🚦 Go / No-Go Test — Reaction and impulse control

To run the Go / No-Go test, follow these three simple steps:

Try all our reaction tests

Impulse control is just one skill. Each of our tests trains a different one — pick one and see how you score:

⚡ Reaction Time Test  •  🎯 Aim Trainer  •  🔊 Audio Reaction Time  •  🖱️ CPS Test  •  🚦 Go / No-Go  •  🔢 Sequential Targets

What is a Go / No-Go test?

A Go / No-Go test is a classic test of reaction speed and self-control. Signals appear one after another: most are go signals that you should respond to as fast as possible, while a minority are no-go signals that you must ignore. The challenge is that once you are primed to react quickly, holding back on a no-go takes real effort — which is exactly what the test measures.

How our Go / No-Go test works

Set the number of trials and the proportion of go to no-go signals, then start. On each trial a stimulus appears; you click for a go signal and do nothing for a no-go. The test records your reaction time on correct go trials and counts your mistakes. Because go signals are common and no-go signals are rare, you build up momentum that makes the occasional no-go genuinely hard to resist.

What does the Go / No-Go test measure?

The test captures two abilities at once: reaction speed (how fast you respond to go signals) and response inhibition (how well you withhold a response to no-go signals). Response inhibition is a core part of impulse control — the brain’s ability to stop an action that is already under way. A fast average with few errors means you are both quick and disciplined.

The Go / No-Go task in psychology

The Go / No-Go paradigm has been used in psychology and neuroscience for decades to study inhibitory control and attention. Researchers use it to explore how the brain suppresses unwanted actions, and variants appear in studies of attention, development, and conditions such as ADHD, where withholding an impulsive response is harder. Our version is a simplified, for-fun take on the same idea, not a clinical assessment.

Commission and omission errors

The test separates your mistakes into two types, which reveal different things:

• Commission errors — clicking on a no-go signal. These reflect impulsivity: you reacted when you should have held back.

• Omission errors — failing to click on a go signal. These reflect lapses in attention: you missed a signal you should have caught.

A few commission errors usually mean you are clicking too eagerly, while omission errors suggest your focus is drifting.

What is a good Go / No-Go score?

A strong result combines a quick average reaction time with very few errors. Reacting fast is easy if you click at everything, but that racks up commission errors, so the real skill is staying fast while keeping mistakes near zero. Aim to lower your reaction time without letting your error count climb.

How to improve your impulse control

• Stay focused — treat every trial as if it could be a no-go so you are never on autopilot.

• Find a rhythm, not a reflex — respond deliberately rather than mashing the button.

• Rest well — fatigue worsens both speed and self-control.

• Practise — repeated runs train your brain to balance speed with restraint.

Types of reaction time tests

CheckReactionTime.org offers a dedicated test for several distinct skills:

• Reaction time test — respond the instant the screen changes colour.

• Audio reaction time test — react to a sound instead of a visual cue.

• CPS test — measure how many times you can click per second.

• Aim and target tests — hit moving or numbered targets to combine speed with accuracy.

Trying several gives a fuller picture of your skills than any single number can.

Go / No-Go test FAQ

What does the Go / No-Go test measure?

It measures two things together: how fast you react to go signals and how well you withhold a response to no-go signals, which reflects impulse control.

What are commission and omission errors?

A commission error is clicking on a no-go signal (acting when you should not have); an omission error is missing a go signal (failing to act when you should have).

Is the Go / No-Go test used for ADHD research?

Variants of the task are widely used in psychology and ADHD research to study inhibitory control, because withholding an impulsive response is a key difficulty there. Our version is a simplified, for-fun take, not a diagnostic tool.

What is a good Go / No-Go score?

A quick average reaction time paired with very few commission and omission errors. Staying fast while keeping mistakes near zero is the real challenge.

Is the Go / No-Go test free?

Yes — our Go / No-Go test is completely free, runs in your browser with no download, and can be taken as many times as you like.