How to Play the Reaction Speed Test
The Reaction Speed Test measures how quickly you can respond to a visual stimulus. When the screen turns from red to green, click as fast as you can! Your reaction time is measured in milliseconds, giving you precise feedback on your reflexes.
Game Instructions:
- Click Start: Begin the test when you're ready
- Wait for red: The screen will turn red - don't click yet!
- React to green: When it turns green, click or press Space/Enter immediately
- Don't click early: Clicking on red means you'll need to retry that attempt
- Complete 5 attempts: Your average score will be saved
Understanding Your Results:
- Under 200ms: Exceptional - top-tier reflexes
- 200-250ms: Excellent - above average reaction time
- 250-300ms: Great - solid reflexes
- 300-350ms: Good - typical human reaction time
- 350-400ms: Average - room for improvement
- Over 400ms: Below average - keep practicing!
What Affects Reaction Time?
Many factors can influence your reaction speed:
- Age: Reaction time typically peaks in your mid-20s
- Alertness: Being well-rested improves reaction speed
- Caffeine: Can temporarily improve reaction times
- Practice: Regular training can improve your reflexes
- Focus: Concentration and anticipation play key roles
- Hardware: Monitor refresh rate and input lag affect measurements
Tips for Better Scores:
- Use a mouse click or spacebar - whichever feels more natural
- Focus on the center of the screen
- Take deep breaths and stay calm
- Avoid anticipating the change - react to it
- Test when you're alert, not tired
- Use a high refresh rate monitor if available
The Science of Reaction Time:
Human reaction time involves multiple stages: sensing the stimulus (visual processing), neural transmission to the brain, decision making, and finally motor response. The average human visual reaction time is around 250-300 milliseconds. Professional athletes and gamers often train to achieve sub-200ms reaction times.
Why Track Your History?
By tracking your reaction times over multiple sessions, you can observe patterns and improvements. You might notice you perform better at certain times of day, or that regular practice leads to consistent improvement. The history feature saves your average, best, and worst times from each session.
Perfect For:
- Gamers looking to measure and improve their reflexes
- Athletes training reaction speed
- Anyone curious about their cognitive response time
- Students studying human factors and ergonomics
- Comparing reaction times with friends