What this game trains
The Chimp Test is a working memory test made famous by a chimpanzee. Numbers flash on screen, you memorize their positions in one look — and the moment you tap 1, everything else gets covered. From there, memory is all you have.
It’s your chance to try the exact task where a chimpanzee famously outperformed humans.
How to play
- 1Memorize where the scattered numbers are.
- 2Tap 1 — the rest are instantly covered.
- 3Tap them in order from memory! Each success adds a number; three mistakes end the game.
Tips for a higher score
- Don’t memorize positions one by one — trace the path 1→2→3 as a single shape. Shapes outlive lists.
- Take your time before tapping 1. There is no time limit until your first tap.
- You only get three mistakes. On rounds that feel shaky, spend the extra seconds memorizing.
The science behind it
This task became famous through research at Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (Inoue & Matsuzawa, 2007), where a young chimpanzee named Ayumu recalled number positions after a single glance faster and more accurately than human participants. For humans it heavily loads visuospatial working memory — briefly holding “what was where” — and it remains a fixture in memory research.
FAQ
Are chimps really better than humans at this?
In that study, trained young chimpanzees beat human participants at split-second position memory. Researchers also note the roles of task design and extensive training.
How is the score calculated?
Points accumulate for every successful round, and rounds are worth more as the number count grows. Three mistakes end the game.
How many numbers is a good result?
There’s no fixed standard, but many people hit a wall around 6–7. Once you learn to memorize the path as a shape, double digits come into reach.