A number appears, then vanishes. Type it back from memory. One more digit every round.
Half of players stop by 8
A number appears on screen for a few seconds, then disappears, and you type it back. Get it right and the next number gains a digit. Longer numbers stay on screen longer, so what is being measured stays memory rather than reading speed.
The classic figure is about seven digits, from George Miller's 1956 paper on the span of short-term memory, and it is roughly why phone numbers settled at the length they did. Getting past it is usually about chunking: nobody holds twelve separate digits, but a handful of three-digit lumps is a different matter.
From 248 tests played on this site since August 2026. Higher is better.
| Players | Computer | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | 10 digits or more | 11 digits or more |
| Top 25% | 9 digits or more | 10 digits or more |
| Median | 8 digits | 8 digits |
| Bottom 25% | 7 digits or below | 7 digits or below |
About 7 digits, give or take two, is the classic figure for adults. On this test the middle score is 8 digits; 10 puts you in the top 10% on a computer.
Anything from 9 digits up puts you in the top quarter here. 11 or more is rare.
A number appears for a few seconds, then disappears and you type it back. Get it right and the next number is one digit longer. You get three lives, and a failed round can be retried.
Chunking. Nobody holds twelve separate digits, but "four-nine-two" as one lump is a single thing to remember. Saying the digits out loud as they appear also helps most people.
This is verbal memory — what the digits were. The chimp test is spatial memory — where they were. People are often much better at one than the other.
More to play: Chimp Test, Herd Memory, or all solo games.
Questions or stuck? support@herdgamesonline.com