Two reasons to test a space bar
People test a space bar for one of two reasons. Either the key seems faulty and they want to confirm it, or it works fine and they want to know how fast they can press it. This page handles both. Only Space counts, your first press starts a five second timer, and the display shows the time left, your presses and your live rate.
Checking that the key works
A space bar can fail in a few ways. It can stick, so it stays down or comes back up slowly. It can miss presses, so some taps never register. Or it can double register, sending two presses when you made one.
Do a slow count to check. Press Space ten times at an even, unhurried pace while you watch the counter. It should read exactly 10. Repeat it a few times, pressing near the middle of the bar and then near each end.
- Counter reads less than you pressed: some presses are being missed, or the key is sticking.
- Counter reads more than you pressed: the key may be double registering.
- Counter matches every time: the key is working.
Holding the key down only counts once, because auto-repeat is ignored. That makes a stuck key easy to spot, since the count simply stops rising.
For a full keyboard check, use the keyboard test. It lights each key while it is held and turns it green once it has worked, which makes a key that stays down easy to see.
Testing your speed
Once you know the key is sound, try for speed. Press as fast as you can for five seconds. Your result shows your presses per second to one decimal, a rating, your press count and your personal best. Spacebar scores keep their own history, separate from mouse clicking.
Rest your thumb or a fingertip on the bar before the first press, keep your wrist relaxed and stop if anything aches. For more on how the score is worked out, see the spacebar CPS test.
If the key keeps failing
If the same fault shows up here and in the keyboard test, the problem is with the key or the keyboard, not the website. Try a second keyboard if you have one. If the second keyboard passes the slow count every time, you know the first one is the cause.