By applying the well known dualism: mean count rate - mean time between successive pulses - the equivalence between an IIR digital filter and a preset count digital rate meter has been demonstrated. By using a bank of four second order IIR filters and an optimized automated algorithm for filter selection, a practical realization of a preset count rate meter giving good tradeoff between statistical fluctuations and speed of response, particularly at low count rates such as background monitoring, is presented. The presented solution is suitable for designing portable count rate meters. The designed prototype is capable of operating up to 3600 pulses per second with an accuracy of over 4% in steady-state and response times of 1 second for the rising edge and 2 seconds for the falling edge of the mean count rate step-change.