Symbol
Search

Is either target symbol hiding in the row? Answer yes or no as fast as you can without slipping. Your score is correct answers per minute.

Difficultysymbols per row
Roundhow long
Medium · 60s
60s✓ 0
TARGETS
[object Object][object Object]
SEARCH ROW
Press F for yes, J for no — or use the buttons below.

Fast and right is the goal

Each bar is one answer from your last round — taller means slower. Slips cluster where you rush.

0
Correct per minute
Your headline score
–
Average answer
On correct trials
0
Slips
Wrong answers
–
Accuracy
Aim for 95%+

Play a round to see your answers here.

WHY IT MATTERS

Speed buys you room to think

Information in working memory fades within seconds. The faster you process each step, the more steps you finish before the first one slips away. Drag the slider to see it.

Time per step700 ms
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
At 700 ms a step, you finish 4 steps before the first one fades.
Illustration assuming a 3-second hold in working memory.

Search smarter, not just faster

01

Burn the targets in

Glance at the two targets first and name them in your head: "cup, diamond".

Avoid:reading the row before you know what you want.
02

Sweep once, left to right

One steady pass is faster than jumping around.

Avoid:rechecking symbols you have already passed.
03

Trust the "no"

If nothing jumped out in one sweep, answer no and move on.

Avoid:a second sweep on every no — it doubles your time.
04

Watch the twins

Some symbols are mirror images (⊂ ⊃, ◐ ◑). Slow down only for those.

Avoid:slowing down on every symbol.
INSIDE YOUR BRAIN

Look, compare, decide

Every answer is a quick relay between three regions. Pick one to see its part.

FRONTALPARIETALTEMPORALOCCIPITALCEREBELLUM
1
Based on Gray's Anatomy, fig. 728 (public domain)
~19years old

Roughly when processing speed peaks, in a large online study. Other abilities, like vocabulary, keep rising for decades.

Hartshorne & Germine, 2015
WAISsubtest

Symbol Search is one of the two core tasks behind the Processing Speed Index on Wechsler intelligence tests.

Wechsler, 2008
SourcesSalthouse (1996), Psychological ReviewHartshorne & Germine (2015), Psychological ScienceWechsler (2008), WAIS-IV
WHAT THIS GAME TRAINS

Scanning for a match

Is either target symbol in the search group? Answer as many as you can. A Wechsler processing-speed subtest that combines quick looking with quick deciding.

corestrongsomelight
coreProcessing speedWorking through items quickly.
coreVisual scanningChecking each symbol in the group.
strongVisual discriminationTelling near-identical symbols apart.
someDecision speedCommitting to yes or no fast.
OUTSIDE THE GAME

Where you'll notice it in everyday life

01Finding things on screensSpotting an icon, file or button in a crowded display.
02Checking detailsComparing codes, numbers or names for a match.
03ShoppingPicking out the product you want on a busy shelf.

More speed games

All 40 games →
Speed is one piece of the picture
The full IQ test measures processing speed alongside three other domains.
Take the IQ test →