Memory
A pattern of squares lights up for a moment, then vanishes. Click every square that was lit. As you advance, the grid grows and the patterns get bigger.
Results stay in this browser
Choose a mode
Example
Level 3 lights five squares on a 4x4 grid. Remember the shape they make.
Each mode shows the pattern for an exact time: 1.5, 1 or 0.7 seconds.
Inspired by pattern span tasks used to study visual short-term memory.
The board keeps a square shape and fits any screen width.
Results stay in this browser only.
Level reached, tiles found, wrong clicks and lives used.
The grid grows from 3x3 up to 7x7, so the challenge keeps pace with you.
The level you were on when the run ended. Higher levels light more squares.
How it is calculatedLevel number at the end of the run
Every lit square you found across all levels.
How it is calculatedCount of correct clicks
Clicks on squares that were not lit.
How it is calculatedCount of incorrect clicks
How many levels you failed with three wrong clicks.
How it is calculatedStarting lives minus remaining lives
These bands are site-defined guidance for adults on a desktop computer or a recent phone. They are not population norms and not a diagnosis.
| Band | Range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Exceptional | 14 or more | Remarkable pattern memory. |
| Excellent | 10-13 | Strong visual memory on large grids. |
| Good | 7-9 | Above a typical result. |
| Average | 4-6 | A common range. |
| Needs practice | 3 or fewer | Look for shapes in the pattern. |
Visual short-term memory holds images for a few seconds after they disappear. Research suggests it can hold only a handful of separate objects at once.
This test pushes past that limit, which is why strategy matters so much at higher levels.
It measures how many locations you can store from a brief glance and then retrieve. Unlike the sequence test, order does not matter here, only position.
It combines quick encoding with accurate recall.
People rarely remember twelve separate squares. Instead they see a diagonal, a cluster or a letter shape. Grouping squares into patterns is a form of chunking.
That is why the same number of squares can feel easy in one pattern and hard in another.
Display time is the biggest factor, which is why modes are compared separately. Screen size, attention and fatigue matter too.
Many people improve quickly once they start looking for shapes.
Levels 1 and 2 use a 3x3 grid, levels 3 to 5 a 4x4 grid, levels 6 to 9 a 5x5 grid, levels 10 to 14 a 6x6 grid and level 15 onward a 7x7 grid. The number of lit squares is always the level plus two.
Larger grids spread the pattern out, so the challenge grows in two ways at once: more squares and more possible positions.
Practice shows the pattern for 1.5 seconds, Standard for 1 second and Challenge for 0.7 seconds. Shorter displays leave less time to take a mental snapshot.
Because of this, results from different modes are not directly comparable. Use one mode when you want to track change over time.
You can make up to two wrong clicks in a level without losing a life. This tolerance reflects the fact that memory is fuzzy at the edges: you may remember the shape but misplace one square.
The third wrong click costs a life, and the missed squares are shown before the next pattern appears.
The history page records the level you reached in each session. Expect a few quick gains at first as you discover strategies such as looking for shapes or splitting the grid into quarters.
After that, progress tends to slow. That is a normal learning curve, not a sign that you have stopped improving.
If you want a fresh challenge, switch to Challenge mode, but keep its results separate from your Standard trend.
Pattern memory tasks help researchers study visual memory capacity and attention.
A clear demonstration of chunking and the limits of visual memory.
A quick game-like challenge with a level to beat each day.
Professionals use standardized visual memory tests. This online game does not diagnose.
Look at the whole pattern and name its shape, such as an L or a zigzag.
On big grids, remember each quarter separately.
Start with squares you are certain of, then fill in the rest.
The longer display in Practice mode helps you build a strategy.
It checks how many squares you can remember from a brief flash. The pattern grows each level.
Squares light up, then go dark. You click all of them in any order. Find them all to advance. Three wrong clicks cost a life.
Usually two to five minutes.
Yes. Press P, use the pause button, or switch tabs. The level restarts with a new pattern.
Any modern browser. Larger screens make big grids easier to see.
Level reached is your main score. Tiles found and wrong clicks show how accurate you were.
On this site level 7 to 9 is Good and 10 or more is Excellent. These are site guidance bands.
Use History in the menu, or View history after a session.
Only in your browser.
Reload the page. Clicks during the display are ignored on purpose, so wait for Your turn.
No. Unlike the sequence test, you can click the lit squares in any order.
More squares need more room, and a larger grid also makes the pattern harder to hold as a single shape.
The squares you missed light up briefly so you can see the full pattern. Then a new pattern appears at the same level, and you try again with one fewer life.
Many people reach level 5 to 8 in Standard mode. On this site, levels 7 to 9 fall in the Good band and 10 or higher is Excellent. These are site guidance bands only.
No. True photographic memory is extremely rare, if it exists at all. This test measures ordinary visual short-term memory, which everyone has and which improves with good strategies.
Results depend on age, device, sleep, language, mood and practice. Average several sessions before drawing conclusions. This is not a medical or psychological diagnostic tool.
It takes about a minute. Your results stay private in this browser.