Auditory Reaction Speed

How it works

Auditory Reaction Speed measures how quickly you respond to a simple sound. The test waits for a random delay, plays a beep, and records how quickly you press space or click.

Brain systems involved

This test starts with hearing. Sound is first processed through the brainstem, then passes through the medial geniculate nucleus, the auditory relay in the thalamus, and reaches auditory cortex in the temporal lobe. After the sound is detected, attention and motor systems help trigger the response.

So the score depends on sound detection, alertness, attention, decision speed, motor readiness, and audio-device delay.

Score guide

Lower is better. Around 150-220 ms is very fast. Around 220-280 ms is a normal strong range. Scores above 300 ms can happen when attention drops, timing feels off, or audio hardware adds delay. Responses below 100 ms are treated as anticipations, and responses at 500 ms or slower are counted as lapses.

What can change it

Sleep, fatigue, caffeine, stress, practice, headphones, Bluetooth delay, speaker delay, keyboard or mouse latency, and background browser activity can all change the result. Wired headphones or speakers usually make results more comparable.