Number memory test
A number will appear for a few seconds. When it disappears, type it in. Each round adds one digit.
About 1–2 minutes · 2 lives · Saved only if you choose
Private by design: your answers never leave this page.
The number will appear here.
Tip: try splitting it into groups of 2 or 3.
Remember this number
Correct
Not quite
- Right number
- Your answer
The middle digits are often the hardest to hold. The first and last digits are usually easier to keep in mind.
What does it mean?
What can change it?
Strategy matters most. Reading 49 21 73 as three chunks is easier than six single digits. Tiredness and distractions lower scores.
These bands are our own guide to help you read your result. They're not compared with a population, and they're not a diagnosis.
Save this result on this device to build your report. It stays in your browser. We never receive it.
Challenge a friend.
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What’s happening in this test?
Look. A number appears for 1 second plus 0.6 seconds for each digit, then disappears.
Type it back. Type the number from memory and submit it.
One digit longer. It starts at 3 digits. Each right answer adds a digit. A wrong answer costs one of your two lives, and you get a new number of the same length.
Your score. Your score is the longest number you typed back correctly.
What can change your result: strategy most of all, like reading the digits in pairs or threes, plus tiredness and distractions.
Read more: How much can your short-term memory hold?
Questions
What is digit span?
The longest string of numbers you can repeat back right after seeing or hearing it. It's a classic way to measure short-term memory.
What is a normal digit span?
A famous 1956 paper suggested people hold about "seven, plus or minus two" items. Later research suggests our true limit is closer to four chunks.
How can I improve my number memory?
Group digits into chunks of two or three, say them in a rhythm, or link them to dates you know.
Is this a medical test?
No. It's for curiosity and self-reflection.
Learn more: How much can your short-term memory hold?
Sources
- Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two. Psychological Review.
- Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.