The invention relates to a method for the sensor detection of an operator control event by means of a sensor arrangement (1) having at least one sensor element (2, 3), which is particularly in the form of a proximity sensor, and a sensor controller (4), wherein the sensor controller (4) digitizes the sensor signals (5, 6) into sensor measured values (5a, 6a), wherein the operator control event is produced by a user, particularly of a motor vehicle. It is proposed that a first coarse evaluation (7) of the sensor measured values (5a, 6a) for the occurrence of a sign of operator control is performed, in that a predetermined number of the respective last sensor measured values (5a, 6a) from at least one sensor element (2, 3) is progressively buffer-stored in a buffer store (8), in that the detection of a sign of operator control initiates a fine evaluation (9) of the sensor measured values (5a, 6a) for the purpose of verifying the occurrence of an operator control event at an initiation time (tA), and in that the fine evaluation (7) is based on the buffer-stored sensor measured values (5a, 6a) and on the chronologically subsequent sensor measured values (5a, 6a), so that the fine evaluation (9) includes sensor measured values (5a, 6a) situated both before and after the initiation time (tA).