
5 Hard
6
7 Really hard
8
9 Really, Really, Hard
10 Maximal: Just like my hardest race

References

CDC. (n.d.). Perceived Exertion. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov./physicalactivity/basics/measuring/exertion.htm

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