Sequence memory test

A computer version of this block-tapping task was given to 187 adults aged 18 to 82. Before missing two sequences in a row, they repeated 5.2 blocks on average, with a spread of 1.2^[1]. Their squares moved to new places on every try, while here the blocks stay put, so the first view of your result places you only roughly, in one of five zones beside those adults, and never as a rank. An older set of figures for the classic wooden blocks has not been read in its source yet, so it is not shown.

Your own results matter just as much. How we measured this draws your earlier results as short ticks on a ruler beside the five zones. A span that is a little higher this week than last week means more than any single number from a stranger.

A sequence is judged right only when every block you tapped is the block that lit up at that place, in order. Tapping the same block twice in a row is read as one tap, because a sequence never lights the same block twice running. Taps that come from a script, or from a key held down, are left out and the result says so.

The test follows the classic block-tapping procedure, with two tries at each length and a stop after two misses at the same length. Your span is the longest length with at least one try right. If you miss both tries at the first length, your span is zero, which is also a result. If you reach the longest sequence the test can show, which is 9 blocks, the result is marked so that you know your true span may be higher.

The speed of the lights matters, so a span from another test with a different pace is not the same number. Nothing about your taps leaves this browser: the result is saved here and never goes into a link. You can read about us to see who makes the site.

Remembering where things were, and in what order, uses a different kind of memory from remembering words or digits. Most people do it by tracing a path through the lit blocks in their mind, or by turning the path into a shape, such as a zigzag or a letter.

• Shape: a path that makes a pattern you recognise, like a Z or a triangle, is easier to keep than a scattered one.
• Focus: looking at the middle of the board lets you see every block without moving your eyes.
• Screen size: a bigger board makes it easier to tap the block you meant.
• Rest: a tired or distracted mind loses the order before the blocks.

Try to see the sequence as one movement rather than a list of separate blocks. Trace it with your eyes as it plays, and tap it straight away when the last block goes dark, before the path fades. Take the test on a few different days and look at your own ticks on the ruler instead of one result.