N-Back Test — Working Memory Training
Keep the stream of icons rolling and retrieve the one from N steps back
What this level trains
The N-Back test is a working memory task: a stream of icons flashes on screen, and each round you pick the icon that appeared N steps earlier. Levels 1 to 8 map to 1-back through 8-back, so the remembered sequence grows longer and has to keep updating round after round.
Each level opens with N anchor icons that you must hold, followed by ten decision points. Levels 1 to 4 offer four candidate icons; from level 5 that grows to eight, adding another layer of difficulty on top of the longer memory span. More candidates also mean more time spent locating the icon you want.
Only a perfect run of ten scores, and a single wrong choice ends the set immediately. That strict rule exists because every later judgement depends on the earlier sequence being correct; allowing a few guesses would turn a precise updating task into a lottery.
Early studies reported that N-Back training raised fluid intelligence, but larger, stricter studies have been inconsistent. The safer reading is that it reliably improves this task and shows some near transfer to working memory, while far transfer to being smarter remains unproven.
How to play
- Learn the anchorsThe set begins by playing N anchor icons in order; those are the N earlier steps you are committing to memory before the timed rounds start.
- Decide each roundAfter the anchors, every round shows one new icon and four or eight candidates below. Tap the candidate that appeared N steps earlier in the stream.
- Keep the window rollingOn a correct answer, push the new icon into your memory and drop the oldest one, then move on. The whole sequence shifts left by one every round.
- One mistake ends itA wrong choice ends the set at once with no score, because later rounds would rest on an unreliable sequence. After ten correct rounds, the set is graded on your total answering time.
8 difficulty levels and score thresholds
Difficulty 1 through 8 is literally 1-back through 8-back: the number of anchors equals N, and the decision points are always ten. From level 5 the candidate icons double from four to eight, and the time threshold is built from a per-round base, a retrieval cost that grows with N, and a locating cost for the extra choices. Only ten out of ten earns a score, rated on total time.
| Level | Memory steps | Full-mark line | Excellent | Good | Pass | Max score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1-back | 6.3 s | 9 s | 10.8 s | 14.4 s | 3000 | 4 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 2 | 2-back | 7.3 s | 10.5 s | 12.6 s | 16.8 s | 4000 | 4 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 3 | 3-back | 8.4 s | 12 s | 14.4 s | 19.2 s | 5000 | 4 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 4 | 4-back | 9.4 s | 13.5 s | 16.2 s | 21.6 s | 6000 | 4 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 5 | 5-back | 11.9 s | 17 s | 20.4 s | 27.2 s | 7000 | 8 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 6 | 6-back | 12.9 s | 18.5 s | 22.2 s | 29.6 s | 8000 | 8 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 7 | 7-back | 14 s | 20 s | 24 s | 32 s | 9000 | 8 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
| Level 8 | 8-back | 15.1 s | 21.5 s | 25.8 s | 34.4 s | 10000 | 8 options · you only score if all 10 rounds are correct |
You can only reach the maximum score at or under the full-mark line. Past the pass line the score keeps decaying, down to 0 at twice the pass line. The maximum rises from 3000 to 10000 across the levels.
Tips and common mistakes
- Use a sliding windowHold a fixed-width window in mind where the newest item enters and the oldest drops out. Maintaining a growing list instead overflows your capacity within a few rounds.
- Name the icons silentlyVoicing a feature of each icon, such as apple or banana, strengthens retention. The phonological loop is working memory natural add-on, so use it.
- Separate find from compareFrom level 5 there are eight candidates. First recognise the icon you just saw, then check whether it is N steps back, instead of trying to do both in one step.
- Steady beats quickOne error ends the whole set, so stability matters far more than speed, especially across the first three rounds where a rushed start is most costly.
Frequently asked questions
- Does N-Back really raise intelligence?
- Early research reported gains in fluid intelligence after N-Back training, but later studies with larger samples and tighter controls have not agreed. The defensible claim is that it reliably improves this task and shows some near transfer to working memory, while far transfer to everyday intelligence remains unproven.
- Why does one mistake end the set?
- Every round builds on the correct sequence before it. Once you answer wrongly, the stream in your memory is unreliable, so later rounds would not measure anything meaningful and the set simply ends, which is exactly why the run stops there rather than limping on.
- Why do I need ten out of ten to score?
- The point of the N-Back test is continuous, accurate updating. Allowing a few misses would let the task drift into guessing, so requiring a perfect run puts steadiness ahead of speed and keeps the score meaningful.
- I cannot hold more than a few items. Is that normal?
- Yes. Most people collapse somewhere above 3-back on their first attempts. Begin with 1-back and 2-back to get the rolling update working before pushing the span higher, since pushing too early usually just ends the set sooner.
- How is this different from Pattern Memory?
- Pattern Memory asks you to hold a fixed sequence and reproduce it, which is short-term retention. The N-Back test requires the remembered content to update every round, which is closer to working memory in active use.
Related levels
Content updated on 2026-10-03 · Level 5 · Memory