Precision test · 5 trials · median scored
Visual reaction time test
Hold while the square is red — click the instant it turns green. Five trials, a median score, and a confidence band scaled to your display's refresh rate.
Click, tap, or press space
Pre-cue clicks are caught as false starts · the 1.5–4.5 s randomized wait makes guessing unprofitable
How this visual reaction time test works
The visual test measures the interval between a browser-observed screen stimulus and your input event. It is designed for simple visual reflexes: one color change, one response, five trials, and a median score.
Display refresh rate matters. A 60 Hz panel refreshes every 16.7 ms, while a 600 Hz panel refreshes about every 1.7 ms. We record refresh-rate context and report a confidence band, so hardware uncertainty doesn't masquerade as a personal reflex difference.
| Display | New frame every | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.7 ms | ±8.3 ms |
| 144 Hz | 6.9 ms | ±3.5 ms |
| 240 Hz | 4.2 ms | ±2.1 ms |
| 600 Hz | 1.7 ms | ±0.8 ms |
Visual reaction time, answered
+What is a good visual reaction time?
For a simple visual test, 200–260 ms is common for healthy adults and 150–200 ms is fast. Results below 100 ms are usually anticipation — but not always, so PulsarMS verifies them behaviorally — false-start record against randomized waits, and consistency — instead of discarding them outright. Only results below the ~50 ms physical limit are treated as non-reactions.
+Does monitor refresh rate affect my score?
Yes. A 60 Hz display presents a new frame every 16.7 ms while a 600 Hz display presents one about every 1.7 ms. Higher refresh reduces measurement quantization — it does not make your nervous system faster.
+Why does every result show a ± band?
The band shows timing uncertainty from the browser clock and display refresh. It stops a single millisecond number from pretending to be more exact than the hardware can support.
+Can I compare my score with a friend's?
Only carefully. Display refresh, input device, and browser all shift results. Compare medians on similar setups — or use the leaderboard, where every run is re-scored from raw trial data.