Short-term and working memory
Digit span, forward and backward
Increasingly long number sequences have to be held and reproduced. The classic digit-span paradigm from the Wechsler scales.
Open the task →Cognitive assessment
Measure your memory, and see exactly what needs work
Start with a free two-minute task, or go straight to the full assessment: seven distinct memory abilities measured in one session and compared against people of your age.
2 minFree 2-min test
7memory abilities measured
3.1M+assessments in the norms
Cognitive profile
Report structureMemory
Short-term · working · visual · contextual · recognition
Attention
Focused · divided · inhibition · shifting · updating
Reasoning
Planning · estimation · processing speed
Perception
Visual · auditory · spatial · visual scanning
Coordination
Hand-eye coordination · response time
Illustration of the report structure. Bar lengths are decorative and do not represent anyone's results.
What is measured
Memory is not one ability, so it is not one score
A single memory score hides the thing you actually want to know: which part is carrying the load and which part is struggling. The assessment separates seven memory abilities and reports each against age-matched norms, so a strength in recognition does not mask a weakness in working memory.
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Short-term memory
Holding a small amount of information available for a few seconds, such as a phone number you are about to dial.
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Working memory
Holding information and operating on it at the same time: doing the arithmetic while keeping the running total in mind.
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Phonological short-term memory
Retaining what you just heard long enough to use it, which underpins following instructions and learning to read.
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Visual short-term memory
Briefly retaining what you just saw, from a face in a crowd to where you left your keys.
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Non-verbal memory
Storing and retrieving shapes, melodies, routes and sensations that have little or no verbal content.
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Contextual memory
Recalling not just the fact but its source: who told you, where you were, when it happened.
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Recognition
Identifying something you have encountered before, even when you cannot recall it freely.
Free test
Put your abilities to the test, free, in two minutes
You do not have to commit to a full assessment to find out where you stand. This short task measures processing speed and visual attention with a symbol-digit paradigm, and gives you a result straight away.
Two minutes, no cost. The full assessment battery is there afterwards if you want the complete profile.
How it works
Three steps, one sitting
1
Complete the tasks
A sequence of short interactive tasks, each derived from a standardised neuropsychological test. Difficulty adapts to your performance as you go.
2
Read your profile
Results are converted against a normative sample matched for your age and reported on a 0 to 800 scale, broken down by domain and by individual ability.
3
Train what needs it
The profile feeds a training programme that prioritises your weaker abilities and adjusts as they improve, rather than giving everyone the same exercises.
The tasks
The memory tasks, and the tests behind them
Each task in the battery is built on a published paradigm rather than invented for the platform. You can open any of them and see the paradigm running before you decide to be assessed.
Visual short-term memory, working memory
Visuospatial span
A pattern of positions lights up and has to be reproduced in order, with a delay added in the second half. Built on the Corsi block-tapping task.
Open the task →Recognition, contextual memory
Lexical recognition memory
A series of objects is presented, then a second series in which only the previously shown items must be picked out, either as pictures or as spoken words.
Open the task →Contextual memory, naming
Multimodal lexical memory
For each object you decide whether it is new, whether you last saw it as a picture, or whether you last heard it as a word. Source memory in a single task.
Open the task →Non-verbal memory, working memory
Visual recognition memory
A sequence of objects has to be memorised and then identified among four alternatives on the following screen.
Open the task →Naming, processing speed
Naming and lexical retrieval
The first letter of the object shown has to be selected from four options, which probes retrieval from the semantic lexicon.
Open the task →Reference
Standardised memory scales, and their digital equivalent
If you arrived here looking for a specific instrument, this is where it sits. Twelve of the memory scales used in clinical and research practice, and the CogniFit task that measures the same ability.
| Scale | Full name | What it measures | Ages | Comparable CogniFit task |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMS-IV | Wechsler Memory Scale, fourth edition | Auditory and visual memory, working memory, delayed recall | 16–90 | Sequencing Test WOM-ASM |
| RAVLT | Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test | List learning across trials, interference, delayed recall | 7–89 | Inquiry Test REST-COM |
| CVLT-3 | California Verbal Learning Test | Verbal learning strategy, recall and recognition | 16–90 | Identification Test COM-NAM |
| Digit Span | Forward, backward and sequencing | Short-term span and verbal working memory | 6–90 | Sequencing Test WOM-ASM |
| Corsi block | Corsi block-tapping task | Visuospatial span and visuospatial working memory | 5–90 | Concentration Test VISMEM-PLAN |
| ROCF | Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure | Visual construction, immediate and delayed visual recall | 6–89 | Recognition Test WOM-REST |
| RBMT-3 | Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test | Everyday memory: names, routes, appointments, belongings | 16–89 | Identification Test COM-NAM |
| FCSRT | Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test | Encoding-controlled recall and cued retrieval | Adults | Inquiry Test REST-COM |
| BVMT-R | Brief Visuospatial Memory Test, revised | Visuospatial learning and delayed recall | 18–79 | Concentration Test VISMEM-PLAN |
| HVLT-R | Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, revised | Brief verbal learning and recognition | 16–88 | Inquiry Test REST-COM |
| MoCA memory index | Montreal Cognitive Assessment, memory index | Delayed recall within a wider screening tool | 18–85 | Identification Test COM-NAM |
| Doors and People | Doors and People test | Visual and verbal recall and recognition compared | 16–80 | Recognition Test WOM-REST |
Training
Memory exercises you can try right now
8 of the exercises that make up the memory training programme. Standardised scales measure; these practise. Each one adapts its difficulty to your performance, which is what keeps the demand where it does something.
Credibility
Why these numbers mean something
A score is only as good as the group it is compared against and the reliability of the task that produced it.
3,188,798
Completed assessments in the normative database, which is what allows a result to be read against age-matched peers rather than in the abstract.
Class II SaMD
The professional battery, CAB PRO, is an FDA-registered device for use by qualified health professionals. Registration number 3017544020.
Peer reviewed
The tasks and the training system have been published and independently studied. The full reference list is on the scientific validation page.
What this is and is not. CogniFit assessments measure performance on cognitive tasks and support the understanding of cognitive wellbeing. They do not provide a medical diagnosis, and a score is not a clinical finding. In a clinical setting, results interpreted by a qualified professional can help decide whether further neuropsychological evaluation is warranted. Training programmes are designed to encourage general cognitive health and are not a treatment for any condition. If you are worried about your memory, speak to a health professional.
Questions
Before you start
How can I measure my memory online?
Complete a standardised cognitive assessment that includes memory tasks and reports your results against a normative sample matched for your age. CogniFit's battery measures seven distinct memory abilities alongside attention, reasoning, perception and coordination, and produces a cognitive profile at the end of a single session. There is also a free two-minute task if you want a first indication before committing.
Is there a free memory test?
Yes. The free two-minute task on this page uses a symbol-digit paradigm to measure processing speed and visual attention, and gives you a result immediately. It is a starting point rather than a full profile: the complete battery separates seven memory abilities and takes 30 to 40 minutes.
How long does a memory assessment take?
The general cognitive assessment battery takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes and is completed online in one sitting. Shorter batteries are available when only a screening is needed.
What is the difference between short-term and working memory?
Short-term memory holds information briefly without changing it, such as repeating a phone number. Working memory holds it and manipulates it at the same time, such as repeating the same number backwards. They are measured by different tasks and can differ within the same person.
Is a memory score the same as a diagnosis?
No. A score describes performance on a task relative to a matched reference group. A diagnosis is made by a qualified professional who takes history, examination and other evidence into account. Assessment results can support that process but never replace it.
Why are memory scores adjusted for age?
Because performance on memory tasks changes across the lifespan. A raw score that looks low for a twenty-year-old can sit comfortably in the average band at seventy-five. Comparing against a matched group is what turns a raw number into a meaningful result.
Can memory be trained?
Practice reliably improves performance on the trained task and on closely related tasks. Transfer to unrelated abilities or to everyday function is weaker and still debated in the research literature, so CogniFit presents its programmes as cognitive stimulation rather than as treatment.
Who can take a memory assessment?
The general battery is designed for children from seven years old through to older adults. Children under 16 use CogniFit through a family or professional account.
Find out where your memory actually stands
Two minutes free to get started, or one full session for seven memory abilities compared against your own age group and tracked from then on.