APM Test

What Is an APM Test?

APM stands for actions per minute. It counts how many actions you perform in 60 seconds. In this tool, an action is a mouse click, a screen tap or a key press.

APM is a common speed measure in real-time strategy games such as StarCraft. This APM speed test lets you check your pace in a quick, controlled round. You pick a mode and a duration, and the tool shows your APM score, accuracy, peak speed and rank.

How to Use the APM Test

1. Choose a mode: 3×3, 4×4, 5×5, Keyboard, Drill or Free.
2. Choose a duration: 15s, 30s, 60s, 120s or 300s. The default is 60s.
3. Start the test. Click the test area or press the Start button.
4. Make your first action. The timer begins on your first action. The click that opens the test does not count.
5. Keep going until time runs out. A result window then shows your score.

You can press Stop to end a round early. The mode and duration buttons are locked while a test is running.

APM Test Modes Explained

3×3, 4×4 and 5×5 Grid Modes

One tile glows green. Click it, and a new tile lights up. A 3×3 grid has 9 larger tiles. A 5×5 grid has 25 smaller tiles, so aiming gets harder. Every click counts as an action, and clicking the wrong tile counts as a miss.

Keyboard Mode

A keyboard appears on screen with one key highlighted. Press that key on your keyboard, or tap it on screen, and a new key lights up. Only letter keys count. A wrong letter counts as a miss.

Drill Mode

Drill mode combines a key press and a click, like a hotkey and a mouse command in a strategy game. A tile in a 4×4 grid shows a letter (Q, W, E, R, A, S, D or F). Press that key first. The tile then turns solid green, and you click it. Pressing the wrong key, or clicking a tile before the key, counts as a miss.

Free Mode

Free mode counts everything. Every key press and every click or tap in the test area is one action. There are no targets and no accuracy score, so it is a plain measure of how fast you can act. A key you hold down counts once.

Understand Your APM Test Results

After each round, a result window shows:

• APM: your actions per minute.
• Rank: a label based on your APM.
• Actions: total clicks and key presses, including misses.
• Accuracy: the share of your actions that hit the target.
• Peak APM: your fastest burst during the round.
• Targets: how many targets you completed.
• Misses: the actions that missed.
• Best: your best APM for the same mode and duration.

APM Ranks

Rank	APM
Novice	Below 65
Beginner	65–110
Skilled	111–160
Expert	161–199
Master	200 or more

These ranks are this tool’s own labels. They are a quick guide, not an official standard.

How the APM Score Is Calculated

The tool uses this formula:

APM = total actions × 60 ÷ test duration in seconds

• 240 actions in a 60-second test gives 240 APM.
• 120 actions in a 30-second test also gives 240 APM.

Accuracy is hits divided by total actions. If you make 90 hits and 10 misses, your accuracy is 90%.

Tips to Improve Your APM Score

• Repeat the same setup. Best scores are stored per mode and duration, so repeating one setup shows real progress.
• Watch your accuracy. Misses count as actions, but they lower accuracy and your target count. Fast, careless clicking can inflate APM without helping you.
• Start small. Try 3×3 first, then move to 4×4 and 5×5 as the smaller tiles get easier.
• Practice the key-then-click order in Drill mode. Keep one hand on the letter keys and one on the mouse.
• Mix short and long rounds. A 15s round shows your burst speed. A 300s round shows whether you can hold your pace.
• Use Free mode for raw speed. It removes aiming, so it shows how fast you can act without a target.

Who Can Use This APM Speed Test?

• Strategy and MOBA players who want a quick warm-up.
• Anyone tracking click and key speed over several days.
• Users who want to try a new mouse or keyboard, using the same mode and duration each time.

FAQs

Does a missed click still count toward my APM?

Yes. Every click or key press counts as an action, whether it hits or misses. Misses lower your accuracy, so check both numbers.

Why didn’t the timer start when I pressed Start?

The timer begins on your first action, not when you open the test. This gives you time to get ready.

How is Peak APM measured?

Peak APM is your fastest pace over any 5-second stretch. It is only measured after the first 3 seconds of a round, so it can be higher than your final APM.

What happens if I stop the test early?

Your score is still calculated over the full duration you selected, so it will be lower than if you had finished. If you made fewer than three actions, no result is shown.

Can I compare my score across different modes?

Not directly. Each mode asks for a different task, so results are not equal. For a fair comparison, use the same mode and duration each time.

Where is my best score saved?

It is saved in your browser for each mode and duration. Clearing your browser data may remove it, and a different browser or device will not show it.

Why isn’t my key press counted in Keyboard or Drill mode?

Only letter keys A–Z are counted in these modes. Other keys are ignored, and a key held down does not repeat. Release it and press it again.

Can I take the APM test on a phone or tablet?

The grid modes work with taps. Keyboard mode works by tapping the on-screen keys, and Free mode counts taps. The key step in Drill mode needs a physical keyboard.

How is APM different from clicks per second or typing speed?

APM counts both clicks and key presses over a minute. Clicks per second counts only clicks, over one second. Typing speed measures words typed, not actions.