How the human reaction time test works
Start the test and the panel goes red. It turns green after a random wait of about 1.5 to 5 seconds, and you respond with a click, a tap or the Space key. Five tries give one average in milliseconds. If you click before green, that try is cancelled and repeated.
Score bands
| Your average | Rating | Compared with typical results |
|---|---|---|
| Under 200 ms | Exceptional | Faster than most lab figures, even with device delay |
| 200 to 229 ms | Fast | Clearly quicker than a typical online score |
| 230 to 259 ms | Above average | Ahead of the usual 250 to 300 ms range |
| 260 to 299 ms | Average | Where most people land |
| 300 to 359 ms | Below average | Often a slow device or a tired day |
| 360 ms or more | Slow | Worth a retest when rested, on a better setup |
The bands are a rough guide for an online test with a mouse or touchscreen. They are not a medical scale.
Where typical humans land
Lab studies of young adults put a simple visual reaction at about 200 to 250 ms. Online tests give 250 to 300 ms, because screens and input devices typically add 20 to 50 ms. Human Benchmark reports a median of 273 ms, which falls inside the average band above.
At the other end, about 100 ms is treated as the floor. A faster response is assumed to be a guess.
Reading your band fairly
Your band depends on more than your nervous system.
- Age. Speed peaks in the early to mid twenties. A 2014 study of over 3,000 StarCraft 2 players found slowing from about age 24.
- Device. A phone, TV or wireless mouse can cost you a band.
- Sleep. Sleep loss slows reactions.
- Practice. It mainly improves consistency, so early attempts tend to be less steady.
So take the test a few times before you settle on a band. The Your scores panel shows your average across all attempts, which is a better guide than one run.
Learn more about the numbers
The background to these figures is on the human reaction time page. For averages by sense, see average reaction time, and for the limits, see fastest reaction time.