Digit Span Test: Forward & Backward

How this number memory test works

Each mode starts at three digits. You get two sequences at each length. Recall at least one correctly to move up by one digit. The attempt ends after two incorrect sequences at a length, or after the two ten-digit trials. The reported span is the longest sequence you recalled exactly, including any repeated or leading zeros.

Each digit appears for 700 milliseconds with a 300-millisecond blank between digits. Answer entry is untimed. Avoid notes, screenshots, and outside help if you want to compare attempts. If you switch tabs during a trial, we discard that trial and offer a fresh sequence.

Forward versus backward digit span

Forward recall asks you to keep the original order. Backward recall adds the requirement to reverse it. Try both separately and record the mode alongside your score. This visual exercise differs from an examiner reading numbers aloud, so scores from those formats are not interchangeable.

The site also offers a 2-back working memory test, which asks you to compare new items with earlier ones in a continuing stream.

What is a good digit span score?

There is no validated average or age-based percentile for this original online version. Presentation speed, recall direction, practice, and testing conditions all matter. Compare like-for-like attempts rather than interpreting a number as a fixed measure of intelligence.

Is this test free and original?

Yes. Both modes and all results are free, with no account required. Sequences are generated fresh; the instructions, interface, and practice scoring are original. This is not a reproduction of a commercial assessment and uses no proprietary items or normative tables.

This version requires seeing timed digits. It does not provide an equivalent audio or screen-reader assessment.