What this test measures
A typical score in this verbal memory test is about 40 to 70 correct answers before the third mistake. Scores above 100 are well above average. The test measures recognition memory: how well you can tell familiar words from new ones as the list keeps growing.
This is a continuous recognition task. Recognising something you have seen is easier than recalling it, and people can recognise a surprising number of words and pictures. The difficulty here is interference: as more words pile up, new words start to feel familiar too.
How it works
- Press Start. A word appears.
- Press SEEN if it already appeared in this test, NEW if it did not.
- Each correct answer scores a point. Three mistakes end the test.
Your score is the number of correct answers (higher is better). Repeated words become more frequent as the test goes on.
How to do your best
- Give every new word a quick image or association; it makes it easier to recognise later.
- When unsure, trust your first feeling of familiarity.
- Words appear in the language of the page; switch the language to test yourself in another one.