Reaction time test

How to play

1. A circle appears after a pause of one to four seconds.
2. Tap it as fast as you can. On a keyboard, press Space or Enter.
3. A tap before the circle, or within 0.12 s of it, does not count and costs a life.
4. Faster taps earn more points.

What this test measures

This is a simple reaction time test that will run in your browser, on a phone or a computer, and inside Telegram. You wait, a circle appears, you tap it. The game counts the milliseconds from the frame in which the circle is drawn to the moment your tap is registered, and after each hit it shows you that time. After a level, the results screen shows your points next to your previous best on that level.

The wait before the circle is picked at random for every round, anywhere from one to four seconds, down to the millisecond. A fixed rhythm does not help, so tapping on a count does not work. A tap that comes too early is caught and costs a life, so guessing does not pay.

From level 1 to 15

The first three levels are a plain simple reaction test. There is one target, and you tap it when the circle shows up. Each level gives you less time to answer, 1.5 seconds on level 1, then 1.2, then 1 second.

Levels 4 to 6 add a second target, and levels 7 to 9 have four. Now you have to see where the circle is before you tap. Choosing between several targets usually takes longer than reacting to one (psychologists call this Hick's law), so expect your times to go up here even if you are playing well.

From level 10 a square sometimes appears instead of the circle. The square means stop. Do not tap it, wait until it goes. Each of these levels has a fixed number of squares, from 4 of 14 rounds on level 10 to 7 of 20 on level 15, and only their order is random. Your finger has to be ready either to tap or to wait. Levels 10 and 11 use one target, 12 and 13 two, 14 and 15 four. On levels 11, 13 and 15 you have 0.9 seconds per round.

A level has 8 rounds at the start and 20 at the end. At three lost lives the level ends and the points you already have are kept.

How the points work

Every correct tap gives 10 points, plus a speed bonus of up to 10 more. The bonus starts at 10 for a tap between 120 and 139 ms and drops by one point for every 40 ms after that. A 250 ms tap earns 7 bonus points, a 300 ms tap earns 5, and from 500 ms the bonus is zero. Letting a square go by earns 10 points with no bonus. Level 1 has 8 rounds and no squares, so its best possible score is 160, and only if every tap lands between 120 and 139 ms.

Any tap faster than 120 ms counts as a false start, even if the circle was already on screen. People do not react to something they see that quickly, so a tap like that is a guess. A false start, a tap on the wrong target, a tap on a square and a missed circle each cost one life.

Points and your best describe how you did in this game. We do not claim that the game makes you react faster at anything else.

What is a good reaction time

A median of about 273 ms is often quoted for the click test on Human Benchmark. It is a rough reference, not something to measure yourself against here. Our test runs on your own device, and the screen, the touch panel or the mouse add their own delay to every result, a few milliseconds, sometimes a few dozen. The same person can get different numbers on a laptop trackpad and on a phone.

So keep your own numbers, one device at a time, and compare level against level. Expect slower times on the levels with two and four targets. We do not have norms of our own yet.

Tips

Look at the targets, not at your finger. Keep a finger or a thumb resting just above the screen, or on the key. On a keyboard, press Space or Enter when there is one target, and the arrow key toward the circle when there are more.

Do not try to guess the moment. The random wait is there to catch that, and a false start costs more than a slow tap. On the go and stop levels, wait unless you see a circle.

If you pause while the circle or the square is on screen, that round starts again when you come back and you lose nothing. Otherwise anyone could pause, get ready and come back to a tap that looks impossibly fast.

Similar games

If you like the go and stop levels, try Arrow Rule. An arrow points one way and a rule tells you whether to answer the same way or the opposite way. The Stroop Test asks for the ink color of a word while the word itself pulls you the other way. Both are about answering fast without answering on habit.

Questions

Is this reaction time test free?

Yes. All levels up to level 5 will be free in the browser and in Telegram, with nothing to install. The full version opens all 15 levels of every game for a one-time payment, with no subscription.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes, once it launches. The test will run in the mobile browser and in Telegram. Touch screens add some delay of their own, so compare a phone result only with another result from the same phone.

Why did my tap count as too soon?

Either you tapped before the circle appeared, or you tapped less than 120 ms after it appeared. Both count as a false start and cost a life.

Why are my times slower on later levels?

From level 4 the circle can appear in two places, and from level 7 in four. Before you tap you have to see where it is, and that extra step shows up in your time.

Can I use the spacebar?

Yes. With one target, press Space or Enter. With two or four targets, press the arrow key that points toward the circle.