The chimp test measures how many numbered squares you can remember and click in order after they hide. Numbers appear scattered on a grid, then flip blank. You click them in order, one to nine and up, from memory alone. Each round adds another number. Miss the order and it ends. Your score is the most numbers you clear.
Where the chimp test comes from
The test is named after a study at Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute. In 2007, researchers Sana Inoue and Tetsuro Matsuzawa reported that a young chimpanzee named Ayumu could recall the positions of numbers flashed for less than a second, and did it faster and more accurately than the human adults tested alongside him.
That result surprised a lot of people. We tend to assume humans win every memory contest. On this rapid spatial task, a chimp beat us. This online chimp test recreates the same challenge so you can see how far you get.
What the chimp test measures
It measures fast spatial working memory: grabbing a whole layout in a glance and holding the positions while you act on them. The numbers vanish almost immediately, so you can’t study them. You take a mental snapshot and work from that.
This is closer to how Ayumu played than to how most people naturally think. Humans lean on language and rehearsal, which are too slow here. The winners on this test stop narrating and start “photographing” the board.
How the chimp test is scored
Your score is the highest count of numbers you click in the correct order before you slip. The grid starts small and grows each round. Most people reach about 7 numbers. Getting past 10 is strong, and the top scorers clear 13.
The tool then shows your band:
| Band | Score | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Below average | Under 5 tiles | Bottom 25% |
| Average | 5 to 9 tiles | 25th to 75th percentile |
| Above average | 9 to 11 tiles | 75th to 95th percentile |
| Exceptional | 11 tiles and up | Top 5% |
See the typical range on the average chimp test score page, or find your rank on the chimp test percentiles page.
How to beat the chimp test
Speed and a wide gaze matter more than effort here.
- Take one snapshot, don’t scan. Let your eyes go soft and catch the whole grid at once. Reading each number in turn is too slow before they hide.
- Anchor the low numbers. You only need to know where 1, 2, and 3 are to start moving. Fix those first, then trust your snapshot for the rest.
- Stop talking to yourself. Silent narration (“one is top-right, two is…”) eats the split second you have. Go visual.
- Click at a calm, steady speed. The board is already stored. Rushing the clicks causes order slips, not the memory itself.
Want more spatial drills? Try the sequence memory test or the memory games hub. Or just take the test.
Frequently asked questions
Can humans really beat a chimpanzee at the chimp test?
Some can, on some rounds. The famous 2007 Kyoto study found a young chimp, Ayumu, outperformed adult humans at rapidly recalling flashed number positions. With practice, trained humans can match strong chimp scores, but the raw speed advantage the study showed is real and hard to close.
What is a good chimp test score?
Most people reach about 7 numbers. Clearing 9 puts you in the upper quarter, and passing 10 is genuinely strong. The percentiles page shows where every score ranks.
Why do the numbers disappear so fast?
The short flash is the whole point. If the numbers stayed visible you’d just read them in order, which tests nothing. By hiding them almost at once, the test forces you to hold the layout in working memory, which is the ability Ayumu’s study was really measuring.
Does the chimp test measure intelligence?
No. It measures fast spatial working memory, one narrow skill. It doesn’t track reasoning, language, or general intelligence. A high score means you’re quick at snapshotting positions, nothing more. It’s a fun benchmark, not an IQ estimate.