Leakage test is one of the acceptance tests to ensure hydraulic cylinder reliability. Under the consideration of economic and technical maturity conditions, the existing internal leakage detection methods may be difficult to achieve rapid screening. After research, the pressure decay test method is a common method of quickly testing hydraulic cylinders for internal leakage in the manufacturing industry. However, the validity of the pressure decay test method has not been theoretically verified, limiting the versatility of the method. This paper will theoretically validate the effectiveness of the pressure decay test method and provide important theoretical support for its use as a general rapid screening method for internal leakage, thereby improving the reliability and safety of hydraulic systems. Both simulation and experimental results show that there is a linear relationship between the pressure decay rate and the internal leakage rate. Especially for working pressures greater than 16 MPa, the pressure factor has an insignificant impact on the application of this method.