Memory test
How many digits, squares and positions can you hold in mind?
A number appears for a few seconds. Type it back from memory; each time you get it right, it grows by one digit.Most adults can hold about 7 digits in mind at once.or press Space or Enter. Escape stops.
Level–
Personal best–
Your best score in each mode is kept in this browser only.
Nothing leaves your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you type, play or record here stays on your device: nothing is uploaded or saved on a server.
Example
Example: what a number-memory score of 8 means, and how the other two tests count
The number test starts at 3 digits and adds one each time you get it right. Each number shows for a second plus 0.6 s a digit — 2.8 s for 3 digits, 5.2 s for 7 — then disappears and you type it from memory.
- Say you type back 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 digits correctly and get the 9-digit number wrong. The score is 8: the longest number you repeated, not the one that failed.
- Grouping helps: 47319026 is easier to hold as 4731 9026, and you can type it with the space — spaces and dashes in the answer are ignored.
- Sequence: squares on a 3 × 3 grid light up one after another, starting with one. Each stays lit 560 ms at first and less as the sequence grows, 320 ms from the 16th. Missing at 8 squares scores 7.
- Order: 4 numbers to start, on an 8 × 5 board (5 × 8 on a narrow screen). Click 1 and the rest hide. A wrong click is a mistake and deals the same count again; the third mistake ends the test.
| Digits | Shown for | Score if this one is missed |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2.8 s | 0 |
| 5 | 4.0 s | 4 |
| 7 | 5.2 s | 6 |
| 9 | 6.4 s | 8 |
| 10 | 7.0 s | 9 |
| 12 | 8.2 s | 11 |
A score of 8 sits a little above the 7 digits most adults hold, and it is kept as your personal best in this browser only. Scores rise as you find a way of chunking, so take the best of a few tries rather than one.
How it works
- Choose a test: numbers, a sequence of squares, or numbers in order.
- Press Start (or Space), watch closely, then repeat what you saw; each round adds one more.
- Read your score and personal best, and try again to beat it.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the number memory test measure?
- Your digit span — how many digits you can hold in short-term memory and repeat. Most adults manage about 7, give or take two; with practice and grouping digits into chunks, people go well beyond.
- How does the sequence test work?
- Squares on a 3 × 3 grid light up one after another; repeat the order. Each correct round adds one more square, so it measures how long a visual sequence you can keep.
- What is the order test?
- Numbered squares appear across a grid. Click 1 and the others hide; click the rest in order from memory. It tests remembering several positions at once. Three mistakes end it.
- Can I improve my memory with it?
- Scores rise with practice, mostly because you find strategies — chunking digits, saying them in a rhythm, tracing a path through the squares. Sleep, rest and attention matter more than any game.
- How is the score counted?
- As the biggest round you got right before the one you missed. In the number test, 8 digits right and 9 missed scores 8; missing the very first round — 3 digits, 1 square or 4 numbers — scores 0. In the order test the score is the most numbers clicked in order.
- How long is the number shown?
- One second plus 0.6 seconds a digit: 2.8 s for 3 digits, 5.2 s for 7, 7.0 s for 10. A countdown shows how long is left, and the answer box only opens once the number has gone.
- Is anything sent anywhere?
- No. The tests run in your browser and your best scores stay on this device.