Visuospatial Memory Benchmark
Sequence Memory Test
A sequence memory test measures your visuospatial working memory by asking you to reproduce an increasingly long pattern of highlighted positions on a grid. It is based on the Corsi block-tapping task developed by Philip Corsi in 1972, in which a set of blocks is tapped in a sequence and the participant repeats it. The average adult can hold a sequence of about five positions, a figure sometimes called the "Corsi span." This sequence memory test adds one flash per level, so your score is the longest pattern you reproduce in the correct order before making a mistake.
The Corsi block-tapping task
The sequence memory test descends from an experiment Philip Corsi designed in 1972 for his doctoral work under the neuropsychologist Brenda Milner at McGill University. Corsi arranged nine identical blocks on a board and tapped them in a sequence; the participant then tapped the same blocks in the same order. By lengthening the sequence until the person failed, Corsi could measure a spatial equivalent of the digit span -- the "Corsi span." The digital grid you see here preserves the essential structure: identical positions, an order to remember, and a length that grows until you slip.
Where sequence memory lives in the brain
The Corsi task became a cornerstone of Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch's influential 1974 model of working memory. In that model, verbal information -- the kind you use on a number memory test -- is handled by a "phonological loop," while spatial and visual information is handled by a separate system Baddeley called the visuospatial sketchpad. The sequence memory test taps that sketchpad directly. Because the two systems are partly independent, it is common to have a strong number span but an average spatial span, or the reverse; they are related but not the same capacity.
How sequence memory differs from number memory
Both tests measure how much you can hold for a few seconds, but they load different systems. Number memory is verbal -- most people rehearse the digits as sounds. Sequence memory is spatial -- you remember a path through positions, which is harder to put into words. That is why strategies transfer poorly between them: chunking digits into dates does nothing for a grid pattern, whereas turning the sequence into a shape or a route works well. Comparing your span on the two tests is a quick way to see whether your memory leans verbal or spatial.
Why clinicians use the sequence memory test
Because spatial working memory is sensitive to several conditions, the Corsi task is widely used in assessment. Reduced Corsi span appears in early Alzheimer's disease, after certain strokes, and in some ADHD profiles, making it a useful screening tool alongside verbal span. Researchers also run a backward version, where you reproduce the sequence in reverse, to load working memory more heavily. As with every test in this suite, the version here is for interest and self-tracking rather than diagnosis -- but it uses the same basic paradigm clinicians rely on.
Sequence memory percentiles
The band below reflects the rough distribution of sequence memory test scores in healthy adults, measured as Corsi-style spatial span. Higher is better; most people plateau between five and seven.
| Level reached | Rating |
|---|---|
| Level 3-4 | Below average -- often a first attempt |
| Level 5 | Average -- the typical Corsi span |
| Level 6-7 | Above average |
| Level 8-9 | Excellent |
| Level 10+ | Exceptional spatial working memory |
How to improve your sequence memory
Your score on a sequence memory test responds to strategy just as verbal span does. These habits add a level or two for most people.
Trace the path as a shape
Instead of memorising nine separate squares, follow the sequence as a single continuous line -- an L, a Z, a zig-zag. Encoding the pattern as one shape is far lighter on working memory than storing each position on its own.
Watch the whole grid, not each square
Keep a soft focus on the centre and let the flashes register in your peripheral vision. Chasing each lit square with your eyes wastes time and breaks the sense of the overall path.
Reproduce at a steady pace
Once you start tapping, keep an even rhythm rather than hesitating over each move. A smooth motor sequence draws on the same movement memory you built while watching, so trusting it usually beats second-guessing.
Try the rest of the suite
Sequence memory is your spatial span. Compare it against the rest -- all free, all in your browser.
Visual Memory
Memorise a grid pattern shown all at once, then recall it. Three lives, rising difficulty.
Take the test →Number Memory
How many digits can you hold in mind? Measure your digit span against Miller's "magical seven."
Take the test →Chimp Test
Working-memory challenge based on Matsuzawa's 2007 chimpanzee study.
Take the test →Reaction Time
Click when the panel turns green. Measure your reflexes in milliseconds.
Take the test →Aim Test
Click targets as fast as you can. A moving-target benchmark for gamers.
Take the test →FPS Test
Our dedicated first-person-shooter aim benchmark, on its own site.
Open FPS Test →Frequently asked questions
The Corsi block-tapping test is a spatial memory task created by Philip Corsi in 1972. An examiner taps blocks in a sequence and the participant repeats it. The longest sequence reproduced correctly is the Corsi span. This online version uses a grid of tiles that flash in order.
The average adult Corsi span is about five, so reaching level five is average, six or seven is above average, and eight or nine is excellent. Level ten or beyond is exceptional. As with all working-memory tests, your first attempt usually understates your ceiling, so play a few rounds before deciding where you stand.
Number memory is verbal -- you rehearse digits as sounds. Sequence memory is spatial -- you remember a path through positions. The two systems are partly independent, so a strong number span does not guarantee a strong spatial span. Most people score a little higher on digits, because verbal rehearsal can be practised deliberately in a way spatial recall cannot.
Your raw spatial span is fairly stable, but strategy adds a level or two. The best trick is to encode the sequence as one continuous shape rather than separate squares, and keep a soft focus on the whole grid. Practice produces modest, task-specific gains.
Sources
- Corsi, P. M. (1972). Human memory and the medial temporal region of the brain. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34(2-B), 891. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-170150-5.50015-5
- Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. J. (1974). Working memory. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89). Academic Press. doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60452-1