100 Second Spacebar Test
How to use it: click START SPACE BAR TEST, then press the SPACE key on your keyboard as fast as you can. Your first press starts the 100 second timer and counts as press number one. Only real key presses on a physical keyboard are counted.
The 100 second spacebar test counts how many times you can press the SPACE key in one hundred seconds. Your speed is simply your total divided by 100: 700 presses is 7.0 per second (Buffalo), 805 earns Wolf, and 905 or more earns Cheetah, the top rank.
At well over a minute and a half, this is an endurance test. Almost nobody can hold their five second speed for this long, so the score mostly shows how well you pace yourself and how relaxed your hand stays once the forearm starts to burn somewhere after the first minute.
How to take the 100 second spacebar test
- Click START SPACE BAR TEST. A large PRESS SPACE BAR BUTTON panel appears. You do not need to click it.
- Get comfortable before you begin: forearm supported, shoulders loose, thumb or finger resting on the SPACE key.
- Press SPACE. That first press starts the 100 second timer and already counts.
- Keep pressing until the result window opens. The test stops on its own one hundred seconds after your first press.
- Read the result: your rank, the line “Your clicking speed is X CPS” and the line “You made N Hits in 100 Seconds”.
Three boxes update while you press. Score shows your presses so far, CPS shows those presses divided by 100, and Timer counts up from 0.000 to 100.000. When the window opens you can press TRY AGAIN, or follow the “Try Next Challenges” links to the 60 second and 120 second tests.
Do not read the CPS box as a live speed. It always divides by the full hundred seconds, so it creeps up from zero and only shows your real rate at the very end. Score and Timer together are the useful pair while you are pressing.
How the counter works
A press is counted when you release the SPACE key, which is the browser’s keyup event (MDN). The clock starts on your first release and stops one hundred seconds later. What that means for you:
- Holding SPACE gives one press. A held key sends repeated down signals but comes up only once.
- Only SPACE counts. Other keys, mouse clicks and screen taps are ignored, so a physical keyboard is needed. Laptop, USB and Bluetooth keyboards all work.
- The page stays still. SPACE is blocked from scrolling while you are on this page, so the test does not jump away mid-run.
- There is no reaction time penalty. The clock waits for your first press, so take a breath and start when you are ready.
Because the opening press lands at time zero, pressing at a perfectly even 8 per second gives 800 or 801 presses, which is still Rabbit. Wolf starts at 805. Keep going until the window appears, since the final second can be worth a rank.
Your total divided by 100 is your speed
This length makes the maths easy. Every press adds 0.01 to your speed, ten presses add 0.1, and a hundred presses add a full 1.0. So 640 presses is 6.4 per second, 780 is 7.8 and 1000 is exactly 10.0.
The result is rounded to one decimal place, so roughly ten totals in a row share each speed. Totals that end in 5 sit exactly on the halfway point, and the browser’s rounding does not treat them all the same: 665 shows 6.7 (Mouse), but 755 shows 7.5 (Buffalo, not Rabbit). That is why the rank table below lists exact totals. When you compare two runs, compare the Hits number rather than the CPS figure.
The label says CPS, which normally means clicks per second, but on this test it means presses per second. For mouse clicks over a long period, the clicks per minute test is the better tool.
100 second spacebar test ranks
Ranks depend on your presses per second after rounding. Turned into totals over one hundred seconds, the tool’s thresholds give these exact counts:
| Presses in 100 seconds | Per second | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 355 | 0.1 to 3.5 | Sloth |
| 356 to 555 | 3.6 to 5.5 | Turtle |
| 556 to 664 | 5.6 to 6.6 | Panda |
| 665 to 694 | 6.7 to 6.9 | Mouse |
| 695 to 755 | 7 to 7.5 | Buffalo |
| 756 to 804 | 7.6 to 8 | Rabbit |
| 805 to 854 | 8.1 to 8.5 | Wolf |
| 855 to 904 | 8.6 to 9 | Tiger |
| 905 or more | 9.1 and up | Cheetah |
The bands are wide here. Mouse covers thirty totals and Wolf and Tiger fifty each, so a single stray press almost never changes your rank. If you finish just under a line, the gap is usually a short hesitation somewhere in the run, not a lack of top speed.
One edge case: a run of one to four presses rounds to 0.0 per second, which is below every rank, so no rank is shown at all.
The pace each rank needs
Each upper rank is a rhythm you have to keep for one hundred seconds. These are the totals and the gap between presses at an even pace:
| Target rank | Presses needed | Time per press |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 695 (7 per second) | about 144 ms |
| Rabbit | 756 (7.6 per second) | about 132 ms |
| Wolf | 805 (8.1 per second) | about 124 ms |
| Tiger | 855 (8.6 per second) | about 117 ms |
| Cheetah | 905 (9.1 per second) | about 110 ms |
Time per press is 100,000 milliseconds divided by the total. A Cheetah run is a press every 110 ms or less, more than nine hundred times without a real break. A two second pause at Wolf pace costs about sixteen presses, which is a third of the whole Wolf band.
Check your pace every 20 seconds
The Timer counts up, so the run splits cleanly into five blocks of twenty seconds. At an even pace your Score should match these numbers at each mark:
| Rank (total) | 20 s | 40 s | 60 s | 80 s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo (695) | 139 | 278 | 417 | 556 |
| Rabbit (756) | 152 | 303 | 454 | 605 |
| Wolf (805) | 161 | 322 | 483 | 644 |
| Tiger (855) | 171 | 342 | 513 | 684 |
| Cheetah (905) | 181 | 362 | 543 | 724 |
The 60 s column is exactly the total each rank needs on the 60 second spacebar test. So if you already know your one minute score, you know where you should be at the 60 second mark here, and the last forty seconds are pure extra. Being well ahead at 20.000 and behind at 80.000 is the classic sign of a start that was too quick.
What is a good 100 second spacebar score?
On this test, 695 presses or more is a good result and earns at least Buffalo. Wolf starts at 805, Tiger at 855 and Cheetah at 905. These lines come straight from the tool’s code, so they never change between attempts.
Round numbers make handy targets. 500 presses is 5.0 per second, which is Turtle; 700 is Buffalo; 1000 presses is 10.0 per second, comfortably Cheetah. Pages that rank for this test quote “average” totals and records for 100 seconds without naming any source, so we leave those numbers out. Your own runs are the better yardstick:
- Do two or three runs on separate occasions and note your best and most common total. The common total is your real level.
- Change one thing at a time. Same keyboard, seat and finger, or you cannot tell what helped.
- Watch the total. 804 is Rabbit and 805 is Wolf, yet the difference is a single press.
How much do people slow down over 100 seconds?
A lot, and it starts early. In one lab study, slowing during fast finger tapping began as soon as the movement started, was mild after 10 seconds and reached its full effect after about 30 seconds (Bächinger et al., 2019). In another, people tapped at their maximal rate for three minutes and the tapping rate fell by 40 percent over the task (Madinabeitia-Mancebo et al., 2020).
Both studies measured finger tapping in a lab with small groups, not a spacebar in a browser, so they cannot predict your exact numbers. They do explain the shape of a 100 second run: most of the fade arrives in the first half minute, and after that speed keeps sliding more slowly. The Bächinger study also found that movement speed came back within the first 20 seconds of a rest, which is why a fresh second attempt often feels fine even though the first one ended slowly.
Every spacebar test on Click Tester uses the same per second thresholds, so you can measure your own fade:
| Test length | Presses for Tiger | Presses for Cheetah |
|---|---|---|
| 5 seconds | 43 to 45 | 46 or more |
| 30 seconds | 257 to 271 | 272 or more |
| 60 seconds | 513 to 542 | 543 or more |
| 100 seconds | 855 to 904 | 905 or more |
| 120 seconds | 1026 to 1085 | 1086 or more |
Say you score 9.0 on the 5 second spacebar test and 700 presses here, which is 7.0. That is a drop of 2.0, or 22 percent. Then compare it with your 30 second spacebar test: if you have already lost most of that by 30 seconds, start slower; if the loss keeps growing after a minute, work on relaxation and technique.
How to pace a 100 second run
Pressing flat out from the first press feels great for about fifteen seconds and then costs you the rest of the run. Five blocks of twenty seconds give you a simple plan:
- 0 to 20 seconds: start clearly below your top speed, around two notches lower than your five second pace. It should feel easy.
- 20 to 40 seconds: settle into that rhythm. Check your Score at 20.000 against the table; if you are ahead, hold back rather than push.
- 40 to 60 seconds: this is where the forearm starts to tighten. Keep presses short and light and keep breathing.
- 60 to 80 seconds: the hardest block. Drop your shoulder, loosen your grip on the desk and think only about an even beat.
- 80 to 100 seconds: now you can speed up a little. Build gradually and keep pressing until the result window opens.
Breathe normally all the way. People often hold their breath during fast pressing, and over a hundred seconds that tension shows up as a slow fourth block.
Which finger or hand to use
Over this length, the method matters more than raw speed. Most people do best with something that lets each finger rest between presses:
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| One thumb | A relaxed, steady pace | A lower ceiling |
| Index finger | Speed that fades slowly | Wrist tension |
| Two fingers alternating | Sharing the work | Uneven rhythm |
| Both thumbs alternating | Long runs | Needs practice first |
| Swapping hands halfway | A fresh hand for the second half | A beat or two lost in the swap |
Alternating methods only pay off when both presses land evenly, so practise the rhythm on shorter tests before trying it here. Swapping hands at around the 50 second mark is worth testing too: the swap costs a couple of presses, but a fresh hand can win back far more than that in the last fifty seconds. Try each method on two runs and keep the one with the best common total.
Why your score changes between runs
Over 700 or more presses, small habits add up to big differences. These are the common causes:
| Cause | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too fast a start | Speed drops sharply after 20 s | Start two notches lower |
| Pressing too hard | Each press takes longer | Press only as far as needed |
| Tense forearm | Rhythm breaks up after a minute | Move from the finger only |
| Arm in the air | Shoulder tires as well | Rest the forearm on the desk |
| Short rest between runs | Second run is slower | Wait a few minutes |
| Stopping early | Final presses are lost | Press until the result shows |
Timing in the browser and busy background programs can shift the end of the run by a few milliseconds, which may decide whether your last press counts. If a score looks oddly low, close heavy tabs and try again before you change your technique.
Tips for a better 100 second score
- Start from the key. Rest your finger or thumb on SPACE so the first press needs no travel.
- Keep every press shallow. The key only needs to go down far enough to register and come back up before the next press counts.
- Let the finger do the work. If your wrist or shoulder joins in, you will tire much sooner.
- Support your forearm. A desk or armrest stops the whole arm from fading along with the hand.
- Rest properly between serious attempts. Speed returns quickly, but a hundred seconds of hard pressing leaves the hand sore for longer, so give it a few minutes.
- Stop if it hurts. Fast, repeated pressing for this long can strain the hand and wrist. Our guide to wrist pain from gaming explains the warning signs and when to take a break.
A spacebar that sticks or only works when pressed in the middle can cost you dozens of presses over a run this long. Check it first with the keyboard tester. If you are thinking about a new keyboard for fast pressing, see mechanical vs membrane keyboards.
Other spacebar test lengths
Pick the length that matches what you want to know. One or two seconds shows your top speed, five to fifteen seconds shows how well you hold it, and anything from thirty seconds up measures stamina.
- 1 Second Spacebar Test and 2 Second Spacebar Test: short bursts for top speed.
- 5 Second Spacebar Test, 10 Second Spacebar Test and 15 Second Spacebar Test: the baseline to measure your fade against.
- 30 Second Spacebar Test: shows how much speed you lose in the first half minute.
- 60 Second Spacebar Test: the best check for your pace at the 60 second mark here.
- 120 Second Spacebar Test: the longest timed run, twenty seconds more than this one.
The Spacebar Counter uses the same counter and ranks at five seconds. If you want a running total with no timer at all, the Spacebar Clicker keeps counting for as long as you like, and Spacebar Games has games you play with one key. To compare one key against several, try the KPS test.
Frequently asked questions
How many times can you press the spacebar in 100 seconds?
On this test, 695 presses earns Buffalo, 805 earns Wolf and 905 or more earns Cheetah, the top rank. Your own total depends on your finger, technique, keyboard and above all your pacing. Online averages for 100 seconds do not name a source, so compare against your own best and most common totals.
How do I work out my presses per second?
Divide your total by 100. The result window does it for you and rounds to one decimal place, so 768 presses shows as 7.7.
Does the first press count?
Yes. The first press starts the timer and counts as press number one. Every press you release after that counts until one hundred seconds have passed.
Why is my 100 second score so much lower than my 5 second score?
Your hand tires, and the slowing starts within the first seconds of fast pressing. Lab studies of finger tapping found most of the slowdown within about 30 seconds and a 40 percent fall over three minutes, so a large drop here is normal.
Is 1000 presses in 100 seconds possible?
1000 presses means holding 10 per second for the whole run, which is well inside Cheetah (905 or more). It needs a very fast, very relaxed technique and careful pacing, so treat it as a long-term goal rather than a first target.
Can I hold the spacebar to get more presses?
No. A press counts when you release SPACE, and a held key is released only once, so holding it adds a single press.
Does the 100 second spacebar test work on a phone?
Only with a physical keyboard connected. Taps on the screen, including on the PRESS SPACE BAR BUTTON panel, do not count.
Is my score saved?
No best score is kept. The count resets each time the page loads, and nothing is sent anywhere. Take a screenshot of the result window if you want to keep a record.
Sources
- Bächinger M, Lehner R, Thomas F, Hanimann S, Balsters J, Wenderoth N. Human motor fatigability as evoked by repetitive movements results from a gradual breakdown of surround inhibition. eLife, 2019
- Madinabeitia-Mancebo E, Madrid A, Jácome A, Cudeiro J, Arias P. Temporal dynamics of muscle, spinal and cortical excitability and their association with kinematics during three minutes of maximal-rate finger tapping. Scientific Reports, 2020
- MDN Web Docs: Element keyup event