Faster than a cat jumping on a laser dot—do you think your reflexes are the best? A f1 reaction time test is the only way to really find out. You know how exciting they are if you’ve ever tried one. The screen changes color, you click as fast as you can, and then it shows you your time: 238 milliseconds. Is that really fast or really slow? Who truly knows without any context?

Let’s take a look behind the scenes at how these games work. Most of them use simple controls, including tapping a button or the screen as soon as a signal appears. It’s not that hard, but that’s the secret sauce. Stripped-down simplicity gets rid of distractions and lets your reflexes shine (or shake under pressure). Some games provide you surprises. You might be advised to click only when you see a cat, not a dog, instead of just waiting for a color. Your careful—no, don’t say meticulous—attention is suddenly put to the test.

Why bother changing how fast you react? These games can improve the mind-body connection in addition to giving you bragging rights. Athletes swear on them. Gamers are obsessed with shaving milliseconds. But even if you’re simply sitting at your desk, it’s strange how tempting it is to shave a tenth of a second off your best time.

It’s not just about speed. Fatigue is a bad thing. Have you ever taken a response test soon after watching five hours of Netflix? Don’t. Your time slips up, your fingers twitch late, and you start making excuses. Even how much water you drink and how stressed you are might mess things up.

Let’s talk about habits. Some people play a reaction game to start their day. Like coffee, but less likely to make a mess on your shirt. Some people utilize them as a vacation from studying or to wake up their minds. But don’t let it turn into a productivity black hole; one more round is a seductive trap.

Want to put your pals to the test? Sharing is a feature in most reaction time test games. Take a picture of your top score, upload it to the group chat, and then sit back and watch the “lucky!” allegations come in. Competition can bring out both good and bad behavior, and occasionally both at the same moment.

What really affects response time when you dig a little deeper? Sure, there is heredity. But practice is important. Your recorded times are affected by things like noise in the environment, the size of the screen, and how long it takes your device to respond. Not exactly like a lab, but it’s a wonderful method to see a trend. Are you smarter after lunch? Or do you get your best work done in the middle of the morning, like some day traders?

Are you tired of tapping the same buttons again and over? The internet has a lot of crazy takes on this idea. There are tests that use key combinations, sound signals, and even ones that make you do simple math problems as quickly as you can. Some of them are fairly dumb, like reaction tests with pictures of dancing cats or ones that have you wait an uncertain amount of time to keep your brain on its toes.

Here’s the best part: you don’t need any special tools. You only need a finger and a competitive streak to use a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If you have a few minutes and really want to see how quickly you can react, attempt a reaction time test. You might surprise yourself. And if you don’t beat your friend’s score, you can blame the Wi-Fi. We won’t say anything.