For a simple visual reaction task, research often places healthy adult responses in the low-to-mid hundreds of milliseconds. In a carefully calibrated study of 1,469 adults aged 18–65, mean simple visual reaction time was about 231 ms, or about 213 ms after correcting for measured hardware delay.
That does not mean every online reaction test should average 231 ms. Browser tests include the timing of your display, operating system, browser and input device, so two people with identical biological response speed can record different numbers on different setups.
Studies comparing simple, choice and go/no-go tasks show that task complexity changes response time. That is why a 240 ms Classic result cannot be compared directly with a 400 ms choice-response score.
If your goal is gaming performance, the number itself is less important than whether you can react quickly and choose accurately under realistic conditions.
Laboratory research has measured substantial timing differences caused by monitors, input devices, software and operating systems. One calibrated study measured an LCD display delay of about 11 ms, while other work has shown that general-purpose computer hardware can add variable delay to online-style reaction measurements.
That is why Reaction Lab treats scores as a personal benchmark and entertainment tool rather than a medical or diagnostic result.
Continue with: What does 200 ms mean? · Simple vs choice reaction · Why reaction times vary · Reaction Time FAQ.