What the average reaction time tells you
The average reaction time in ms is not one fixed number, and there is no single normal human reaction time either: it depends on what was measured and who was measured. Your median above is your own browser reaction time, a mix of you, your screen, your input device and your browser.
What counts as good?
No published source gives a cut-off for a good reaction time, so we do not make one up. We sort your median into six bands to make the number readable.
These bands are ours, chosen to make a number readable. They are not a percentile and not a published norm.
| Median | Band |
|---|---|
| under 150 ms | Very fast · your median |
| 150–199 ms | Fast · your median |
| 200–249 ms | Moderate · your median |
| 250–299 ms | Slower · your median |
| 300–399 ms | Slow · your median |
| 400 ms and up | Very slow · your median |
The scale and the history comparison are for you, not for ranking you against other people. The most useful comparison is your median today with your own earlier runs on the same setup. To play more rounds, use the reaction time test; runs from both pages are saved in the same list on this device.
Prefer a different format? The F1 reaction test times your press after a row of start lights goes out.
Published ranges, with sources
All adults
| Group | Range | How it was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 18 to 65 (1,469 people) | 213 to 231 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen. 231 ms as measured, 213 ms after removing the measured hardware delay | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Adults 18 to 82 (189 people, second experiment) | 238 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, same test in a second lab | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
By age
| Group | Range | How it was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 18 to 24 | 218 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 25 to 31 | 221 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 32 to 38 | 225 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 39 to 45 | 228 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 46 to 51 | 234 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 51 to 58 | 236 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Ages 59 to 65 | 239 ms | Mean simple visual reaction time, mouse button, 60 Hz screen (study Table 2) | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
The age groups are shown as the study's Table 2 prints them, where two groups both include age 51.
Simple vs choice tasks
| Group | Range | How it was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults 18 to 80, simple, keyboard (150 people) | 274 ms | Mean simple reaction time on the Deary-Liewald task, computer keyboard, 60 Hz screen (274.4 ms in the paper) | Deary et al., 2011, Behavior Research Methods2 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Adults 18 to 80, 4-choice, keyboard (150 people) | 475 ms | Mean reaction time when one of four signals needs one of four keys, same task and same people (474.5 ms in the paper) | Deary et al., 2011, Behavior Research Methods2 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Adults 18 to 65, 2-button letter choice (1,466 people) | 550 ms | Mean reaction time in a two-button choice task: press the button for the target letter among distractors | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (choice task)3 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Youngest age group, 2-button letter choice | 476 ms | Mean reaction time of the youngest group in the same two-button letter choice task | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (choice task)3 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Oldest age group, 2-button letter choice | 595 ms | Mean reaction time of the oldest group in the same two-button letter choice task | Woods et al., 2015, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (choice task)3 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
Lab equipment, trained observers
| Group | Range | How it was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual, 5 trained observers | 207 ms | Mean simple reaction time to an LED flash, button press, lab equipment | Hanson et al., 2009, Neuroreport4 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
| Auditory, 5 trained observers | 161 ms | Mean simple reaction time to a noise burst in headphones, button press, lab equipment | Hanson et al., 2009, Neuroreport4 (checked Nov 8, 2026) |
Simple vs choice reaction time
The test above is a simple reaction time test: one signal, one response. A choice task makes you pick the response that matches the signal, and it takes longer. In one study of 150 adults aged 18 to 80, using a computer keyboard and a 60 Hz screen, the group mean was 274 ms for the simple task and 475 ms for a four-choice task.2 That is the same people on the same task, so the gap is the cost of choosing. The simple figure is higher than the 231 ms above because the groups, the input and the equipment differ, so do not subtract one from the other.
A second study used a two-button letter choice task with 1,466 adults aged 18 to 65 and the group mean was 550 ms, from 476 ms in the youngest age group to 595 ms in the oldest.3 It reports a slowing of 2.80 ms per year of age on that task, against 0.55 ms per year on the simple task.31 A choice task is not what this page measures.
Why reaction time averages disagree
- Different tests. A click on a screen, a ruler dropped and caught, and a choice between several signals measure different things.
- Different screens and mice. The signal waits for a screen refresh and the press passes through a mouse, a browser and an operating system, each with its own delay.
- Age and group. Studies measure particular groups. A figure for one group does not describe another.
- Mean or median. A few slow rounds pull a mean up. A median shrugs them off. The two can differ for the same data.
- Trimmed or raw data. Some sources drop the slowest and fastest trials first. Others keep everything.
- No stated method. A number with no test, no device and no group named cannot be compared with anything, so we leave it out.
How we compare your result
The test above is the same one as on the reaction time test page, with the same rules: five rounds after a random wait of 1.5 to 4.5 seconds, a press before the signal repeats the round, a press under 100 ms is not counted (that cut-off is ours), and no press within 3 seconds is a miss.
We keep the median of the five rounds, not the mean, so one slip does not decide the number. Then we place the median on the scale and compare it with your earlier medians that used the same input, because a touch screen and a mouse should not be mixed.
A published range is added to this page only after someone has read the source and written down how it measured, the link and the date we checked it. We do not copy numbers from other test sites. Every row in the table names its source, how it measured and the date we checked it.
Read how this test measures for the sources of error and the rules behind each round.
Average human reaction time by age
Reaction time changes with age, but the change is small next to the differences between tests, screens and input devices.
In the large 2015 study, group means for simple visual reaction time rose from 218 ms at ages 18 to 24 to 239 ms at ages 59 to 65, a difference of 21 ms across the groups.1 The authors describe the effect of age as relatively small. All seven age groups are in the By age table, with the method.
Is 180 ms a good reaction time?
On our bands, 180 ms is Fast (150–199 ms). No published source sets a cut-off for a good reaction time, so a band is a way to read your number, not a verdict.
The sourced figure closest to this page's setup is from Woods and colleagues: a group mean, 231 ms, for 1,469 adults aged 18 to 65 pressing a mouse button on a 60 Hz screen, or 213 ms after removing the measured hardware delay.1 A median of 180 ms is below both numbers, but the group, the equipment and the correction differ from your setup, a group mean is not a target, and your own rounds vary.
The same two steps work for any other number. Here is our band for a few round ones:
| Median | Our band |
|---|---|
| 150 ms | Fast |
| 180 ms | Fast |
| 200 ms | Moderate |
| 250 ms | Slower |
Fastest reaction time and world record
What is the fastest reaction time, and who has it? This page cannot say. We found no verified source for a world record reaction time or for the fastest human reaction time, and a browser test cannot confirm one, so we state no record.
What we can cite is a rule, not a record. The World Athletics technical rules describe a sprint start system that indicates a possible false start when the reaction time is less than 0.100 second.6 That is a convention for flagging a start, not a measured limit of human speed, and it says nothing about your result here. The cut-off this page uses, where a press under 100 ms counts as a guess, is a separate rule of ours.
Browser test vs lab equipment
The 231 ms in the table comes from a lab. The authors used a gaming mouse built for fast, steady timing, a calibrated PC and a 60 Hz screen, then measured the delay that equipment added and took it out: 231 ms became 213 ms.1 This page does neither. It reads your press through whatever mouse, trackpad, touch screen or keyboard you use, and it does not measure or subtract any delay.
| Part of the chain | Lab study | This page |
|---|---|---|
| Input | A gaming mouse button chosen for little timing uncertainty | Your mouse, trackpad, touch screen or keyboard |
| Screen | A 60 Hz LCD | Your screen. The page measures its refresh rate and shows it |
| Monitor delay | 11.0 ms, measured with a photodiode1 | Not measured, not subtracted |
| Mouse delay | 6.8 ms, measured1 | Not measured, not subtracted |
Other setups can add more. Woods and colleagues note that standard mouse drivers can add 20 ms or more.1 Bridges and colleagues, citing earlier work, say a standard USB keyboard can add 20 to 40 ms.5 We do not know the size of these on your setup.
The screen adds its own wait. A signal can only appear on a refresh, so one frame is up to 16.7 ms at 60 Hz, 6.9 ms at 144 Hz and 4.2 ms at 240 Hz. The result card shows the rate measured on your screen.
So treat the lab figures as context, not as a target. Compare your median with your own earlier runs on the same setup, as the scale above does, and read how this test measures for the rules behind each round.
Sources
- Woods DL, Wyma JM, Yund EW, Herron TJ, Reed B. Factors influencing the latency of simple reaction time. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 9:131 (2015). doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00131. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4374455/ (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Deary IJ, Liewald D, Nissan J. A free, easy-to-use, computer-based simple and four-choice reaction time programme: the Deary-Liewald reaction time task. Behavior Research Methods 43:258-268 (2011). doi:10.3758/s13428-010-0024-1. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-010-0024-1 (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Woods DL, et al. Age-related slowing of response selection and production in a visual choice reaction time task. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 9:193 (2015). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4407573/ (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Hanson JVM, Whitaker D, Heron J. Preferential processing of tactile events under conditions of divided attention. Neuroreport 20(15):1392-1396 (2009). doi:10.1097/WNR.0b013e3283319e25. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3364445/ (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- Bridges D, Pitiot A, MacAskill MR, Peirce JW. The timing mega-study: comparing a range of experiment generators, both lab-based and online. PeerJ 8:e9414 (2020). doi:10.7717/peerj.9414. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7512138/ (checked Nov 8, 2026)
- World Athletics. Competition Rules and Technical Rules (Books C1.1 and C2.1), false start provisions. World Athletics Book of Rules (edition amended to March 20, 2026). https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/book-of-rules (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Every figure on this page was read in the source itself, not in a summary. Secondhand statements are attributed to the paper that made them. Our bands and the scale are ours and are not from any source.
Average reaction time FAQ
What is the average human reaction time in ms?
The average reaction time of a human depends on how it is measured. A click test, a ruler drop and a choice test give different numbers, and so do screens, input devices and the group of people measured. This page does not give one number. The table of published figures on this page shows each one with how it was measured and its source, so compare yours only with a figure measured the same way, and above all with your own history.
What is a normal reaction time?
No source we read sets one normal reaction time for everyone, and we do not publish a typical reaction time as if it were a norm. What is typical depends on the test, the equipment and the group measured. The table of published figures shows each one with its method, and the bands on this page are ours, chosen to make a number readable.
What is the average reaction time by age?
There is no single agreed table. Age is one factor among several: the test, the device and the group measured change the number too. One large study (Woods and colleagues, 2015) found simple reaction time rising slowly from the youngest to the oldest adults it tested; its age groups are in the table of published figures, with the method. Be careful with tables on other sites that do not name their method.
What is a good reaction time?
It depends on the test, your screen and your input device, so no single number answers it. On our bands, 200 ms is where Moderate starts (200 to 249 ms), and a median below that is Fast or Very fast. Those cut-offs are ours, chosen to make a number readable, not a published norm. Compare your median with your own earlier runs. The section on this page about 180 ms shows how a number sits on the bands and beside the sourced Woods figure. This is a browser game for fun, not a medical statement.
Who has the fastest reaction time in the world?
A record needs a defined method and a filmed or instrumented trial, and a browser test cannot verify one. This page states no record value. It lists no reaction time world record either. If we list one later, it will come with the source we read. The fastest reaction time on a browser test only tells you about that run on that setup. The one figure we do cite is a rule, the sprint false-start threshold, and the section on the fastest reaction time explains why it is not a record.
How can I improve my reaction time?
Keep the setup the same, so your runs are comparable: the same device, the same hand and a rested state. A wired mouse and a screen with a higher refresh rate remove a little waiting from the number, up to about 10 ms between 60 Hz and 144 Hz, but they do not change how fast you respond. We make no claim that practice changes your score without a source.
Why is my reaction time so slow?
Often it is the setup, not you. The signal can only appear on a screen refresh, and a wireless mouse, a touch screen, a busy browser or a power-saving mode each add delay. The list on this page of why the numbers disagree covers screens, mice and groups. A slow number here is not a medical finding; if you are worried about your reactions, ask a clinician.
Do men have faster reaction times than women?
In the large 2015 study by Woods and colleagues (1,469 adults aged 18 to 65), simple reaction time was unaffected by sex; age mattered, a little. That is one study of one simple task, so it does not settle other tasks, ages or setups, and this page does not compare you with anyone by sex.