Guides
How the games work, and how to get better.
Clear, no-fluff guides to reaction time, memory span, the Stroop effect, dual N-back and the rest. Each one explains what is being measured, what a good score looks like, and how to improve — backed by a free game that runs in your browser.
Are You Tone Deaf? What a Pitch Test Tells You
Real tone deafness is rare. Here is what a pitch test measures and why most worriers pass fine.
Read guideHow Old Are Your Ears? The Hearing Age Test
The highest pitch you can hear fades with age. Here is what a hearing age test reads, and its limits.
Read guideHow to Judge Time Without a Clock
Your brain keeps a rough internal clock. Here is why it drifts and how to read it better.
Read guideHow to Read Faster Without Losing Comprehension
Most adults read around 250 words a minute. Here is what actually speeds it up without wrecking comprehension.
Read guideHow to Test Your Peripheral Vision
Your side vision does more than you think. Here is how to test your awareness of it, and its limits.
Read guideHow to Win the Countdown Numbers Game
The numbers round rewards a handful of tactics. Here is how to reach the target more often.
Read guideWhat Is a Brain Age Test?
One number from four quick challenges. Here is what a brain age test really measures, and what it does not.
Read guideWhat Is a Good Auditory Reaction Time?
Reactions to sound run a touch quicker than to sight. Here is what a good number looks like and what moves it.
Read guideWhat Is a Good Digit Span?
Most adults hold about seven digits forward. Here is what the number means and how to push it.
Read guideWhat Is Subitizing? Reading Numbers at a Glance
You just know when there are three dots. That instant read has a name, a limit, and a use.
Read guideWhat Is the Corsi Block-Tapping Test?
The spatial cousin of the digit span. Here is what the Corsi test measures and what a normal span looks like.
Read guideWhat Is the Ishihara Test?
Those dotted number plates have a name and a job. Here is how the Ishihara test screens colour vision.
Read guideHow to Get Faster at Mental Math
Speed in mental math comes from patterns, not raw calculation. Here are the habits and tricks that make the difference.
Read guideWhat Is a Spatial Reasoning Test?
Spatial reasoning is your ability to turn shapes in your head. Here is what the test measures and how to improve.
Read guideWhat Is the Trail Making Test?
Connect the dots in order, against the clock. Here is what Part A and Part B measure and how to read your time.
Read guideHow Many Digits Can You Remember?
Seven is the famous 'magic number' for digit span. Here is where it comes from and how to beat it.
Read guideHow to Improve Your Sequence Memory
How long a pattern can you hold? Here is what sequence memory is and the simple tricks that stretch it further.
Read guideHow to Improve Your Verbal Memory
How many words can you keep straight as the list grows? Here is what verbal memory is and how to stretch it.
Read guideHow to Improve Your Visual Memory
How much of a flashed grid can you hold? Here is what visual memory is and how to remember more of it.
Read guideHow to Improve Your Mouse Aim
Aim is a trainable skill. Here is how sensitivity, posture and practice come together to bring your time per target down.
Read guideHow to Use a Schulte Table
A simple grid that speed readers swear by. Here is how a Schulte table works and how to bring your time down.
Read guideHow to Win Memory Match in Fewer Moves
The classic concentration game. Here is how to clear every pair in as few moves as you can.
Read guideHow to Win the Simon Memory Game
The classic colour-and-sound memory game. Here is how to use both the tones and the colours to push your streak further.
Read guideWhat Is a Good Reaction Time?
Most people land around 250 ms on a simple click test. Here is what the number means and how to push it lower.
Read guideWhat Is Dual N-Back?
The brain-training task researchers study most. Here is what dual N-back is, how to play it, and where to start.
Read guideWhat Is the Chimp Test?
Can you really lose to a chimpanzee at memory? Here is the story behind the chimp test and how to do well at it.
Read guideWhat Is the Stroop Effect?
Why is it hard to say the colour of the word 'red' when it is printed in blue? Meet the Stroop effect, one of psychology's most famous findings.
Read guideSkip the reading — just play
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