Wait for the red screen to turn green, then click as fast as you can. Clicking early does not count.
Your best average is saved in this browser, so you always have a score to beat.
On a phone or tablet, tap the pad instead of clicking.
About the Reaction Time Test
This free reaction time test measures how quickly you answer something you did not expect. The pad turns red, you wait, and the moment it turns green you click. The gap between the colour change and your click is your reaction time, shown in milliseconds (ms).
The wait before green is random every round, between about 1 and 5 seconds. That is the whole point — if the wait were always the same you would learn it, and you would be measuring your rhythm instead of your reflexes.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
What is a good reaction time?
Most adults land between 200 and 300 ms on a simple visual test like this one. For comparison:
- Under 180 ms — elite; this is where trained gamers and athletes sit
- 180 to 220 ms — very fast
- 220 to 270 ms — above average
- 270 to 320 ms — average for most adults
- Over 320 ms — slower than average; usually tiredness, not ability
Your score is not fixed. The same person can be 40 ms slower when tired, unwell, or after a heavy meal, and a little faster after warming up.
Why times under 100 ms are marked
Light reaches your eye, your brain recognises the change, and a signal travels to your finger. That chain takes roughly 100 ms at the very best, which is why a time below that is almost always a guess that happened to land just after green.
The tool keeps those times — they really happened — but marks them, so a lucky guess never quietly becomes your record.
Features
- 3, 5 or 10 tries per run, with the average at the end
- A random wait before green, so the timing cannot be learned
- Early clicks are caught and do not count as a fast time
- Every individual time is listed, not just the average
- Best average saved in your browser
- Works with a mouse, a trackpad, a keyboard or a touchscreen
What affects your score
- Tiredness — the single biggest factor; a bad night can cost you 30 to 50 ms
- Your screen — a 60 Hz monitor adds up to 16 ms before you even see green
- Your mouse — a wireless mouse with a slow polling rate adds a few ms
- Caffeine — a small, short-lived improvement
- Age — reaction time slowly rises after about 25, but practice offsets a lot of it
- Expecting it — hovering your finger and staring at the pad really does help
How to use it
- Choose how many tries — 5 is the usual number people compare
- Click the pad to start; it turns red
- Wait while it stays red — do not click during this part
- Click the instant it turns green, as fast as you can
- Your time appears, then click again for the next round
- After the last round you get your average, your fastest time and a rank
- Press Reset to clear the run and start again
