Choice reaction time test
An arrow appears after a short wait. Press the matching arrow key, or tap the matching button, as fast as you can. Ten signals make one round.
Measuring your page refresh… Only correct answers count towards your average.
Why your device mattersSimple and choice reaction
Simple reaction
One signal, one answer. In the main test you already know what to press, so you only wait for the change.
Choice reaction
Two or more possible signals, each with its own answer. You have to work out which arrow appeared and pick the matching key before your finger moves. That takes longer, and you can get it wrong.
More options, more time
Psychologists have known since Donders’ work in 1868 that choice reactions are the slowest kind. Hick’s law adds that reaction time rises as the number of options grows, though each extra option adds less than the one before. That’s why 4 directions feels harder than 2.
Steps only, not to scale.
Your rounds
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More tests
More reaction time games, each timed the same way.
Questions
What is choice reaction time?
It's how long you take to give the right answer when more than one signal is possible. Here an arrow points one way and you press the matching key or button. You have to decide as well as react, so it's slower than the simple test.
Why is my choice reaction slower than my simple reaction?
In the simple test you press as soon as anything changes. Here you also have to see which way the arrow points and pick the matching key before your finger moves. Psychologists have known since Donders' work in 1868 that choice reactions are the slowest kind.¹
What happens if I choose the wrong arrow?
You'll see Wrong arrow and the test moves on to the next signal. A wrong answer uses up that signal, doesn't count towards your average and lowers your accuracy. Pressing before the arrow appears is a false start: it's counted and that signal is run again.
Can I take this test on a phone or with a keyboard?
Yes. On a computer, use the arrow keys. On a phone or tablet, tap the big arrow buttons under the test area. Your input method is saved with each round, so you can compare like with like.
Sources
- Robert J. Kosinski, “A Literature Review on Reaction Time”, Clemson University, last updated September 2013 (PDF hosted at facultypsy.hope.edu): “Donders (1868)… showed that a simple reaction time is shorter than a recognition reaction time, and that the choice reaction time is longest of all.” “Hick (1952) found that in choice reaction time experiments, response was proportional to log(N)… reaction time rises with N, but once N gets large, reaction time no longer increases so much as when N was small.” Accessed 7 November 2026 facultypsy.hope.edu/psychlabs/exp/reactiontime/docs/RT_Literature_Review.pdf