Enter a target BPM and your actual tap times to see how consistently you’re hitting the beat.
This tool compares the time between each of your taps to the expected interval at your target tempo (60 divided by the BPM). It averages how far off each interval was, as a percentage of the expected interval, and converts that into an accuracy score out of 100.
Target tempo (BPM):
Tap times in seconds, one per line (e.g. from a recording, one number per beat):
How Accuracy Is Measured
This tool compares the time between each of your taps to the expected interval at your target tempo (60 divided by the BPM). It averages how far off each interval was, as a percentage of the expected interval, and converts that into an accuracy score out of 100.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the target tempo in BPM.
- Enter your tap times in seconds, one per line, in the order they happened.
- Click Score My Timing to see your average deviation and accuracy score.
Tap times can come from a recording, a DAW’s tap-tempo log, or manually timed claps; the more taps entered, the more reliable the average.
The Math and a Worked Example
Expected interval = 60 ÷ BPM. At 120 BPM, each beat should land 0.5 seconds after the last. The tool measures the gap between each pair of taps, finds how far each gap is from 0.5 seconds, averages those errors, and turns the average into a percentage of the expected interval.
Worked example: you aim for 120 BPM and your taps land at 0.00, 0.52, 1.01, and 1.48 seconds. The gaps are 0.52, 0.49, and 0.47 seconds. Compared with 0.50, the errors are 0.02, 0.01, and 0.03, an average of 0.02 seconds, or 4% of the expected interval. That works out to a score in the mid-90s: tight, with a slight tendency to speed up over the four beats, since each gap is a little shorter than the last.
Reading Your Result
- Gaps getting shorter: You are rushing. This is very common when excitement or nerves build in a passage.
- Gaps getting longer: You are dragging, often during difficult or unfamiliar parts.
- Gaps bouncing above and below: Your pulse is uneven. Practice with a click and subdivide the beat out loud.
- Steady but consistently off: Your internal tempo is stable but not the target. Check your metronome setting.
Ways to Improve Your Timing
In my years of teaching, steady time is the skill that separates players who sound “professional” from those who do not, and it can be trained. Practice slowly with a metronome, then try leaving out some clicks (only beat 1, then only beat 3) so you learn to carry the pulse yourself. Record a passage and run the timings through this tool every week; watching the number rise is very motivating. Finally, count out loud or tap your foot, since physical movement anchors the beat far better than thinking alone.
Did You Know?
- Professional drummers still show small amounts of timing variation, sometimes called “feel” or “pocket,” that a strict metronome doesn’t have.
- Practicing against a metronome at a slightly slower tempo before speeding up is a common way to tighten timing accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a good accuracy score?
There’s no universal cutoff, but scores above roughly 95 generally indicate tight, consistent timing, while lower scores point to noticeable drift or rushing/dragging.
Does the order of the tap times matter?
Yes, enter them in chronological order; the tool measures the gaps between consecutive lines.
What counts as a good timing score?
Average deviation under about 5% of the beat interval is tight for most players. Beginners often land between 10% and 20%, and that improves quickly with metronome practice.
Does the score depend on tempo?
Deviation is measured against the beat interval, so the same millisecond error is a larger percentage at fast tempos. That is why fast passages usually feel harder to keep even.