Stop the Timer

Without watching a clock, press stop the instant you think the target time has passed!

Number of players
Target time

Final results

Attempts
0
Smallest error
-
Average error
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Top records
Recent runs

Stop the Timer guide

What is the Time Stop game?

Stop the clock the instant it hits your target time (5, 10, or 15 seconds - your choice). You count the time in your head without looking at any numbers, then hit the button the moment you think the target has been reached. The smaller the gap between the real elapsed time and your target, the better your score.

The Time Perception Test asks you to judge time that has already passed, after the fact. This game asks you to hit a timing target in real time, while the clock is still running - which brings prediction and reaction into play together.

What's average, and what's a good score?

On this site's scale, an error of 0.15–0.3 seconds is an ordinary sense of timing, 0.15s or less is an accurate timer, and 0.05s or less is the "superpower" band. These are our own bands, not official statistics.

Error tends to grow with the target duration, so records at 5 seconds and 15 seconds are best judged separately.

Error guide

ErrorRating
Under 0.05sTime-sense superpower
0.05 - 0.15sPrecise timer
0.15 - 0.3sAverage sense
0.3 - 0.6sA bit off
Over 0.6sFree spirit

Why are there multiple target times?

The longer the target (5s vs. 10s vs. 15s), the more your perceived error tends to grow. Nailing a short stop and holding steady through a longer one draw on slightly different skills, so it's worth trying all three. Up to 8 players can compete in the same round.

Can you improve?

Yes. Unlike the time-perception test, this one is stopped in real time, so once you internalize a steady rhythm your records settle fairly quickly. Many people count a steady beat in their head; pacing by breathing is also common.

Counting shifts the task toward "keeping a beat" rather than pure time sense, though. If you're curious how you do on feel alone, try it without counting — comparing the two is interesting in itself.