Chimp Test
Click the numbers in ascending order. After you click 1, the rest turn blank — keep going from memory. 3 lives.
Why is it called the chimp test?
In a famous 2007 study at Kyoto University, young chimpanzees — most famously one named Ayumu — saw numbers flash on a screen for a fraction of a second and still tapped their locations in perfect order, beating university students at the same task. This test recreates that setup: numbers appear, you click 1, everything else goes blank, and you must finish the sequence from spatial memory alone. Each success adds one number; a mistake costs a life and reshuffles the board. It measures visuospatial working memory capacity.
The experiment behind the test
At the Primate Research Institute in Kyoto, researchers showed young chimpanzees numbers scattered on a touchscreen, then blanked everything the moment the first number was touched. One chimpanzee, Ayumu, kept tapping the remaining numbers in the correct order even when the display had lasted only a fraction of a second — and did it more reliably than the human university students tested alongside him.
This page recreates that setup. The numbers appear, you click 1, everything else turns blank, and the rest has to come from spatial memory alone. Each cleared round adds one more number.
Why the comparison is not quite fair
The chimpanzee result is often retold as proof that chimps have better memories than people, and the honest picture is narrower than that. Ayumu had trained on the task for years, the students had not, and the advantage appears only at very short display times. Later work also found that practised humans close much of the gap.
What the study does show cleanly is that a very brief glance can carry more spatial information than it feels like it does. Your own score climbing over a few attempts is the same effect at a smaller scale.
Getting further into the sequence
- Do not read the numbers in order. Take in the whole screen at once and let the positions register as a pattern — reading one by one is slower than the display lasts.
- Lock down the first four before worrying about the rest. Getting 1 to 4 right every time and losing at 5 still beats guessing from the start.
- Group nearby numbers. Two that sit next to each other can be remembered as one movement instead of two locations.
- Keep your hand near the middle of the screen while you memorise, so no tap needs a long travel that gives the pattern time to fade.
- Accept that the pattern fades in seconds. Tapping quickly and confidently scores better than tapping carefully and slowly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good chimp test score?
Most people manage 7–9 numbers. 10+ is above average, and 13+ is exceptional. The chimpanzee Ayumu handled 9 numerals flashed for a fraction of a second — with near-perfect accuracy.
Did a chimpanzee really beat humans at this?
Yes — in Matsuzawa's 2007 Kyoto University study, young chimps outperformed university students at remembering briefly flashed number positions. One hypothesis is a trade-off: humans may have given up some raw photographic memory as language evolved.
How is this different from the visual memory test?
The visual memory test asks which tiles lit up (positions only); the chimp test also demands the order, binding each position to a number. Holding position + sequence together is what makes it harder — and what made Ayumu famous.
How can I improve my chimp test score?
Take one calm snapshot of the whole board instead of staring at each number, group the numbers into 2–3 chunks, and plan your tapping path before you touch 1. Scores improve noticeably within a few days of short practice sessions.
Is photographic memory real?
True photographic memory in adults has never been convincingly documented. A related ability, eidetic imagery, appears in a small share of children and fades with age. Record-level human performances rely on trained techniques like chunking and memory palaces — not a mental camera.
Does working memory decline with age?
Capacity peaks in young adulthood and declines slowly afterwards, which is normal. The encouraging part: on tests like this, strategy matters as much as raw capacity, and practice improves scores at any age.