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Can you improve working 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 working memory training?
Working memory training is practice on tasks that make you hold and update information for a few seconds,such as dual n-back, digit span and operation span. Sessions gradually raise the load so you work at the edge of your capacity.
- Games
- 8
- 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 working memory game
8 games · 30 min if you play them all01Easy3 minDigit SpanRepeat growing strings of digits, forwards and backwards.
ANATOMY OF THE SKILL
Your mind's scratchpad
Working memory keeps a small amount of information active for seconds while you use it. Most adults hold about four chunks at once, and how well you manage that load predicts reasoning and learning more than raw memory does.
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 working memory every day
Three everyday moments that lean on this skill, and the game that practises the same move.
THE MOMENTYou're adding 47 + 38 in your head: carry the 1 while you add the tens.
PRACTISE IT WITHOperation SpanTHE MOMENT“Second left, past the café, then the blue door”: you hold all three steps as you walk.
PRACTISE IT WITHDigit SpanTHE MOMENTSomeone interrupts with a question, and you still finish your sentence.
PRACTISE IT WITHN-BackWorking memory 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 working 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 working 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 working 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 working memory against other takers.
Sources
Research behind this page. Our methodology- Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1), 87–114.
- Melby-Lervåg, M., & Hulme, C. (2013). Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review. Developmental Psychology, 49(2), 270–291.
- Simons, D. J., et al. (2016). Do "brain-training" programs work? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(3), 103–186.