Benchmark tests

Short timed tests that give you one number and tell you where it sits against everyone else.

Every test here does the same thing: it measures one narrow ability, produces a single number, and places that number on a distribution. Runs take between five and sixty seconds. Nothing needs installing and nothing is stored anywhere but your own browser.

The percentiles come from published population data rather than from other visitors to this site. That distinction matters more than it sounds. A site that ranks you against its own users is ranking you against people who chose to take a reflex test, which is a self-selected and unusually fast crowd. Comparing against published distributions gives a number that means roughly the same thing wherever you read it.

The tests split into three rough groups. Motor speed covers click speed, spacebar and aim, where the limit is how fast your hand can cycle. Reaction time sits on its own, measuring the gap between a signal and your response. The memory tests measure working memory span in four different formats, and the split test measures visual area estimation, which is a perceptual skill rather than a speed one.

What each test measures
TestMeasuresTypical run
Reaction TimeResponse to a visual signal5 attempts
Click SpeedClicks per second1 to 100 seconds
Spacebar SpeedPresses per second5 to 60 seconds
Aim TrainerTime per target, accuracy30 targets
Typing SpeedWords per minute15 to 300 seconds
Sequence, Number, Visual, ChimpWorking memory spanUntil you fail
Split TestVisual area estimation5 shapes

Common questions

Where do the percentiles come from?

Published population distributions for each task, not from other people using this site. Ranking against site visitors would compare you to a self-selected group that is faster than average, which makes the number mean less rather than more.

Do I need an account to keep my scores?

No. Personal bests, recent runs and streaks are stored in your browser and shown on your bench page. You can export them to a file or delete them at any time.

Which test should I start with?

Reaction time. It takes about fifteen seconds, needs no explanation, and gives you a number that is directly comparable to almost any other reaction test you have taken.

Are mobile and desktop scores comparable?

Not really. Touchscreens add latency and change the motion involved, so a tap-based score and a mouse or keyboard score are best treated as separate benchmarks.

Can I practise and improve?

On the motor tests, yes, quite quickly, up to a personal ceiling. On the memory tests improvement is smaller and mostly comes from strategy such as chunking rather than from raw capacity changing.