What this test measures
This measures visuospatial working memory: how many locations you can hold simultaneously without any order requirement. Squares flash on a grid, you click them all back, and each level adds another square while the grid periodically grows. Three wrong clicks ends the run and your score is the highest level you cleared.
It differs from the sequence memory test in an important way. There, order matters and the pattern arrives one item at a time. Here everything appears at once and order is irrelevant, so the task loads a different system. People often score noticeably higher on one than the other, which is normal rather than a sign that one result is wrong.
Average scores
| Level reached | Standing |
|---|---|
| Under 6 | Below average |
| 6 – 8 | Approaching average |
| 9 – 10 | Around average |
| 11 – 13 | Good |
| 14 – 16 | Very good |
| 17+ | Exceptional |
| Level range | What changes |
|---|---|
| 1 – 4 | Small grid, few squares |
| 5 – 8 | Grid grows, spatial load rises |
| 9 – 14 | Squares outnumber comfortable span |
| 15+ | Requires deliberate grouping |
How to improve your score
- Look for shapes rather than individual squares. Five squares that happen to form a rough diagonal are one item, not five. Almost every high score depends on seeing arrangements instead of positions.
- Split the grid into quadrants. Remembering two squares in each of four regions is far easier than remembering eight squares on one large field. It converts a capacity problem into a smaller one repeated.
- Click the ones you are certain about first. Uncertain clicks cost lives. Securing the confident ones reduces how much you need to hold while you work out the rest.
- Use a wide, soft gaze during the flash. Scanning square by square means you will still be scanning when the flash ends. Taking in the whole grid at once captures more.
- Accept losing a life on the very hard levels. Three lives exist so you can guess on genuinely ambiguous levels. Playing perfectly cautiously stalls you lower than playing decisively.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good visual memory score?
Level 9 is roughly average. Reaching 12 or 13 is good and puts you in the top 15% or so. Above 16 is exceptional and almost always involves chunking positions into shapes.
Why is my visual memory score different from my sequence memory score?
They test different systems. Sequence memory requires order and arrives serially; visual memory is simultaneous and order-free. A gap of several levels between the two is completely normal.
Does this test photographic memory?
No. Eidetic imagery in the popular sense is vanishingly rare in adults and probably does not exist in the form people imagine. This measures ordinary visuospatial working memory, which everyone has and which varies over a fairly narrow range.
Why do I have three lives?
Because a single mistake ending a run makes the score mostly a measure of luck. Three lives lets a genuinely difficult level be survived and produces a more stable result across attempts.
Can I get better at this?
Yes, quickly, through strategy. Most of the improvement comes in the first few attempts as you start grouping squares into shapes rather than memorising each one separately.