Look at the group as a whole
Quick dot count briefly shows one to four dots. Try to recognize how many there are as a group, rather than racing to count each dot in turn. Choose the number after the dots disappear.
For example, these three dots may look like a pair with one more below. The arrangement helps you recognize the quantity; it is the number of dots that matters.
The pictures in this lesson stay visible. They are static teaching examples, not timed trials.
Begin each brief look when you are ready
Choose Show dots to begin a trial. After the dots disappear, choose 1, 2, 3 or 4. There is no need to hurry into the next trial: start it when you are ready.
The level changes the exposure, not the quantity. Level 1 aims for 600 milliseconds, level 2 for 400 and level 3 for 250. Each level still uses one to four dots. These are approximate display times; the browser and device can affect them.
A round has 12 trials. Without interruptions, each quantity appears three times in a shuffled order. If you leave the tab during the brief display, only that trial is replaced with a fresh example. The new quantity may be the same or different, so replacements can change the balance. An interrupted display is not scored.
Separate quantity from arrangement
Look at the three-dot group again. Imagine the dots moving farther apart, without any dots appearing or disappearing.
Their spacing would change, but the quantity would not. Which number would still describe the group?
Try it
If these dots move farther apart and none are added or removed, how many remain?
- 3 dots
- 4 dots
Show the answer
3 dots
Correct. The pair and the single dot still make three. Changing the spacing does not add another dot.
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Practice Quick dot count