1. Use the tip of the middle and index fingers to the pulse, o not use the thumb; it has a pulse of its own that can be misleading.
2. Start the stopwatch or second hand of wristwatch simultaneously with the pulse beat.
3. Count the first beat as zero, and continue counting for a designated time period (10, 15, 30, or 60 sec).
4. To obtain a count of beats per minute, multiply the beats registered for the designated time period times a multiplier that gives you a 60 sec count of beats per minute. For example you would multiply the number of beats counted in 10 sec by 6, in 15 sec by 4, and in 30 sec by 2.
5. Record the number in beats per minute.