Is a 170 ms reaction time good?
A 170 ms reaction time is faster than 95% of people who took Human Benchmark's test, and 95% of 25 to 34 year olds. Among people 65 and over it is above the 99th percentile.
Percentile
95%
of testers are slower than 170 ms
170 ms
170 ms by group
By age group
Percentile is the share of the group slower than this time, so a lower time gives a higher percentile. “1 in X” counts the rarer side: people at or beyond this value above the median, at or under it below. Percentiles are estimated from a normal distribution per age group.
What this means
- Mean reaction time in this data rises about 20 ms per decade: 242 ms at 18 to 24, 350 ms at 65 and over. 170 ms is the 92nd percentile for the youngest group and above the 99th percentile for the oldest.
- Human Benchmark's numbers come from people who chose to take a reaction test, on their own screens. Display and input lag add 10 to 50 ms, so a 170 ms result partly measures your monitor.
- Competitive gamers and sprinters report averages near 150 to 180 ms. Results under 100 ms are almost always anticipation, not reaction.
Questions
- Is 170 ms a good reaction time?
- 170 ms is faster than 95% of all Human Benchmark testers and 95% of 25 to 34 year olds. That is clearly quick.
- What is the average reaction time?
- The mean in Human Benchmark's data is 262 ms across all ages: 242 ms at 18 to 24, 274 ms at 35 to 44 and 350 ms at 65 and over. The site's reported median is about 251 ms.
- How rare is a 170 ms reaction time?
- Across all ages, about 1 in 19 testers are as fast or faster. For 18 to 24 year olds it is 1 in 12; for people over 65, 1 in 277.
Source: Human Benchmark, aggregated reaction test results, 2024. A self-selected sample of people who take reaction tests, not the population. Percentiles on this page are our estimate from a normal distribution with the stated mean and SD.
Five trials, your age group, your percentile. About 20 seconds.
Test your reaction time