🔍 Odd One Out
How fast you scan a busy scene. About 1½ minutes.
Find the one shape that's different from the rest, as many times as you can in a minute.
About 1½ minutes. The first 2 screens are practice and don't count. Then you have 60 seconds.
Why does this happen?
Some differences jump out at you. A filled circle among hollow ones seems to find you, however many shapes there are, because your eyes pick up simple things like colour and fill all at once.
Other differences don't jump out. To find a T hidden among Ls, which are made of the same two lines, you have to check the shapes more or less one at a time, so every extra shape adds a little time.
Scientists call this visual search, and the difference between "jumps out" and "one at a time" is the idea behind Anne Treisman's feature integration theory. The screens here start with the easy kind and move on to the harder kind as you go.
How it's measured
You get 2 practice screens, then 60 seconds. Each time you find the odd one out, a new screen appears straight away, a little harder than the last.
Your score is how many you found in the 60 seconds. Tapping the wrong shape marks it with a cross and pauses you for a moment, so guessing costs time.
We also show your average time per find and how many wrong taps you made. Bigger screens make tapping easier, so compare yourself on the same device.
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
- 🧠 Number Memory: how quickly you search your short-term memory
- 🔄 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