When I did it the tape said:
"up, two, three, down, two, three, up, two, three, down, two, three,...
and on and on until you hit a minute mark, whereupon the voice (in synch with the music still) rythmically says "1 more minute.. up, two, three, down, two, three.
It‘s a two step box and when you hear "up" you put your left foot on the first step, "two" you put your right foot on the top step, "three" you take your left foot and also place it on the top step. You are now standing completety on the top of the box.
Then on "down" you place your right foot back on the first step, on "two" you place your left foot on the floor, and on "three" you place your right foot on the floor.
You have just completed a full revolution. I would say it takes roughly 3-4 seconds on the second stage.
I‘ve heard people have been unable to step in time with the music even after a few attempts. If you can‘t you fail, and you can retest.
But since "ear to foot" coordination is essential in the military, obviously they won‘t pass you even if you have good cardio fitness.
I had a few seconds of trouble because my heels were hanging off the step when I would get to the top, and your feet need to be firmly and completely planted on the top.
I think my heart rate was elevated slightly because I was doing it in a slow jogging motion (which is how I go up stairs, I run) and therefore I was swinging my arms which is totally unneccesary (but not wrong).
I know its fairly insignificant, but if you sit in a chair and take a resting heart rate with a heart rate monitor, and then sit there and swing your arms in time with the "up, two, three,...." rythym for three minutes, you‘ll see that it does make some difference in your heart rate.
So I guess that would be my big tip, don‘t swing your arms, and don‘t be nervous. It‘s easy, and really there‘s nothing you can do to change the way your heart is going to respond while you‘re in there. Avoid thinking about passing or failing, just try to absorb and enjoy the experience. It‘s laid back, and it‘s a good opportunity to do some learning. The person who runs the test was very knowledgable about the PT routines for BMQ and MOC 031 training and we asked lots of questions. It was actually kind of fun.