🧠 Number Memory
How quickly you search your short-term memory. About 1½ minutes.
Remember a few numbers, then say if a new one was in the list.
About 1½ minutes. The first 2 rounds are practice and don't count.
Why does this happen?
When you hold a few numbers in your head and someone asks "was 7 there?", your brain checks what it's holding. It feels instant, but it isn't quite.
In the 1960s the psychologist Saul Sternberg timed people doing exactly this. Each extra number in the list added a small, steady amount of time to the answer, often around 40 milliseconds, as if the mind checks the numbers one by one, very fast.
Longer lists are also easier to lose, which is why the six-number rounds are the hardest here.
How it's measured
Each round shows 2 to 6 numbers together for about a second or two. They disappear, and then one number appears. Tap Yes if it was in the list, No if it wasn't (or press Y or F for yes, N or J for no).
You get 2 practice rounds, then 20 that count. Half the time the answer is Yes. Your score is how many of the 20 you got right.
We also show your average answer time on right answers, and how much extra time each extra number in the list added. Answers slower than 4 seconds still count as right or wrong but are left out of the timings.
Your results and history are saved in this browser. Each finished score is also sent to us anonymously (just the game, the score and whether you used a phone or a computer; no name, no account) so everyone can see how they compare. Just for fun: not a medical, IQ or hiring test.
More Brain Breaks
- ⚡ Reflex: how fast you react
- 🎨 Colour Clash: how well you override autopilot
- 🎯 Arrow Focus: how well you block out distractions
- 🔍 Odd One Out: how fast you scan a busy scene
- 🔄 Twist It: your mind's eye for shapes
- 👀 Spot the Change: how quickly you notice a change
- 👁️ Eye Tricks: how easily your eyes get fooled