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Audio Reaction 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

Sound reaches your brain along a shorter path than light. A tone hits the auditory system and triggers a motor response quicker than a visual signal, which has to travel through the retina and visual cortex first. That gap — usually 30 to 50 ms — is why sprinters start on a gun rather than a light, and why most people set a personal best on this test.

The screen stays dark and shows you nothing: no countdown, no fade, no flicker to anticipate. After a random 1.5 to 5 second wait a short beep plays, and the clock starts at the moment the sound actually leaves your output device — not the moment we asked for it, which can be tens of milliseconds earlier. That distinction is the whole difference between an honest audio score and a flattering one.

Because your score is graded against auditory reaction data rather than visual, a fast time here is not automatically a better grade than the same number on the click test. You are being compared with people who were also listening.

How your score grades
Legend
under 130 ms
Top 8% of people
Elite
130 – 179 ms
Top 41% of people
Fast
180 – 229 ms
Top 74% of people
Average
230 – 279 ms
Right in the middle
Relaxed
280 – 329 ms
Bottom 91% of people
Take a nap
330 ms +
Bottom 95% of people
Questions
Why is my audio score faster than my visual one?
Sound reaches the brain along a shorter neural path than light, which passes through the retina and visual cortex first. Most people react 30 to 50 ms quicker to a beep than to a colour change.
My score seems slow — what happened?
Almost always audio latency. Bluetooth headphones buffer sound and can add 100 to 300 ms straight into your result. Switch to wired headphones or your device speaker for an honest read.
Do I have to have my eyes open?
No. This is a pure auditory test — you can close your eyes and simply listen for the beep, then click or tap the moment you hear it.
Why a beep and not a word?
A pure tone is the fastest, most neutral trigger. Spoken words take extra time to recognise, which would measure language processing rather than raw reaction speed.