Frequently asked questions
Everything people usually ask after their first ten rounds.
Playing
Is Tap the Cap free?
Yes. There is no payment, no account and no installation. The site is funded by advertising.
Why does it say “Too soon!”?
You clicked while the cap was still grey. The round is discarded and restarted after a short pause. Without that penalty, the fastest strategy would be pressing the button continuously, which measures nothing at all.
How long is the wait before the colour changes?
A random interval between 1 and 4 seconds, chosen fresh each round. It is randomised deliberately so you cannot learn the rhythm and press from memory instead of reacting.
Do I have to click on the mushroom itself?
No. A click or tap anywhere on the page counts, and so does the Space bar. On a phone, tap anywhere on the screen.
Mouse or keyboard — does it matter?
Slightly. The Space bar is usually a few milliseconds faster than a mouse click. The important thing is consistency: pick one and stick with it, otherwise your own history stops being comparable.
Scores
What is a good reaction time?
Most adults land between 200 and 300 ms on a visual click test. Under 200 ms is fast, under 150 ms is exceptional. The full breakdown, including how it changes with age and condition, is on average reaction times.
Where are my personal best times stored?
In your browser's local storage, on your device. They are not sent to us and not linked to any account. Clearing your browsing data, using private browsing, or switching to another browser or device means starting from scratch — and we cannot restore them, because we never had them.
Why did my saved records disappear?
Almost always one of: cleared browser data, private/incognito mode, a different browser or device, or a browser setting that discards site data on exit. There is no recovery path by design.
My time did not appear in the world ranking — why?
Either it was not fast enough to displace an existing entry, or it fell outside the accepted range (under 100 ms or over 5000 ms). Very rarely, a network error prevents the submission from reaching the server.
Why are times under 100 ms rejected?
Because they are not reactions. Nerve conduction plus muscle activation alone take longer than that; a sub-100 ms result means the press was already under way before the colour changed. Competitive athletics applies the same 0.100 s rule to sprint starts. Details on how it works.
Can I get my name on the leaderboard?
No. The ranking stores times only — no names, no accounts, nothing that identifies a player. That keeps the site free of personal data entirely.
Technical
Does my monitor or mouse affect my score?
Yes, by a meaningful amount. Refresh rate, panel latency and input polling can together account for tens of milliseconds. A 60 Hz display alone can add up to 16.7 ms of waiting before the change is even drawn. This is why cross-device comparisons are rough and self-comparisons are reliable.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes, in any modern mobile browser — tap anywhere to respond. Touchscreens generally add a little latency compared with a wired mouse or keyboard, so expect slightly higher numbers than on a desktop.
Is there an app?
An Android version exists, built from the same game. The browser version needs no installation and behaves identically.
The world ranking shows “Loading Error”.
The ranking is fetched from the server separately from the game. If the request fails — offline, blocked by an extension or a corporate proxy — that panel shows an error while the rest of the test keeps working normally. Reloading the page usually fixes it.
Privacy and ads
What data do you collect?
No accounts and no personal profiles. Analytics and advertising cookies are used, and a reaction time is sent to the server only when it qualifies for the ranking. Full detail in the privacy policy.
Why are there ads?
They cover hosting and domain costs and keep the test free with no sign-up. See the privacy policy for how advertising cookies are handled.
Can I use the test with my class or team?
Yes — it is free to use and to link to. If you want to reuse the code or embed it, get in touch first; see the terms of use.
