Number Memory Test
Digits appear one at a time. When they stop, type them back in order. Each clear round adds a digit; three slips and it ends.
What it measures
This is a digit span test, one of the oldest measures of short-term memory and part of many professional test batteries. Your score is the longest run of digits you can repeat back correctly.
How many digits is normal?
George Miller's well-known paper put the span of short-term memory at "seven, plus or minus two" items (Miller, 1956), and digit span forwards sits in about that range for many adults. Later research argued that the real limit is nearer four chunks, and that we reach seven by grouping (Cowan, 2001): a phone number is easier as 0207 / 946 / 0018 than as eleven separate digits.
Tips
- Chunk the digits into twos or threes as they appear.
- Say them silently to yourself in a rhythm.
- Type steadily: the clock doesn't count, accuracy does.
How to play
- Digits appear one at a time.
- Type them back in the same order, then tap OK.
- Each clear adds a digit.
Scoring and levels
You have 3 lives. Each clear round makes the next one harder; a slip costs a life, and the round ends when they've gone. Your level is saved, so next time you start near your best. Every game shows a short demo before you start, and your last ten scores are on the result screen.
In everyday life
Digit span is the skill behind holding a phone number, a verification code or a price long enough to use it. Chunking, which is how most people pass this test, is also how we read card numbers and postcodes.
Questions
What is a good digit span?
Many adults remember about seven digits forwards, give or take two (Miller, 1956). Chunking helps you go further.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes: the number keys, Backspace and Enter all work.
Why does chunking help?
Short-term memory holds a few chunks at once; grouping digits turns many items into fewer chunks (Cowan, 2001).
Related
Brain tests
Brain games by topic
Guides
Sources
- Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two. Psychological Review, 63(2). doi.org/10.1037/h0043158
- Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1). doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X01003922
Brainbay is for practice and fun. Your scores show how you do at these games; they don't measure IQ or diagnose anything.