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Audio Reaction Time Test

React the instant you hear the beep. Most people set their best score here.

MEASURES
Auditory RT
INPUT
Click / tap
TIME
~30 sec
How the test works

Your ears beat your eyes

Light takes a longer route to your brain than sound does. A tone reaches the auditory system and fires a motor response faster than a visual signal, which must pass through the retina and visual cortex on the way. That gap, usually 30 to 50 ms, explains why sprinters start on a gun rather than a light, and why most people post a personal best on this test.

Nothing appears on screen: it stays dark, with no countdown, no fade, no flicker to anticipate. A short beep plays after a random 1.5 to 5 second wait, and the clock starts at the moment the sound actually leaves your output device rather than the moment we asked for it, which can be tens of milliseconds earlier. That single distinction separates an honest audio score from a flattering one.

Your score is graded against auditory reaction data rather than visual, so a fast time here won't automatically earn a better grade than the same number on the click test. The people you're compared with were listening too.

How your score grades
Legend
under 130 ms
Faster than 92% of people
Elite
130 – 179 ms
Faster than 59% of people
Fast
180 – 229 ms
Faster than 26% of people
Average
230 – 279 ms
Right in the middle
Relaxed
280 – 329 ms
Slower than 91% of people
Take a nap
330 ms +
Slower than 95% of people
Questions
Why is my audio score faster than my visual one?
Sound travels to the brain along a shorter neural path than light, which has to clear the retina and visual cortex first. For most people a beep draws a reaction 30 to 50 ms quicker than a colour change does.
My score seems slow — what happened?
Almost always audio latency. Sound gets buffered by Bluetooth headphones, which can inject 100 to 300 ms straight into your result. Swap to wired headphones or your device speaker for an honest read.
Do I have to have my eyes open?
No. Being a pure auditory test, it lets you shut your eyes and just listen for the beep, then click or tap the instant you hear it.
Why a beep and not a word?
A pure tone is the fastest, most neutral trigger. Recognising a spoken word costs extra time, which would turn this into a measure of language processing instead of raw reaction speed.