Human Reaction Time

Human reaction time is the interval between a stimulus appearing and your response. For a simple visual signal, human reaction time is often measured in the low hundreds of milliseconds.

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Typical human reaction time

For simple visual reactions on a screen, many people respond in roughly 200–300 ms. Auditory reactions can be slightly faster. These are performance ranges on a specific task — not fixed biological constants.

What shapes human reaction time

Signal type (visual, audio, touch), attention, fatigue, age, practice and the hardware you're using all influence the number. Multiple attempts give a far more honest picture than one.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest human reaction time?

Elite performers on simple tasks can dip well under 150 ms on this kind of test, but hardware strongly affects such low numbers.

Does human reaction time slow with age?

On average reaction time gradually increases with age, but practice and focus make a large difference at any age.

Is reaction time the same as reflexes?

No. A reflex is involuntary; reaction time involves perceiving a signal and choosing to respond.

ReactionLab is a browser-based reaction performance test. It is not a medical, neurological, or intelligence assessment. Results depend on your hardware, input device, and browser. See our methodology.