Precision test · 5 trials · median scored
Visual reaction time test
Hold while the field 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
Finished runs are saved here, on your machine. Nothing leaves unless you submit.
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.