What is the chimp test?
The chimp test is based on a famous experiment at Kyoto University showing that young chimpanzees can memorize the positions of numbers on a screen faster and more accurately than humans. Numbers from 1 upward appear scattered on a grid; as soon as you click "1" they all turn blank, and you must tap the rest in order from memory. Each cleared board adds one more number.
What is a good score?
The average person stalls around 9 numbers. Reaching 12+ is impressive, and the chimps in the original study could handle nine numbers shown for less than a second.
Score distribution
Most humans top out between 7 and 11 numbers. A small fraction reach the mid-teens. Your best is stored only in your browser.
How to improve
- Take a quick mental snapshot of the whole board before clicking "1".
- Group nearby numbers and remember them as a path rather than isolated dots.
- Don't second-guess — fast recall from a single glance beats slow scanning.
FAQ
Why do the numbers disappear?
That's the test: you only see them briefly, then must recall their positions in order.
How many strikes do I get?
Three. Each wrong click is a strike; three strikes end the game.