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Can you improve memory?
Yes, on the trained tasks.Scores on the games themselves rise quickly with practice. Gains on close variants are common; gains on unrelated, everyday tasks are much smaller and less consistent.
What is memory training?
Memory training is practice at encoding and retrieving information over seconds to minutes,using games like face–name pairs, word lists and story recall. The biggest gains come from learning strategies, such as linking and visualising, rather than repetition alone.
- Games
- 10
- Session
- 5–15 minutes
- Frequency
- 3–5× a week
- Levels
- Easy → hard, adaptive
- Cost
- Free, no account
SESSION BUILDER
How long have you got?
Intensity
Easy and medium games, ordered warm-up to finisher.Every memory game
10 games · 35 min if you play them all01Easy2 minChange DetectionDid one coloured square change? Measures visual memory capacity.
ANATOMY OF THE SKILL
Encode, store, retrieve
Remembering has three stages: encoding (paying attention and linking the new thing to what you know), storage, and retrieval. Most everyday forgetting happens at encoding, which is why the strategies you practise here matter more than raw repetition.
A week that works
Tap a day to switch it on or off · 45 min a week3–5×sessions a weekShort and frequent beats long and rare.
10–15minutes a sessionStop while you're still sharp.
4 in 5level-up ruleMove up once you score four in five.
6 wkbefore judgingGive it six weeks before deciding.
OUTSIDE THE GAME
Where you use memory every day
Three everyday moments that lean on this skill, and the game that practises the same move.
THE MOMENTYou're introduced to four people at once and use each name later.
PRACTISE IT WITHFace–Name PairsTHE MOMENTMilk, eggs, bread, batteries: you get all four without a note.
PRACTISE IT WITHWord List RecallTHE MOMENTAt the end of a meeting you can say who agreed to do what.
PRACTISE IT WITHStory RecallMemory training, explained
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How long does it take to see results?
Usually two to three weeks on the games, six weeks to judge.Most people improve fastest in the first few sessions as they learn the task, then more slowly. Give it about six weeks of regular practice before deciding whether it's helping you.
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How often should you train memory?
Three to five short sessions a week.Ten to fifteen focused minutes beats an occasional hour. Spread sessions out, stop while you're still sharp, and move up a level once you score four in five.
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Does memory training raise IQ?
Probably not by much.Large reviews find little evidence that brain-training games raise general intelligence. Expect better performance on what you practise, and use the IQ test to measure your starting point honestly.
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How do you measure your memory?
Track your levels here and take a test for a benchmark.Your training stats show the level you reach in each game over time. For a standardised reading, the full IQ test scores four domains against other takers.
Sources
Research behind this page. Our methodology- Baddeley, A. (2012). Working memory: theories, models, and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 1–29.
- Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.
- Simons, D. J., et al. (2016). Do "brain-training" programs work? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(3), 103–186.