Reaction Time Ages 6–9
The average reaction time for ages 6–9 is 290 milliseconds. See the full distribution, what's normal for this age, and how to improve.
What 290 ms means for ages 6–9
Young children are still wiring up their motor cortex, so RTs are slower and more variable than adults. By age 9 the speed is closing in on the adult range.
The 290 millisecond average for ages 6–9 sits at the 20th percentile of the overall adult population. That means the typical ages 6–9 is faster than 20% of all adults. Whether that is a flattering comparison depends on which direction the age curve runs from here — see the younger and ages 10–13 groups for context.
How to interpret your own score
If you are in this age group and you scored within 30 ms of 290, you are completely typical — there is nothing to fix. If you scored under 240 ms, you are in the top 5% of your peers, which is genuinely fast. If you scored over 360 ms, you are in the bottom 5%, but before you worry, rule out the usual suspects: fatigue, screen brightness, mouse latency, and any medications you might be taking.
Single results are noisy. Take the test below 3–5 times and look at the average rather than any individual attempt.
Test yourself
See how you compare to the ages 6–9 average of 290 ms.