Ever tried to grab your phone from midair before it falls to earth? Your reaction time test at work is based on that swift judgment and quick grab. Reaction time examines precisely how quickly you can react to events—and knowing just how sharp you are has a certain excitement.

Not forget the ruler drop game. You sit, hand poised, while someone lets a ruler drop without notice. You pinch it fast; your reflexes will be faster the higher you grip. It’s low-tech, quite dumb, yet surprisingly fulfilling. I once saw a family Thanksgiving turned into a competitive ruler grabfest. Aunt Peggy might still be carrying the record.

These odd examinations have become digital today. You are measured in milliseconds; press a button to cause a color change or fire back a key when a sound blasts. Gamers practice nonstop and profess allegiance to these exams They also are used by athletes and pilots. Faster reflexes are therefore important in any field where a quick response can make all the difference between top performance and embarrassing mistakes.

Reaction time is more than just your birth date or character or upbringing. Get some sleep; else, you will feel like a 1985 computer. Too much caffeine makes you a twitchy mess who clicks before anything even starts—false beginnings all around. Some claim their grandfather experiences lightning reactions following his morning stroll, but they turn off his baseball game and those reflexes simply disappear.

Some stories sound like fairy tales: a basketball great making an improbable block or a pro gamer escaping imagined challenges. Even regular people, though, can improve their reflexes. Little adjustments add up: juggling oranges in the kitchen, playing fast-paced rhythm games, clapping along to music, or pushing friends to who can react earliest when a random word is called out.

Every response time test has a little bit of fate and some luck. Most people will not respond as quickly as a seasoned sprinter when the starting pistol fires. However, knowing your speed is always worth a few laughs among friends. And they are skills for the times if it enables you catch the final donut at the office or keeps your phone from breaking.