Behavior in the open field is a widely used test of anxiety as well as of exploration and locomotor activity. It is also one of the most commonly used behavioral test in nerve injury model research. In the field of anesthesiology, it is commonly used in the behavioral study of perioperative neurocognitive disorders model animals. In this review, we present a summary based on the advances of research in open field test in recent years. We discuss the experimental methods and analysis ideas of open field test in rodents ethology. The composition of the open field test, experimental procedures, observational parameters, parameter analysis and the effects of the characteristics of the mouse on the open field test are reviewed. In the future, the comprehensive analysis of the experimental parameters of the open field test should be taken seriously. Also, the interaction with other behavioral tests needs to be further explored.