Audio reaction time test
Press as soon as you hear a short beep. Five valid tries make one round. Wired headphones or speakers give the fairest result.
The test didn't load.
Refresh the pageYour result includes the delay of your speaker or headphones, and Bluetooth adds more. Keep the same output when you compare rounds.
Why wired is betterUse wired headphones or speakers
Wired or built-in
Wired headphones and your device's own speakers usually add the least delay to the beep.
Bluetooth is slower
Wireless headphones hold sound in a buffer before playing it. That adds time to every try, so your score looks slower than you are.
Volume up, silent off
On a phone, turn off silent mode and raise the media volume. Play the test sound again whenever you change headphones.
Why hearing is usually faster
Lab studies summarized by Robert Kosinski put the average reaction to a sound at 140–160 ms and to a light at 180–200 ms. The same review suggests a reason: a sound reaches the brain in about 8–10 ms, while a visual signal takes 20–40 ms.
Online, the gap can shrink or even flip. Speakers, headphones and the browser's audio system add their own delay, just as screens do in the visual test. To see your own difference, run both tests on the same device.
Lab averages, not web results.
Your rounds
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More tests
More reaction time games, each timed the same way.
Questions
Why can't I hear the beep?
Check that your volume is up and your device isn't muted. On a phone, turn off silent mode and raise the media volume, then press Play test sound again. If Bluetooth headphones are connected, the beep plays through them, so check they are on, or switch to the phone speaker.
Do Bluetooth headphones slow my result?
Usually, yes. Wireless headphones hold sound in a buffer before playing it, so every beep reaches you a little late and your score looks slower than you are. Wired headphones or your device's own speaker give the fairest result.
Why is my sound result faster than my visual one?
Lab studies summarized by Robert Kosinski put the average reaction to a sound at 140–160 ms and to a light at 180–200 ms. The same review notes that a sound takes about 8–10 ms to reach the brain and a visual signal 20–40 ms.¹ Online, your speakers and screen add their own delays, so run both tests on the same device to see your gap.
Does anything on the screen change when the beep plays?
No. The screen stays exactly the same, so you can only react to the sound.
Sources
- Robert J. Kosinski, “A Literature Review on Reaction Time”, Clemson University, last updated September 2013 (PDF hosted at facultypsy.hope.edu): “Many researchers have confirmed that reaction to sound is faster than reaction to light, with mean auditory reaction times being 140-160 msec and visual reaction times being 180-200 msec… Perhaps this is because an auditory stimulus only takes 8-10 msec to reach the brain…, but a visual stimulus takes 20-40 msec…” Accessed 7 November 2026 facultypsy.hope.edu/psychlabs/exp/reactiontime/docs/RT_Literature_Review.pdf