# What Is a Good Processing Speed Score? — Get My Test Score > How quickly you do simple mental work accurately. How symbol-matching tests score it, what counts as good, and how players here compare. Source: https://getmytestscore.co.uk/what-is-a-good-processing-speed-score --- [Home](/) › [Guides](/guides) › What Is a Good Processing Speed Score? # What Is a Good Processing Speed Score? On the processing speed test here, **25 net correct is average, 40 excellent and 50+ exceptional**. You are shown pairs of symbol strings and asked, as fast as you can, whether they are the same or different; the score is correct answers minus errors within the time limit. Processing speed is not intelligence in the reasoning sense — it is how quickly and accurately you can carry out simple mental operations — but it underpins almost everything else: it peaks in the early twenties, declines earlier than any other cognitive ability, and is the strongest predictor of how well older adults do on complex tasks. Here is what the test measures and how to read your score. [Take the processing speed test — free, no sign-up](/processing-speed-test) ## What processing speed tests measure Tests like Symbol Search and Coding in the Wechsler scales, or the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, present very easy items and count how many you finish correctly in 60–120 seconds. Nobody gets them wrong given time; the question is throughput. That throughput reflects the speed of perception, of comparing what you see against what you hold in mind, and of executing the response, along with the ability to sustain that pace without drifting. The test on this site uses pairs of symbol strings — same or different — and reports **net correct** so that guessing quickly does not pay: an error cancels a right answer. ## What counts as a good processing speed score? Because every version has its own items and timing, there is no single universal number, only percentiles within a version. On this site 12 is a typical first attempt, 25 average, 40 excellent and 50+ exceptional. Across versions, three findings are consistent. Processing speed is the earliest-peaking cognitive ability, at about age 20; it then declines almost linearly, so a typical 60-year-old completes roughly 25–30% fewer items than a 20-year-old on the same test. It is also the ability most affected by common conditions — sleep loss, depression, concussion, many medications — which is why clinicians watch it closely. And it is highly trainable on the specific task: a second attempt is usually 10–20% better simply from knowing the format. ## Speed versus accuracy Net scoring turns the test into a judgement call about pace. Most players' accuracy is above 95% when they work steadily and collapses towards 80% when they rush; at 80% accuracy every fifth answer wipes out a right one, so the fast pace nets fewer points than the steady one. Find the speed at which you make at most one error in twenty and hold it. Strings that differ usually differ in one position, often in the middle, and the eye is drawn to the ends; a single left-to-right pass that lands on each symbol is faster than two nervous glances. ## How to improve your processing speed score - **Practise the format.** The first attempt is mostly learning where to look; expect a jump on the second. - **Compare symbol by symbol, once.** Do not re-check pairs you have already judged. - **Keep your hands still** on the two answer keys or buttons so responding costs no movement. - **Sleep and caffeine** move processing speed more than almost any other measure; an alert 10 a.m. attempt beats a tired 11 p.m. one by several points. - **Aerobic exercise** is the best-evidenced long-term lever, especially in middle age and beyond. ## Score bands on the processing speed test These are the bands the [processing speed test](/processing-speed-test) on this site uses for its result screen. | Score | Band | | --- | --- | | 50+ net correct | Exceptional | | 40–49 net correct | Excellent | | 25–39 net correct | Average | | 12–24 net correct | Developing | | 0–11 net correct | Warming Up | ## How players on this site compare Every completed [processing speed test](/processing-speed-test) adds an anonymous result to this site's histogram. This page shows the median and distribution once **20** results have been recorded (7 so far); until then the bands above are the guide. The live figures are always on the [benchmarks page](/benchmarks) and at `/api/data/norms`. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a good processing speed score? On this site’s symbol-matching test, 25 net correct is average, 40 excellent and 50 or more exceptional. In clinical tests, healthy young adults complete the most items; throughput falls almost linearly with age from about 20 onward. ### What is processing speed? The speed at which you can perform simple mental operations accurately — perceiving, comparing and responding. It underpins more complex reasoning and is the first cognitive ability to peak and to decline. ### How can I improve processing speed? Practise the task format, hold a pace that keeps accuracy above 95%, protect sleep, and exercise regularly; aerobic fitness has the best long-term evidence for processing speed in adults. ## Related guides - [Average Reaction Time: What Is a Good Score?](/average-reaction-time) - [What Is a Good Stroop Test Score?](/what-is-a-good-stroop-score) - [Average Typing Speed: What Is a Good WPM?](/average-typing-speed) - [Benchmarks: how scores on this site are distributed](/benchmarks) - [All free tests](/free-tests) Site figures are anonymous results recorded on getmytestscore.co.uk and describe this site's players only; they are not clinical norms and should not be used for diagnosis. Research figures are cited from peer-reviewed sources and summarised in plain English. --- _Get My Test Score — see [/llms.txt](https://getmytestscore.co.uk/llms.txt) for the full site map and machine-readable endpoints._