Digit Span
About Digit Span
Digit-span tasks ask how many items can be held in immediate awareness and, in harder versions, how well those items can be reversed or reordered. The surface material is simple, but the task has long been used to observe attention control, temporary storage, and active manipulation rather than learned knowledge.
Its historical roots reach back to early span experiments in memory research and later to major clinical and intelligence batteries. Because sequences of digits are familiar, relatively neutral, and easy to standardize, they became one of the classic ways to sample short-term and working-memory capacity.
Today, digit span is rarely interpreted as a knowledge measure. It is usually read as part of a broader working-memory picture and compared with tasks that demand reordering, visual span, or complex reasoning under load.
This public version keeps the background and interpretive context visible while the interactive task remains locked.
Part 1: Forward
Listen to the instructions, then choose "Begin Forward" when you feel ready.
Forward instructions
Numbers play at one per second. Use headphones or a quiet space for best results.
Part 2: Backward
Listen to the Backward instructions and press "Begin Backward" once you understand the task.
Backward instructions
After the sequence finishes, recall the digits in reverse order.
Part 3: Sequence
Play the Sequence instructions and begin when you are ready to arrange the digits.
Sequencing instructions
After listening, enter all digits you remember from smallest to largest.
Keep listening until the sequence ends before typing your response.
Thank you for completing Digit Span
Your results have been saved.
- Score:
- Time taken:
- Raw Score:
- Scaled Score:
- Forwards: Raw score
- Backwards: Raw score
- Sequencing: Raw score