NeuroDash: Free Brain Training Games and Connections
Train reaction time, memory, attention, and processing speed with 15+ interactive tests. Track progress and challenge friends in multiplayer reaction duels.
Popular Connections
NeuroDash includes tests for reaction speed, typing speed, attention control, sequence memory, and pattern recognition. Use these exercises to build mental performance over time.
The Science Behind Brain Training
Our tests draw on peer-reviewed research in cognitive neuroscience. The National Institute of Mental Health documents how targeted cognitive exercises can strengthen neural pathways. Research on working memory and reaction time is widely published via PubMed. For broader guidance on brain health, the Harvard Health Memory Center and the American Psychological Association are authoritative resources.
About the Chimp Test
The chimp test shows numbers scattered across the screen for a brief moment, then hides them behind blank squares. Your job is to click the squares in numerical order from memory. Each level adds another number.
The test is famous because of a 2007 study at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute, where a young chimpanzee named Ayumu outperformed university students at exactly this task — recalling the positions of nine digits seen for a fraction of a second. It became one of the most cited demonstrations that chimpanzees can beat humans at specific memory tasks.
Humans can close the gap with practice and strategy, but the test remains genuinely hard: it combines spatial memory, number ordering, and speed under pressure.
Chimp test benchmarks
| Level | Numbers recalled |
|---|---|
| Average human | 7–9 numbers |
| Good score | 10–12 numbers |
| Excellent | 13–15 numbers |
| Ayumu the chimpanzee | 9 digits in under a second |
Ayumu's feat was speed: he memorized positions after seeing them for ~210 milliseconds.
How to improve your score
- Scan the numbers in order before they disappear, tracing a path between them.
- Group nearby numbers into spatial clusters to reduce memory load.
- Click confidently — hesitating lets the memory trace fade.
- Practice the visual memory and sequence memory tests; the skills transfer directly.
- Stay calm after mistakes; most users lose streaks to frustration, not capacity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the chimp test?
The chimp test challenges working memory by showing numbers briefly, then requiring you to click their hidden positions in ascending order.
Why is it called the chimp test?
It recreates a Kyoto University experiment where a chimpanzee named Ayumu outperformed human adults at recalling number positions seen for a fraction of a second.
What is a good chimp test score?
Most people manage 7–9 numbers. Reaching 10–12 is good, and 13+ is excellent.
Why is the chimp test so difficult?
It combines spatial memory, number ordering, and time pressure, so sequence tracking becomes much harder with each added number.
Can humans beat chimpanzees at this test?
With practice, humans can match the number of items, but Ayumu's speed — encoding nine positions in about 210 milliseconds — remains extraordinary.