A few tiles in the grid light up for a moment. When they turn back, click every tile that was lit. Each level adds a tile, and the grid grows as you go. Three wrong clicks in one level cost a life; lose all three lives and the test ends.
Level1
Press Start test
Lives♥♥♥
Your score
0levels
Keyboard: arrow keys move, Enter or Space selects a tile.
Your score history
Best–
Average (last 10)–
Last score–
Tests taken0
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How to use the Visual Memory Test
Press Start test. Pick a viewing time first if you like.
Memorize the lit tiles while they are shown.
Click every tile that was lit, in any order. Correct tiles stay lit; wrong ones turn dark.
Clear the level to move on: one more tile each level, and a bigger grid every few levels.
Avoid 3 wrong clicks in a level or you lose a life. After 3 lives the test ends and your level is saved.
Levels and grid sizes
Levels
Grid
Tiles to remember
Share of grid lit
1 to 2
3 × 3
3 to 4
33% to 44%
3 to 5
4 × 4
5 to 7
31% to 44%
6 to 8
5 × 5
8 to 10
32% to 40%
9 to 12
6 × 6
11 to 14
31% to 39%
13 to 17
7 × 7
15 to 19
31% to 39%
18 to 23
8 × 8
20 to 25
31% to 39%
24+
9 × 9
26+
32%+
Tiles per level = level + 2. Your score is the last level you cleared.
What this test measures
This is a test of visual short-term memory, the brief store that holds what you just saw. Studies of visual working memory, such as the change-detection experiments by Luck and Vogel (1997), suggest that people can keep only about three or four separate items in mind at once. Clearing levels with ten or more tiles is therefore not about remembering every square individually: it relies on perceiving the lit tiles as a few larger shapes, lines and clusters.
Tips for higher levels
See shapes, not squares. Turn the pattern into an L, a diagonal, a block of four or a "missing corner".
Remember the gaps. On large grids it can be easier to note the empty rows or columns.
Use both halves. Memorize the left half and the right half as two separate pictures.
Click your surest tiles first. Each correct tile stays lit and helps you reconstruct the rest of the shape.
Practise with a longer viewing time and switch to standard when you are consistently clearing level 8.
Frequently asked questions
How does the visual memory test work?
Level 1 lights up 3 tiles on a 3x3 grid. After a short viewing time the tiles flip back and you click the ones that were lit. Each level adds one tile (level n has n + 2 tiles), and the grid grows to 4x4 at level 3, 5x5 at level 6, 6x6 at level 9, 7x7 at level 13, 8x8 at level 18 and 9x9 at level 24.
How are lives counted?
You have 3 lives for the whole test. In each level you may click 2 wrong tiles; the third wrong click loses a life and you replay the same level with a new pattern. When the last life is gone the test ends.
What is my score?
Your score is the highest level you completed. For example, if you clear level 8 (10 tiles on a 5x5 grid) and then lose your last life on level 9, your score is 8.
What is a good visual memory score?
There is no official standard for this game. Research on visual working memory (for example Luck and Vogel, 1997) found that people can hold only about 3 to 4 separate objects at once, so higher levels depend on seeing the tiles as shapes and groups. Compare your scores over time rather than against a single number.
How can I get a higher score?
Look at the whole pattern instead of single tiles: spot lines, corners, clusters and empty areas. Chunk tiles into small groups, and click the groups you are surest about first. A longer viewing time makes the early levels easier while you practise.
Is my score history private?
Yes. The last 30 scores are stored only in your browser's local storage on this device and are never uploaded. Clear them any time with the Clear history button.