Free Short-Term
Memory Test
Measure your working memory capacity across digit span, sequence recall and pattern memory. 30 questions. Instant results. Span score included. No account needed.
Start the Test — FreeThe core definition
Short-term memory is the cognitive system that holds a limited amount of information in mind over a brief period — typically seconds to minutes — and manipulates it to solve immediate problems. It is distinct from long-term memory (permanent storage) and is often used interchangeably with the term "working memory," though working memory emphasises the active manipulation of information, while short-term memory emphasises passive holding. The classical limit of short-term memory is approximately 7 items (plus or minus 2), a principle documented in George Miller's foundational 1956 paper "The Magical Number Seven." However, this capacity varies with individual differences, the complexity of the material, the presence of cognitive load, and whether the information is chunked (grouped into meaningful units). Short-term memory is foundational to language comprehension, mental arithmetic, problem-solving and reasoning — any task that requires you to hold multiple pieces of information in mind simultaneously while processing them.
Short-term memory capacity is one of the strongest predictors of fluid intelligence, reading comprehension, mathematical ability and academic performance across ages. It is also sensitive to cognitive load, stress, sleep deprivation and divided attention — making it a useful clinical marker for cognitive function. This test measures three core dimensions of short-term memory: digit span (the number of digits you can recall in sequence), sequence recall (remembering the order of non-numeric sequences), and pattern memory (detecting and recalling patterns in spatial and visual information).
Digit Span
Recall increasing sequences of random digits — the classic measure of capacity.
Sequence Recall
Remember the order of letters, shapes or symbols — testing manipulation and encoding.
Pattern Memory
Detect and recall repeating patterns and relationships in sequences.
Digit span forward
Listen (or read) a sequence of digits and recall them in the correct order — the most commonly used measure of immediate memory.
Sequence memory
Remember sequences of letters, shapes and symbols. Requires active encoding, not just passive repetition.
Pattern recognition memory
Identify patterns and recall which items appeared in which positions — the intersection of memory and reasoning.
Working memory capacity strongly predicts fluid intelligence, reading comprehension and mathematical ability. A meta-analysis by Unsworth and Engle (2007) found correlations between working memory capacity and fluid intelligence ranging from 0.4 to 0.5 — meaning that people with higher short-term memory spans tend to score higher on tests of reasoning, problem-solving and novel learning. This relationship holds across ages from childhood through older adulthood.
Short-term memory is domain-specific. Your digit span may be longer than your letter span, and both may differ from your spatial memory span. This is because different types of information are encoded and retrieved through different neural systems — a finding that complicates the idea of a single "memory capacity" and suggests that memory is best understood as a system of partially independent components.
Chunking dramatically increases capacity. If you are shown the digit sequence 1-9-1-1-9-4-5, it occupies 7 items of capacity. But if you recognise it as three dates (1911, 1945), it occupies only 2 chunks. Miller's "magical number seven" is actually the magical number of chunks, not raw items. Expert chess players have enormous "memory" for board positions — not because they have larger memory spans, but because they chunk thousands of patterns into meaningful units that their experience has taught them.
Each question tests a specific dimension of short-term memory — digit span, sequence recall and pattern detection. Work carefully. This test is untimed but measures both accuracy and response consistency.