Working memory

Visual Digit Span

How much can you hold in mind at once?

Digits flash one at a time; you tap them back. Each time you succeed the sequence grows by one, until it is too long to hold. The longest sequence you recall is your span.

A desktop computer works best. This is a self-exploration task, not a clinical diagnosis or an accommodations decision, and not equivalent to a standardized clinical memory test.

What this test is

Welcome. Digits flash one at a time; you tap them back. Each time you succeed the sequence grows by one, until it is too long to hold. The longest sequence you recall is your span.

The task

Three variants, from holding to rearranging. Schematic: what each variant asks of working memory.

Read this figure as text

Forward: hold the digits in the order shown.
Backward: hold them and reverse the order.
Sequencing: hold them and sort smallest to largest.

What you’ll learn

Your maximum span: the longest digit sequence you recalled correctly.
How holding digits (Forward) compares with reversing them (Backward) or sorting them (Sequencing), if you try more than one variant.
How many sequences you recalled correctly out of those you saw.
What working memory is and how researchers study it, in plain language.

How it works

Table 1. Administration
Format	Digits appear one at a time and you tap them back; sequences grow until they are too long to hold.
What you do	Choose Forward, Backward or Sequencing, watch the digits, then tap them back. Desktop recommended: a larger screen and steady mouse or keyboard keep the timing closer to what the task intends.
What is recorded	The task records how quickly you respond on each trial and whether you used a key, touch, mouse, or pen. That timing is part of how the task is scored. Before you start you may be asked, separately, for optional permission to use it for other purposes; your score is calculated the same way either way.

Test information

Test information
Format	Digits appear one at a time; you tap them back on an on-screen grid or type them
Variants	Forward (same order), Backward (reverse order), Sequencing (smallest to largest)
Sequence length	Starts at 3 digits and can grow to 9; two sequences at each length
Presentation	A fixation cross, then the digits one at a time
Answer time	No time limit for tapping the digits back
Device	Desktop recommended; phones work but small screens and touch make a run noisier
Administration	Online, on your own; clinicians and researchers can also assign it through a private link
Result	Your longest correct sequence and how many sequences you got right; no percentile and no IQ-style score
Purpose	Self-exploration, or assigned by a clinician.
Age range	Adults 18 and up.
Languages	English only.

How it is scored

How it is scored. Schematic of the scoring steps.

Read this figure as text

Step 1: Watch the digits
Step 2: Tap them back in the order your variant asks for
Step 3: A correct sequence keeps the run going one digit longer
Step 4: Your span: the longest sequence you recalled correctly

Evidence

Result Your own span
Percentile or IQ-style score None
Device Desktop recommended

Published digit-span comparisons come from standardized clinical administrations with their own procedures and instructions, so none is applied here.

What your report shows

Table 2. Report contents
Section	What it shows
Maximum span	The longest sequence you recalled correctly.
Sequences correct	How many sequences you got right out of those you saw.
Variant	Which version you ran: Forward, Backward or Sequencing.
What it means	A plain explanation of working memory.
Downloadable report	A copy of the report you can save.

Illustrative

Illustrative example. An invented run, not a real person. Each mark is one sequence; the run stops when both sequences at a length are missed.

Read this figure as text

Sequence 1: 3 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 2: 3 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 3: 4 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 4: 4 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 5: 5 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 6: 5 digits, missed.
Sequence 7: 6 digits, recalled correctly.
Sequence 8: 6 digits, missed.
Sequence 9: 7 digits, missed.
Sequence 10: 7 digits, missed.
In this invented run the longest sequence recalled correctly is 6 digits, which is the span the report would show.

History and theory

Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) described memory as a sequence of stores: sensory registers, a short-term or working store, and a long-term store. Baddeley and Hitch (1974) divided the short-term store into a working-memory system with specialized parts: a central executive for attentional control, a phonological loop for brief storage and rehearsal of verbal-acoustic material, and a visuospatial sketchpad for visual and spatial material. Baddeley (2000) later added an episodic buffer that binds information from these parts and from long-term memory into a temporary episode.

Visual Digit Span presents digit sequences visually and asks for immediate reproduction, with the sequence length adapting to performance. Repeating digits forward draws mainly on storage; longer and rearranged sequences also call on the central executive. Span is not memory in the everyday sense: it is the measured capacity of the working store under immediate recall.

Good uses and limits

Good uses

Exploring your own working-memory span.
Comparing Forward with Backward or Sequencing, if you try more than one variant.

Not a good use

A diagnosis, or a substitute for a standardized clinical memory test.
School or workplace accommodations, or any other high-stakes decision.
Comparing yourself with other people: there is no percentile or IQ-style score.

Scientific basis

Digit span is one of the oldest and most widely used working-memory tasks. Repeating digits forward draws mainly on short-term storage; reversing or sorting them adds mental manipulation (Baddeley, 1992; Cowan, 2001; Engle, 2002).

This browser version presents digits visually and collects responses on a grid, so it reports your own span only: no percentile and no IQ-style score. Published digit-span comparisons come from standardized clinical administrations with their own timing and instructions, and applying them here would misrepresent your result.

The sources, in order. Each entry is a work in the reference list below; the number in brackets is its place in that list.

Read this figure as text

1968: Atkinson and Shiffrin: Human memory (reference 4).
1974: Baddeley and Hitch: Working memory (reference 5).
1992: Baddeley: Working memory (reference 1).
2000: Baddeley: The episodic buffer (reference 6).
2001: Cowan: The magical number 4 in short-term memory (reference 2).
2002: Engle: Working memory capacity as executive attention (reference 3).

References

Baddeley, A. (1992). Working memory. Science, 255(5044), 556–559.
Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1), 87–114.
Engle, R. W. (2002). Working memory capacity as executive attention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(1), 19–23.
Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence & J. T. Spence (Eds.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 2, pp. 89–195). Academic Press.
Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working memory. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89). Academic Press.
Baddeley, A. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417–423.

Questions

What is the difference between the three variants?

Forward asks you to repeat the digits in the order shown, Backward in reverse order, and Sequencing from smallest to largest. Rearranging is usually harder than simply holding, so Forward spans tend to be a little longer.

Why is there no percentile or IQ-style score?

Comparisons from standardized clinical testing do not carry over to a browser task, so we report your own span instead.

Can I use it on a phone?

Phones work, but small screens and touch jitter can make the session noisier, so treat a phone run as even more exploratory.

What are the limits of a home session?

This is not a proctored clinical session. Lighting, interruptions, device refresh rate and momentary attention all affect span. Do not use a single home run for diagnosis, school or workplace accommodations, or any high-stakes decision.

Can clinicians assign it?

Yes. Clinician and researcher portals can assign Visual Digit Span through a patient or study link. Self-serve and assigned runs share the same scorer and report.

It is free to take, and the full report with a downloadable copy is $8.

How would you like to use it?

For yourself

Take it yourself and see your results as soon as you finish, and you can retake it whenever you like.

$8 for your first report, and $5 for each retake

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