Working Memory Test — free online test with benchmark
About this test
Working memory is the memory you think with: the mental workspace that holds information while you manipulate it — re-ordering a sentence mid-sentence, following three-step instructions, flipping a phone number around to dial it reversed. Forward digit span measures the buffer; backward span measures the workspace, which is why clinicians treat it as the harder, more informative of the two.
This test uses the standard backward digit-span protocol: digits appear, you recall them in reverse order. The length grows until it beats you. Two trials per length, three minutes, one score that reflects mental manipulation rather than passive storage.
How the working memory test works
- 1A sequence of digits appears — starting with just 3.
- 2It disappears, and you type the sequence in reverse order.
- 3Shown 7-4-9? Type 9-4-7. Each success adds one digit.
- 4Two failed attempts at the same length end the test. Your backward span is the longest length reversed correctly.
What your score means
Most healthy adults have a backward span of 4–7 digits — about one to two less than their forward span. That gap is the manipulation cost: the sequence has to be held while being re-ordered, which is exactly the extra work that defines working memory. Research links backward span to executive function more strongly than forward span does.
This is also the measure most affected by attention and ADHD — a crowded mental workspace shows up here first. The good news: manipulation is trainable. Practicing the walk-back (rehearse forward, then recite backward in chunks) reliably adds digits, and the training game below automates the drill.
- 2–3:Below the typical range.
- 4–7:Typical range.
- 8–10:Above typical.
How to improve your score
- Rehearse the sequence forward, then walk it back in chunks of 2–3 digits. .
- Drill the full progressive version in Backward Digit Span.
- Why ADHD hits working memory first — and what helps — in ADHD and Working Memory.
- Build the habit with the daily workout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between short-term and working memory?
Short-term memory is passive storage — how many items you can hold. Working memory adds manipulation — holding items while reordering, updating or transforming them. Typing back a digit string tests the first; typing it backwards tests the second.
What is a good backward digit span score?
Most adults score 4–7 digits, typically one to two less than their forward span. A backward span of 8+ indicates unusually strong executive control of the mental workspace.
How long does the working memory test take?
About three minutes — slightly longer than the forward-span test because each length gets two trials and reversal takes a moment of thought.
Does working memory training help ADHD?
Training reliably improves the trained task and closely similar ones. Evidence for far transfer — better attention in daily life — is weaker, which is why this site pairs drills with strategy, routines and honest expectations. The ADHD and working memory article linked below goes through the evidence.
Benchmark: Backward digit span — standard WMS subtest; typical adult span 4–7. This test is part of the MemoryGames Test Center — it pairs with the training game Backward Digit Span, and the full science is covered in ADHD and Working Memory: Why You Blank Out — What Actually Helps. A self-measure for training and curiosity — not an assessment of ADHD or any condition. Working-memory complaints that affect daily life deserve a professional evaluation.