A starting gun, a footstep behind you, a car horn. Some of the most important reactions in sport, games and daily life start with a sound. How fast you respond to that sound is your auditory reaction time.
Most people react a little faster to sound than to light. But your score depends a lot on how you test it, and there are simple ways to make it faster and more consistent.
Ready to measure yours? Take the free audio reaction time test. The screen stays the same, so you react to the beep alone.
Key takeaways
- Auditory reaction time is how fast you respond to a sound, not a visual signal.
- Studies usually find people react faster to sound than to light.
- People who exercised regularly had faster reaction times in a 2015 study of 120 students.
- Clear, comfortable volume helps, because louder tones get faster responses than soft ones.
- Bluetooth headphones can add delay, so test with wired headphones or speakers.
What Is Auditory Reaction Time?
Auditory reaction time is the gap between a sound starting and you responding to it, usually with a click or key press. It measures how quickly your ears, brain and hands work together.
It is different from visual reaction time, where you react to something you see. Our guide to visual vs auditory reaction time explains why the two give different numbers.
How to Test Your Auditory Reaction Time
Getting a fair score is all about removing anything that is not you. Follow these steps for the most reliable result.
- Use the right test. The VoltReflex audio test never changes the screen, so you cannot react to a visual cue by mistake.
- Pick your audio device. Wired headphones or built-in speakers usually add less delay than Bluetooth.
- Set a clear volume. Loud enough to hear easily, never at maximum.
- Find a quiet room. Background noise makes the beep harder to notice.
- Do at least 10 rounds. One slow round can skew a short test.
Test yourself Do 10 rounds of the audio test, then 10 rounds of the visual test on the same device. Many people find their audio average is the faster of the two.
What the Research Says
A 2015 study by Jain and colleagues tested 120 medical students aged 18 to 20. In both men and women, reactions to a sound were faster than reactions to a light. Students who exercised regularly also had faster reaction times than those with a sedentary lifestyle.
A 1997 study in Ear and Hearing found that people responded more quickly to loud tones than to soft ones. This was true for people with normal hearing and for people with long-term hearing loss.
At the elite end, a 2007 study of sprint starts found that some trained athletes had auditory reactions under 100 ms on instrumented starting blocks. Read more in our post on false start reaction time.
| Study | Who | Main finding |
|---|---|---|
| Jain et al. (2015) | 120 medical students | Sound faster than light, exercisers faster |
| Seitz and Rakerd (1997) | 10 normal and 10 impaired hearing | Loud tones got faster responses |
| Pain and Hibbs (2007) | 9 sprinters on starting blocks | Some starts under 100 ms |
How to Improve Your Auditory Reaction Time
- Practise with sound cues. Short, regular sessions on the audio test help you settle into a steady rhythm.
- Stay active. Regular exercise was linked to faster reactions in the Jain study. See exercise and reaction time.
- Get ready, then wait. Keep your finger resting on the button and your attention on listening.
- Sleep well. Tiredness causes slow outliers. See sleep and reaction time.
- Use clear audio in games. A good wired headset helps you hear footsteps and cues early.
For louder sounds and the startle effect, read does a louder sound make you react faster. For drills, see our reaction time training guide.
Protect your hearing The NIDCD says long or repeated exposure at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss. Keep test and game volume comfortable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is auditory reaction time?
How do I test my auditory reaction time?
Is auditory reaction time faster than visual?
Why is my audio reaction time slow?
Can you improve auditory reaction time?
The Bottom Line
Auditory reaction time is usually faster than visual reaction time, and it matters in sport, gaming and everyday safety. A fair test needs clear volume, a quiet room and low-delay audio.
Measure yours now with the free VoltReflex audio reaction test and compare it with your visual score.
VoltReflex results are for entertainment and self-benchmarking, not a medical diagnosis or a hearing test.
Sources
- Jain et al. (2015), A comparative study of visual and auditory reaction times, International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research
- Seitz and Rakerd (1997), Auditory stimulus intensity and reaction time in listeners with longstanding sensorineural hearing loss, Ear and Hearing
- Pain and Hibbs (2007), Sprint starts and the minimum auditory reaction time, Journal of Sports Sciences
- NIDCD, Noise-induced hearing loss