Reaction Time Test
Wait for the box to turn green, then click, tap or press Space as fast as you can. Five attempts give you a median, a best time and a chart against the 273 ms average.
- Frame-accurate timing
- Mouse, touch or Space
- False start check
- History stays on device
Your times against the average
Dots are your attempts, the solid line is your median and the curve shows the usual spread of online scores.
Your history on this device
Finished rounds appear here with your personal best. They are stored only in this browser and never sent anywhere.
What is a reaction time test?
A reaction time test measures how long you take to respond to something you see. Here the box turns from red to green after a random wait, and the test times the gap between the moment the green frame reaches your screen and the moment your click, tap or key press is registered. Scientists call this simple reaction time: one signal, one response, no decision. Most people score between 200 and 300 milliseconds on a computer. The test takes five attempts and reports the median, so one lucky guess or one slow blink does not decide your score. It also rejects clicks that come before the green, and presses under 100 ms that are too fast to be a real reaction.
How to take the reaction time test
- Click or tap the blue box, or press Space, to start. The box turns red.
- Keep your finger ready and watch. After a random wait of 1.5 to 5 seconds the box turns green.
- Click, tap or press Space the instant you see green. Your time appears in milliseconds.
- Click again for the next attempt. After five attempts you get your median, best, average and consistency, plus a chart against the 273 ms average.
- Clicked while it was still red? That is a false start. It is not counted, and you simply redo that attempt.
Why test your reaction time here
- Timing you can trustThe clock starts on the frame where green reaches the screen and stops at the timestamp your device puts on the press, so page scripts and ads are not in the measurement.
- A fair scoreFive attempts scored by the median. False starts and impossible presses under 100 ms are thrown out instead of counted.
- Mouse, touch or keyboardClick, tap, or press Space or Enter. The result notes which input you used, so you can compare them.
- Your history stays on this deviceEvery session is saved in this browser with your personal best. No account, nothing sent to a server, and one button clears it.
When to take a reaction time test
- Gaming warm-up. Check you are sharp before ranked matches, and compare mice, keyboards and monitors.
- Tiredness check. A median clearly slower than your usual one is an honest sign you need a break or a night of sleep.
- Science projects. Collect five-attempt medians to study caffeine, music, age or time of day.
- Comparing hardware. Swap a wireless mouse for a wired one, or 60 Hz for 144 Hz, and see what actually changes.
What is a good reaction time?
These bands are for the median of five attempts on a computer or phone, the way this test scores you. The share of people you beat is a rough estimate from a curve centred on the published 273 ms average.
| Median | Rating | Faster than | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 180 ms | Exceptional | About 98% or more | Rare outside trained gamers and athletes on fast hardware |
| 180 to 219 ms | Very fast | 86% to 98% | Typical of practised players on a good monitor and mouse |
| 220 to 259 ms | Above average | 60% to 86% | A sharp, rested result on most setups |
| 260 to 299 ms | Average | 32% to 60% | Where most people land; the 273 ms median sits here |
| 300 to 349 ms | Below average | 11% to 32% | Common on phones, when tired or when distracted |
| 350 ms or more | Slow | Under 11% | Usually tiredness, distraction or a slow display or input |
How this test compares with Human Benchmark and others
Human Benchmark made the red to green test famous and publishes the 273 ms median used on this page. This test keeps the same idea and adds what people usually ask for afterwards: a median instead of a plain average, false start and guess detection, keyboard input, more than one mode and a history that never leaves your device.
| This test | Human Benchmark | IObit | MeasureHuman | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts per round | 5, 10 or 20 | 5 | Unlimited | 5 |
| Main score | Median, plus best, average and consistency | Average | Current, best and average | Best attempt and percentile |
| Chart | Your attempts against the average | Distribution of scores | Trend over time | Percentile panel |
| Saved history | In your browser, no account | With an account | Yes | Recent attempts in your browser |
| Other reaction modes | F1 lights, audio, ruler drop, driving | Separate tests for other skills | Not stated | Separate tests for other skills |
| Timing explained | Frame and input timestamps, on this page | Mentions computer and monitor delay | FAQ on accuracy | Lists delay sources |
Based on each site's own reaction time page, checked in November 2026. Features change, so check before relying on them. Digital ToolPad is not affiliated with these sites.
How to improve your reaction time
- Sleep. Tiredness is the biggest everyday cause of a slow median. Compare a morning and a late night round and you will see it.
- Warm up. The first round of the day is often the slowest. Do one practice round before the one you count.
- Get set. Rest your finger on the button, look at the centre of the box and breathe out before the change.
- Practise, then stop guessing. Regular short sessions help for a while. Pressing early to beat the clock only adds false starts.
- Fix the hardware. A wired mouse, a high refresh rate monitor and game mode on a TV can take tens of milliseconds off the measured number.
What your score includes
Your result is the time from the frame that shows the change on your screen to the moment your device registers the press. The test makes the change inside requestAnimationFrame and starts the clock at the timestamp of the next frame, which is when the changed frame is handed to the display. The stop time is the timestamp your device stamped on the click, tap or key press, so page scripts, ads and rendering do not add to your time. That is also why scores here can be about one frame lower than on tests that start the clock when the change is requested.
| Part of the chain | Typical delay | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Screen refresh | Up to one frame: 16.7 ms at 60 Hz, 6.9 ms at 144 Hz, 4.2 ms at 240 Hz | Use a high refresh rate display |
| Monitor or TV processing | A few ms on most monitors, often much more on TVs outside game mode | Turn on game mode or low latency mode |
| Mouse | 1 ms at 1000 Hz polling, up to 8 ms at 125 Hz | A wired or gaming wireless mouse |
| Touchscreen | Often tens of milliseconds | Compare scores on the same device |
| Keyboard | A few ms on gaming keyboards, more on some laptop keyboards | Use the same input every time |
| Browser and page | Removed by the timestamps described above | Nothing to do |
Example: reading a typical result
Five attempts of 262, 241, 289, 248 and 255 ms give a median of 255 ms, a best of 241 ms and an average of 259 ms. Consistency shows plus or minus 19 ms, which is how far a typical attempt sits from your average. A median of 255 ms is a little faster than the 273 ms average, quicker than roughly six in ten people who take online tests. The same person on a 144 Hz monitor with a wired gaming mouse could score 15 to 25 ms lower without reacting any faster, which is why you should compare scores on the same setup.
What to expect from the result
Your number is your reaction plus the delay of your setup. The display has to draw and show the green frame, and your mouse, touchscreen or keyboard needs a few milliseconds to report the press. The test starts the clock when the green frame is shown and uses the time your device stamped on the press, which removes the browser's own delay, but it cannot see inside your monitor or mouse. A 60 Hz screen adds up to about 17 ms by itself; wireless devices and TVs outside game mode can add more. The percentile is a rough guide: it comes from a curve fitted to the published 273 ms median, not from a database of everyone who has taken this test.
Reaction time test FAQ
What is a good reaction time?
On an online test like this one, a median under 260 ms is better than average, under 220 ms is very fast and under 180 ms is exceptional. The typical person scores about 273 ms on Human Benchmark, the most widely quoted online test. Lab equipment with no screen or mouse delay gives lower numbers, usually around 200 to 250 ms for a simple visual reaction.
What is the average reaction time?
Human Benchmark reports a median of 273 ms from its visitors, and that is the reference line on the chart. Averages depend heavily on the device: the same person can score 30 ms apart on a phone and on a gaming monitor. Age matters too. Reaction time is quickest in your twenties and slows gradually after that, and it also becomes less consistent.
Why is my reaction time slower on my phone?
Touchscreens report a tap later than a mouse reports a click, often by tens of milliseconds, and many phones run at 60 Hz or drop their refresh rate to save battery. Use the same device whenever you compare scores, close other apps, and switch on your phone's high refresh rate setting if it has one.
Can I use the spacebar or keyboard?
Yes. Press Space or Enter to start, to react and to continue. Key presses are timed the same way as clicks. Gaming keyboards report a key within a few milliseconds, while some laptop and office keyboards take longer, so your keyboard and mouse scores can differ slightly.
Why is the score a median and not an average?
One distracted attempt can add 200 ms to an average of five. The median is the middle result, so a single outlier in either direction does not move it. Your average and best time are shown as well.
How can I improve my reaction time?
Sleep well, warm up with a few rounds, rest your finger on the button and look at the centre of the box. Practice helps for the first sessions, then gains get small. Tiredness and alcohol slow you down a lot. On the hardware side, a wired mouse, a high refresh rate monitor and game mode on a TV take milliseconds off the measured number.
Are my results saved or sent anywhere?
Your results are saved only in this browser, so you can see your history and personal best next time. Nothing is sent to a server, there is no account, and you can clear the history at any time.
More reaction and input tests
Try the F1 reaction test, audio reaction time test, ruler drop test or driving reaction time test. To check the hardware behind your score, run the refresh rate test, mouse test or keyboard test, or see how fast you can click with the CPS test. All of them are in the device tests collection.