Memory span by age
Most adults remember 7 to 9 digits and repeat sequences of 7 to 10 steps. Working memory span grows through childhood, peaks in early adulthood and declines slowly with age, while strategies like chunking matter more than age for most people.
Updated Nov 5, 2026
Number Memory
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8 digits
Reference values from published research and large online samples, until this device group has enough MindSpeed results.
What is a good score?
| Better than | Score |
|---|---|
| 10% of people | 5 digits |
| 25% of people | 7 digits |
| 50% of people | 8 digits |
| 75% of people | 9 digits |
| 90% of people | 11 digits |
| 99% of people | 13 digits |
By age group
Groups appear once they have at least 30 people. Add your age group and country on your result page to help.
Sequence Memory
Take the testMedian
Level 9
Reference values from published research and large online samples, until this device group has enough MindSpeed results.
What is a good score?
| Better than | Score |
|---|---|
| 10% of people | Level 4 |
| 25% of people | Level 6 |
| 50% of people | Level 9 |
| 75% of people | Level 11 |
| 90% of people | Level 13 |
| 99% of people | Level 16 |
By age group
Groups appear once they have at least 30 people. Add your age group and country on your result page to help.
Working memory across the lifespan
Digit span tasks have been used for over a century. The classic estimate is about seven items, and spans differ more between people than between age groups.
Spatial span (sequence memory) tends to be one or two items shorter than digit span in laboratory versions; on MindSpeed’s 3×3 grid, people reach longer sequences.
Voluntary online results are not a representative sample of any population. Use them to compare yourself, not to compare countries or age groups scientifically. How we measure
Frequently asked questions
How many digits can most people remember?
Seven to nine on the MindSpeed number memory test.
Does memory get worse with age?
Working memory declines slowly in later adulthood, but practice and strategies such as grouping can make a bigger difference than age.