What is a good Part B time?

On this 13-circle digital version, most people finish Part B in about 9 to 16 seconds. Under 8 seconds is fast. The paper test uses 25 circles and takes 50 to 75 seconds, so times here are not comparable to clinical norms.

Why is the score Part B time and not Part B minus Part A?

The B-minus-A difference isolates task-switching in theory, but on a short test with large tap targets it is dominated by noise and practice effects - people often get a near-zero or even negative difference. Part B completion time is the standard, stable metric. The B-minus-A cost is still shown as a secondary number.

Do mistakes count against me?

A wrong tap flashes red and does not advance you, so errors cost you time rather than points. The number of wrong taps in each part is recorded separately.

Why isn't the next circle highlighted?

Finding the next target yourself is the visual-search part of the task. To keep the test quick rather than tiring, each part has only 13 circles instead of the 25 used on paper.

Trail Making Test A and B - Visual Search and Switching Speed

Connect numbered circles in order, then alternate numbers and letters. Times how fast you can search a display and switch between two sequences.

How the scores are spread

Where players land on this test. Take it to see your own mark on the curve.

Lower is better · reference sample of 25,000

What this test measures

Part A: tap the circles 1 through 13 in order, as fast as you can. Part B: tap them in the alternating sequence 1, A, 2, B, 3, C and so on up to 7. The next circle is never highlighted - you scan for it. Both parts are timed from your first tap to the last circle.

Your score is Part B completion time. Lower is better. It combines how fast you visually search the display with how smoothly you alternate between the number and letter sequences. Part A time and the Part B minus Part A switch cost are kept as secondary numbers.

How to get a clean score

In Part B, keep both “what number is next” and “what letter is next” in mind so you are not searching from scratch each time.
Scan ahead for the next target while your finger is still moving.
A wrong tap just wastes time - there is no penalty beyond that, so keep going.

How to improve your score

Most of the speed comes from working ahead. As you tap one target, your eyes should already be hunting for the next, so there is no dead time between taps. In Part B, keep both threads live - “next number is 4, next letter is C” - so each switch is a lookup, not a fresh search. Practice helps, but it mostly teaches the specific task rather than a general skill, so treat improvement across your own runs with mild scepticism and pay more attention to a sudden slowdown, which usually means fatigue.

What the number tells you

The Trail Making Test is one of the most widely used neuropsychological tests in the world. Part B performance is a sensitive, non-specific marker of processing speed and executive function - it picks up fatigue, attention lapses and age-related slowing, though it does not point to any one cause.

FAQ

What is a good Part B time?: On this 13-circle digital version, most people finish Part B in about 9 to 16 seconds. Under 8 seconds is fast. The paper test uses 25 circles and takes 50 to 75 seconds, so times here are not comparable to clinical norms.
Why is the score Part B time and not Part B minus Part A?: The B-minus-A difference isolates task-switching in theory, but on a short test with large tap targets it is dominated by noise and practice effects - people often get a near-zero or even negative difference. Part B completion time is the standard, stable metric. The B-minus-A cost is still shown as a secondary number.
Do mistakes count against me?: A wrong tap flashes red and does not advance you, so errors cost you time rather than points. The number of wrong taps in each part is recorded separately.
Why isn't the next circle highlighted?: Finding the next target yourself is the visual-search part of the task. To keep the test quick rather than tiring, each part has only 13 circles instead of the 25 used on paper.

Reference sample: SYNTHETIC. Lognormal, mean 12 s / sd 5.5 s for Part B completion time on a DIGITAL 13-node Trail Making (numbers+letters alternating, large tap targets, no next-node highlight). Much faster than the 25-node paper TMT-B (~50-75 s). Score is Part B time, not the noisier B-minus-A cost.