Digit span test
Watch digits one at a time, then enter them in the same or reverse order.
Example
Example
An example to explore. No score or practice round is recorded.
4 digits · Forward or backward
3 runs · No time limit for typing
- Runs checked
- 0 / 3
- Active time
- 0:00
Watch, then type them back.
Digits appear one at a time. Watch the whole run, then type the digits back. Read the direction before each run: some use the same order and some use reverse order.
Digits only. Use Backspace to correct a mistake.
Explore the method
Keep the digits in order, then follow the forward or backward instruction for that run.
On by default unless you turn it off. Saved choices are kept. Shares starts, completions, replays and error categories. For ChatGPT visits, starts and completions may include the first QuickenBrain page and country. No answers, drawings or names.
How this data is usedHelp
Each run shows a short series of digits, one at a time. Watch them all, then type them into the box.
The line above the digits gives the direction. For 3, 8, 1: forward means enter 381; backward means enter 183.
A digit counts when it is correct in the requested order: the shown order for Forward, or the reverse order for Backward. Each position is scored separately.
The same digit never appears twice in a row, so you do not have to remember how many identical digits were consecutive.
There are three runs. Ending early shows the runs you checked, but does not add a completed result to statistics.
Digits are shown on screen. This version does not include an audio mode.
About this practice
Watch a sequence of digits, then recall it in the requested forward or backward order. Across three runs of 3 to 10 digits, correct positions earn credit and extra digits reduce it, with no time limit for typing.
Digits appear one at a time, each for 850 milliseconds. When the run ends, you type it back. A line above the digits says whether to type them in the same order, forward, or in reverse, backward. A session is three runs.
What it measures, and what it does not
It asks how many digits you can hold in order for a few seconds, and backward runs add the work of reversing them. The same digit never appears twice in a row, so you never have to count repeats. It is a practice of this task, not a test of memory in daily life.
What each level changes
- Each level adds one digit to the run: 3 digits at level 1, up to 10 at level 8.
- Level 1 asks only for the same order. From level 2, each run is forward or backward at random, and the line above the digits says which.
A worked example
A level 3 backward run from the practice shows 8 7 9 2 5. The answer is the run in reverse: 5 2 9 7 8. Say you type 5 9 2 7 8, with the second and third digits swapped. The first, fourth and fifth digits are in the right place, so this run scores 3 of 5.
What your result means
Each digit in the right position earns one point, so a slip in the middle costs only the digits it moves. Typing the whole run one place late scores almost nothing, because every digit then sits in the wrong position. A digit typed past the end of the run cancels one point. The result shows the digits in the right position across the three runs, and how many runs you recalled exactly. Only complete three-run sessions are added to your statistics.
For what the number means and what it cannot tell you, read the guide Digit span test: what your span means. The lesson Read the recall direction shows how to handle backward runs.
Report a problem
On by default unless you turn it off. Saved choices are kept. Shares starts, completions, replays and error categories. For ChatGPT visits, starts and completions may include the first QuickenBrain page and country. No answers, drawings or names.
How this data is used