What counts as a good chimp test score?
Most people fail the chimp test between 7 and 9 numbers. Reaching 4 to 6 is below average, 7 to 9 is average, 10 to 13 is above average, and 14 or more is excellent. The test comes from a 2007 Kyoto University study in which a young chimpanzee named Ayumu outperformed untrained adult humans, though Ayumu had months of practice and the humans had none, and trained humans can match him.
What the Chimp Test measures
- Spatial working memory under time pressure.
- Rapid encoding, since you get one look before the numbers are masked.
- Sequencing, because position alone is not enough. You need position bound to order.
How the test works
- Numbers 1 to N appear at random positions on an 8 by 5 grid.
- The moment you click 1, every remaining number is covered by a blank tile.
- Click the covered tiles in ascending order from memory.
- Clearing a round adds one more number. Three mistakes ends the run.
Chimp Test score benchmarks
| Level | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 14+ numbers | Top tier. Requires a deliberate spatial strategy. |
| Above average | 10 to 13 | Clearly better than most players. |
| Average | 7 to 9 | Where the large majority of people top out. |
| Below average | 4 to 6 | Common on a first attempt or on a phone. |
Percentiles on your result screen are calculated against published population norms until enough scores are recorded here to rank against real players.
What affects your chimp test score
- Strategy
- Grouping numbers into spatial clusters, such as "1-2-3 top left, 4-5 down the middle", beats memorising eight separate positions.
- Look time
- You control how long you study before clicking 1. Rushing that first click is the most common mistake.
- Screen size
- The 8 by 5 grid is wide. Phones compress it and make positions harder to distinguish.
- Practice
- This task responds to practice more than almost any other here, which is precisely the point the original study is often misused to obscure.
How to improve your score
- Take your time before clicking 1. The clock only starts when you do.
- Chunk spatially. Memorise runs of three or four consecutive numbers as a path, not as points.
- Trace the route with your eyes in order before you commit. You are storing a path, not a picture.
- Accept a strike rather than guessing wildly. Guessing scrambles the positions you had.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good chimp test score?
7 to 9 numbers is average and where most people stop. 10 to 13 is above average and 14 or more is excellent.
Why is it called the chimp test?
It replicates a task from Inoue and Matsuzawa's 2007 study at Kyoto University, in which chimpanzees tapped numerals in ascending order after the numerals were masked. A young chimp called Ayumu performed best.
Do chimpanzees really beat humans at this?
This is the part that gets exaggerated. Ayumu beat adult humans who had no practice at all, while he had extensive training. When humans are given comparable practice, they match his performance. The honest conclusion is that the task is highly trainable, not that chimps have categorically superior working memory.
Does the chimp test measure IQ?
No. It measures one narrow ability, spatial working memory, and it is unusually responsive to practice, which makes it a poor proxy for general intelligence.
Why do the numbers disappear?
Masking the numerals is what turns the task from reading into recall. If they stayed visible you would simply be testing clicking speed.
How do I get past 8 numbers?
Almost everyone who breaks past 8 does it by chunking positions into paths rather than memorising individual locations, and by studying longer before the first click.
Sources
- Inoue, S., & Matsuzawa, T. (2007). Working memory of numerals in chimpanzees. Current Biology, 17(23), R1004 to R1005.
- Silberberg, A., & Kearns, D. (2009). Memory for the order of briefly presented numerals in humans as a function of practice. Animal Cognition, 12(3), 405 to 407.
These games are for curiosity and practice. They are not diagnostic instruments and no result here should be read as a clinical or IQ assessment.
