Plate Tapping

Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means

The Plate Tapping test is the Eurofit measure of upper-limb movement speed. With the non-preferred hand held on a central plate, the preferred hand alternates between two discs for 25 cycles. Data are from Tomkinson et al. (2018), a pooled analysis of 148,093 test results from children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 in 19 European countries.

How to Perform This Test (Protocol)

Equipment
  • Two circular discs (20 cm diameter) fixed to an adjustable table with their centres 80 cm apart, leaving 60 cm between the nearest edges
  • A rectangular plate (10 × 20 cm) placed midway between the discs
  • Stopwatch
Protocol Steps
  1. Set the table so its top is just below the participant's navel. The participant stands facing the discs with feet slightly apart.
  2. The participant places the non-preferred hand flat on the central rectangle.
  3. The preferred hand starts on one of the discs.
  4. On 'go', the participant moves the preferred hand back and forth, alternately touching each disc as fast as possible, 25 times each (50 touches total).
  5. Record the time to complete 25 full cycles (one touch per disc = one cycle).
Scoring

Time in seconds to complete 25 cycles. Test twice and record the better time. Lower times indicate faster performance.

Notes

The preferred hand performs the tapping. The non-preferred hand remains on the central rectangle throughout to stabilize posture.

Data source: Tomkinson et al. 2018 (Eurofit) (2018) · n=148.1K About this study

Reference population: Apparently healthy children and adolescents aged 9-17 from 30 European countries (2,779,165 test results across all included tests)

Plate Tapping Neurological

Plate Tapping Norms Chart by Age and Sex (s)

Age Sex Percentile
5th 25th 50th 75th 95th
9 Male 13.02 15.09 16.96 19.37 24.05
Female 12.09 13.97 15.83 18.53 25.25
10 Male 12.17 13.99 15.61 17.66 21.55
Female 11.63 13.30 14.90 17.16 22.35
11 Male 11.44 13.05 14.46 16.23 19.48
Female 11.16 12.63 14.01 15.88 19.93
12 Male 10.87 12.32 13.57 15.12 17.91
Female 10.95 12.28 13.50 15.11 18.41
13 Male 10.28 11.58 12.68 14.03 16.44
Female 10.64 11.83 12.88 14.25 16.92
14 Male 9.72 10.88 11.86 13.04 15.12
Female 10.21 11.26 12.18 13.33 15.51
15 Male 9.22 10.26 11.14 12.19 14.00
Female 10.07 11.06 11.91 12.98 14.95
16 Male 8.94 9.92 10.74 11.71 13.38
Female 9.97 10.91 11.73 12.74 14.58
17 Male 8.82 9.77 10.56 11.50 13.11
Female 9.95 10.90 11.71 12.71 14.54

What to expect by age group

Typical range (25th to 75th percentile) by age group (s)
Age MalesFemales
9 15.09 to 19.3713.97 to 18.53
10 13.99 to 17.6613.30 to 17.16
11 13.05 to 16.2312.63 to 15.88
12 12.32 to 15.1212.28 to 15.11
13 11.58 to 14.0311.83 to 14.25
14 10.88 to 13.0411.26 to 13.33
15 10.26 to 12.1911.06 to 12.98
16 9.92 to 11.7110.91 to 12.74
17 9.77 to 11.5010.90 to 12.71

Detailed Breakdowns

Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.

Males
91011121314151617
Females
91011121314151617
Age trend (percentiles)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are girls faster than boys at age 9?

At age 9, the median is 15.83 seconds for girls and 16.96 seconds for boys. Boys' median times become lower from age 13 onward; girls' medians change little from ages 15 to 17.

Is P25 interpolated?

Yes. Tomkinson et al. report P20, P30, P70, and P80 but not P25 or P75. This page uses the decimal average of P20 and P30 for P25 and of P70 and P80 for P75, rounded half up to two decimal places.

What does this test measure?

The Council of Europe handbook classifies Plate Tapping as a test of speed of limb movement. It requires repeated alternating hand movements and is not interchangeable with a simple reaction-time test.

Are there adult norms for the Plate Tapping test?

The cited tables cover ages 9-17 only. Do not apply these percentiles to adults or to other upper-limb movement tests.

How does this test relate to reaction time?

Plate Tapping records the time needed for 50 alternating touches. A simple reaction-time test records the delay between a stimulus and the start of a response. The outcomes and protocols are different.

Related Metrics

Eurofit Battery

This metric is part of the Eurofit, a standardised 9-test battery for children and adolescents aged 6-18.