A square lights up every few seconds. Press Match when it is in the same place as N steps back. Dual mode adds a letter to track at the same time.
Pick a level and press Start. Keys: A = position, L = letter.
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Score
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Hits
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Misses
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False alarms
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Best level
Score = hits ÷ (hits + misses + false alarms). 80% or more suggests moving up a level; under 50% suggests moving down.
What an n-back task asks you to do
Items arrive one at a time, and for each one you decide whether it matches the item N steps back. In 1-back that is simply the previous square. In 2-back you compare with the one before that, while the newest square is already waiting to be remembered. The task was introduced by Wayne Kirchner in 1958 and is now one of the standard ways researchers load working memory — the small, constantly updated store you use to hold and juggle information for a few seconds.
What makes it hard is not remembering one item but updating: every few seconds the oldest item has to be dropped and a new one added, in the right order. That is why one step up in N often feels like much more than one step harder.
How this version works
Position mode: one of eight squares lights up every 3 seconds (half a second on screen). Press Position match or key A when it is the same square as N steps back.
Dual mode: each square also shows a letter, which can be read aloud if your browser supports speech. Track both streams and press Letter match or key L for the letters. Position and letter matches happen independently.
Round length: 20 + N items. The first N cannot match anything, so they are only for remembering. In the 20 scored items, 6 are matches for each stream — about 30%.
Scoring: hits ÷ (hits + misses + false alarms). Counting false alarms stops you from scoring well by pressing on every item. At 80% or more the next level is suggested automatically; under 50%, one level lower.
Does n-back training make you smarter?
Dual n-back became famous after a 2008 study reported that people who practised it also improved on a reasoning test. That claim has been tested many times since. Large reviews and meta-analyses have generally found that practice reliably improves n-back itself and closely similar memory tasks, while gains on unrelated abilities such as general intelligence, school grades or everyday attention are small or absent.
So the honest way to use this page is as a challenging workout and a measuring stick for your working memory today — not as a promise of higher intelligence. Watching your level climb from 2-back to 3-back over a week is real progress on a demanding task, and it is a satisfying one.
Tips that actually help
Start at 1-back or 2-back in position mode. Move to dual mode only once position-only 2-back feels comfortable.
Keep a running list in your head — “left, top, centre-right” — and drop the oldest name as each new square appears.
Do not press when unsure. A false alarm costs as much as a miss, so guessing rarely pays.
Short, regular sessions beat one long one. Two or three rounds when you are fresh tell you more than ten in a row when you are tired.
Choose a level (N) and press Start. A square lights up every 3 seconds. Press Position match (or A) whenever the square is in the same place as the one N steps earlier. In dual mode, also press Letter match (or L) when the letter matches the one N steps earlier.
What is dual n-back?
Dual n-back runs two streams at once: the position of the square and a letter. Each stream has its own matches, and you answer them separately. Holding two sequences at the same time makes it much harder than position alone, so most people start one or two levels lower in dual mode.
What is a good n-back score?
Scoring 80% at 2-back in position mode is a solid start, and 3-back is genuinely demanding for most adults. Dual mode is harder: reaching 3-back there usually takes regular practice. Results vary with tiredness and device, so compare with your own previous rounds.
Does dual n-back increase IQ?
The evidence does not support that. An early study suggested gains on reasoning tests, but later meta-analyses found that practice mainly improves the n-back task itself and very similar tasks, with little reliable effect on general intelligence. It is a good working-memory challenge, not an IQ booster.
Why does pressing on every square lower my score?
Because the score is hits ÷ (hits + misses + false alarms). Pressing on every item catches all 6 matches but adds at least 14 false alarms, which drags the score below 30%. Press only when you are fairly sure.
Can I play n-back on my phone?
Yes. Tap the match buttons under the grid. Letters are always shown in the square, and reading them aloud works where the phone’s browser supports speech. If you switch apps mid-round the game stops, because the timing would no longer be fair.