A percentile shows the share of people you scored above. Reach the 90th percentile on the chimp test and you beat 90 percent of players. Since the numbers hide almost instantly, scores stay modest and every extra number is hard-won. This page gives the full distribution so you can find your rank.
The chimp test percentile chart
Here’s how chimp test scores spread across the population:
| Percentile | Score |
|---|---|
| 10th | 4 tiles |
| 25th | 5 tiles |
| 50th | 7 tiles |
| 75th | 9 tiles |
| 90th | 10 tiles |
| 95th | 11 tiles |
| 99th | 13 tiles |
The median sits at 7. The distribution is compressed because the short flash caps how much anyone can hold. That’s the same limit the famous 2007 Kyoto study probed, where the chimp Ayumu outscored human adults on this exact kind of rapid position recall.
What the milestones mean
- 7 (50th): median, a typical run.
- 9 (75th): upper quarter, above average.
- 10 (90th): top ten percent, strong.
- 13 (99th): top one percent, approaching the level that made Ayumu famous.
Find your percentile
Take the chimp test and match your highest count to the chart. Your percentile shows the moment you finish. For the plain-language read and the Ayumu backstory, see the average chimp test score page. For a related fast-spatial challenge, compare the sequence memory percentiles. To see how the typical chimp test score shifts across age bands, see memory score by age, and for the methods that move people up the chart, see memory games.
Frequently asked questions
What chimp test score is top 1%?
Reaching 13 numbers puts you in the top one percent. The short exposure caps everyone’s score, so the top of the chart isn’t as high as on tests you can rehearse. Getting here means snapshotting the whole board at a glance rather than reading it number by number.
Why is the chimp test distribution so compressed?
Because the numbers hide almost instantly, nobody gets to study them. That short flash limits how much anyone can hold, so scores bunch together and the range stays narrow. The compression is by design: it’s what forces the rapid working-memory demand the test was built to measure.
How do I climb the chimp test percentile chart?
Stop reading the board and start photographing it. One soft, wide glance captures the layout; scanning is too slow. Anchor where the low numbers sit so you can start moving immediately, then click at a steady pace. The full method is on the chimp test page.