How to take the CPS test
- Choose a test length. 5 seconds is the usual choice; 1 second measures a pure burst, and 30 or 60 seconds test stamina.
- Put the pointer over the big box and get comfortable. The timer doesn’t start until your first click, so there is no rush.
- Click the box as fast as you can with the left mouse button until the timer reaches zero. On a phone or tablet, tap the box.
- Read your result: clicks per second, total clicks, your fastest single second and, on tests of 5 seconds or longer, a chart of how many clicks you made in each second.
- Wait a moment for the box to unlock, then click it again to try to beat your best.
What CPS means
CPS stands for clicks per second: the number of times you press a mouse button in one second. It started as a measure of speed for PC games where attacks or actions happen once per click, most famously player-versus-player combat in Minecraft, and click speed tests are now also a popular challenge of their own.
Your score is your total clicks divided by the length of the test. A 5-second round with 40 clicks is 8.0 CPS. While you play, clicks in last second shows your current speed, and the fastest second shows your best one-second stretch, which is usually higher than your average because almost everyone slows down as the round goes on.
Clicking techniques
- Normal clicking: pressing the button with one finger in the usual way. It is the most comfortable method and the one to compare across mice.
- Jitter clicking: tensing the hand and forearm so the finger vibrates on the button. It is fast, but it strains muscles and tendons quickly, so keep rounds short.
- Butterfly clicking: resting two fingers on the same button and tapping them one after the other. Because each finger can trigger its own press, scores rise quickly, and some mice also register extra clicks from each tap.
- Drag clicking: sliding a fingertip along the button so friction makes it bounce many times in one swipe. It depends heavily on the mouse’s surface and switch, and it doesn’t work on every mouse.
Whatever the method, take breaks and stop if your hand, wrist or arm hurts. Hard, repetitive clicking for long periods can cause strain injuries. If you play on a game server, check its rules first: some don’t allow certain methods or very high click rates, because those look like an auto-clicker to anti-cheat software.
How to raise your CPS
- Relax between rounds. A tense, tired hand is slower. Shake out your hand and rest for a minute between tries.
- Use your fingertip and keep it close to the button. Lifting the finger high wastes time on every click.
- Find a stable grip. Rest your wrist or forearm on the desk so only the finger moves, and keep the mouse from sliding with your other fingers.
- Practise short bursts. Several 5-second rounds build speed more comfortably than one long round.
- Watch the chart. If your clicks drop sharply after the first few seconds, work on a steadier rhythm instead of an all-out start.
How your mouse affects the score
Every mouse button is a small switch with a spring. Lighter switches with a short travel are quicker to press again, while heavy or mushy buttons slow you down. Mouse firmware also ignores the electrical bounce of the switch contacts for a few milliseconds after each press, called debounce time. Some gaming mice let you shorten it in their software, which can make very fast clicking register more reliably, but setting it too low can turn a single press into a double click.
An old or damaged switch can double-click by itself. That makes your CPS look better than it is and causes problems in normal use, such as files opening when you only meant to select them. If you suspect this, run the double-click check in the mouse test, which flags any button that registers two presses closer together than a person can click.
Want the same challenge on the keyboard? The spacebar counter times how fast you can press the spacebar.
Is this test private?
Yes. The test runs entirely in your browser. It counts presses on the box and nothing else, it doesn’t record anything outside the box, and your best scores stay in this browser’s storage on your device.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good CPS score?
There is no official average, and scores depend a lot on technique and the mouse. Normal clicking with one finger usually lands in the single digits. Jitter clicking often reaches the low teens, and butterfly or drag clicking can go higher because one press can register as more than one click. The most useful comparison is with your own best score on the same test length.
How is CPS calculated?
CPS is the number of clicks you made divided by the length of the test. The timer starts on your first click, and clicks after the timer reaches zero are not counted. The peak figure is the most clicks you made in any single one-second stretch of the round.
Why is my score lower on the 30 and 60 second tests?
Your hand and forearm tire. Most people click fastest in the first few seconds and slow down after that, which is easy to see in the per-second chart. Short tests measure burst speed; long tests measure stamina and consistency.
Does this CPS test work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Every tap on the box counts as a click, and taps with two fingers count twice. Phone and mouse scores aren’t directly comparable, because tapping a glass screen is a different movement from pressing a mouse switch.
Can my mouse make my CPS look higher than it really is?
Yes. A worn switch can register one press as two clicks, which inflates your score. If your CPS jumps suddenly without any change in technique, or the mouse double-clicks when you single-click in normal use, check it with the double-click detector in our mouse test.
Is my score saved or shared?
Your best score for each test length is saved only in this browser, so you can try to beat it later. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account or leaderboard.