Play in your browser · Memory
Dual n-back
A square lights up with a letter. Press when the position or the letter matches the one from N steps back. Choose 1, 2 or 3 back; a round takes about a minute.
This test runs in your browser with JavaScript. Turn it on to play, or get Omni Brain for the full version.
How to play
- Pick a level, 1-back, 2-back or 3-back, and press Start.
- Every 2.8 seconds one square lights up with a letter, also spoken if sound is on. Press Position match (A) if the square matches the one N steps back, and Letter match (L) if the letter does.
- After 20 scored steps you see your accuracy, with matches caught and false alarms for each channel.
What your score means
Accuracy is the matches you caught divided by all the matches plus your false alarms. Staying quiet when nothing matches is the right answer but adds no points, so pressing nothing scores 0 % and pressing at every step scores low as well.
As a guide, move up a level once you pass about 80 % and step down if you are below about 50 %. Your best is kept for each level separately, so compare scores at the same N, and expect a new level to feel hard for the first few rounds.
About the n-back task
The n-back task was introduced by Wayne Kirchner in 1958 to study short-term memory: you watch a stream of items and say whether each one matches the item N steps earlier. The dual version runs two streams at once, here a position and a letter, so you keep two short queues up to date. Susanne Jaeggi and colleagues used dual n-back in a 2008 study that reported gains on a reasoning test after training, and n-back has since become one of the most studied working-memory exercises. Later studies have reached mixed results, and whether the training carries over to intelligence is still debated. What it reliably trains is the task itself: holding, comparing and updating information in working memory, all at a steady pace. In Omni Brain the same idea runs as the N-Back game, with difficulty that adapts to you as you play.
Techniques from the app
- Keep a short queue. Hold only the last N items as a chant: “left, top, centre”. When a new one comes, drop the oldest and add the newest.
- Compare, then update. First decide “same as N ago?”, then push the new item into the queue. Doing both at once is where errors come from.
Train working memory every day in Omni Brain
N-Back and many more short games, each with a technique you can use outside the app. Free every day.
Questions about dual n-back
What is dual n-back?
A working-memory task with two streams at once. Each step shows a position and a letter, and you press when either matches the one N steps back. It became widely known through a 2008 training study by Jaeggi and colleagues.
Does dual n-back training improve intelligence?
Researchers still disagree. The 2008 study reported gains on a reasoning test, and later studies have found mixed results. Training reliably improves the task itself and your skill at holding and updating information; treat anything broader as a possible bonus.
Which level should I start with?
Start with 2-back. If it feels out of reach, play 1-back for a few rounds, and move up once you score about 80 % or more. Regular rounds at a level that is hard but possible matter more than the number itself.
Do I need sound?
No. The letter is always shown in the lit square, so you can play silently. With sound on, your browser also speaks each letter, which is closer to the classic version, where the letters are heard rather than read.