What this test measures
It measures short-term visual memory: how much of a pattern you can keep in mind after it disappears. It is modeled on the Visual Patterns Test, in which people see a grid with some squares filled in and then mark the filled squares on an empty grid [1].
The researchers who built that test showed that memory for a pattern seen all at once is not the same as memory for a sequence of places: some people with brain injuries did poorly on one kind of test and normally on the other [1]. The sequence memory test on this site covers the other kind.
How the test works
- The squares light up together for 1.2 seconds. Then tap every square that was lit, in any order.
- Level 1 lights 3 squares, and every level adds one. The grid gets bigger as you go, so there are more places to look.
- 3 wrong taps in one round lose a life, and you have 3 lives. After a lost life you replay the same level with a new pattern.
How to read your score
Your level is the highest level you finished, and "squares remembered" is how many squares were lit at that level. Some patterns form an easy shape and others look random, so your level can jump between runs. This is a web game inspired by a research test, not the clinical test itself, so the scores are not comparable with clinical results.
Getting the most out of it
Play in a quiet moment and on the same device each time: a bigger screen makes the grid easier to scan. Practice helps on any memory game, so the trend over several runs says more than one number.
Related tests
- Sequence memory testHow long a sequence of places you can repeat in order.
- Chimp testHow many numbers on a grid you can tap in order from memory.
- Number memory testHow long a number you can hold in mind and type back.
Want to work on this daily? The Helibrain app has a free plan and paid plans.
Sources
- Della Sala S, Gray C, Baddeley A, Allamano N, Wilson L (1999). Pattern span: a tool for unwelding visuo-spatial memory. Neuropsychologia 37(10):1189–1199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0028-3932(98)00159-6
How we made this page: written by the Helibrain team from the studies listed above, and reviewed by Robert (biophysics PhD candidate) on 3 November 2026. We update it when the sources change.