Sequence Memory (Simon)

Sequence memory — the idea behind the classic Simon game — is one of the purest tests of short-term memory. A pattern lights up, then you reproduce it. Simple, until the pattern gets long.

How it works

Four colored pads light up in a sequence. When the sequence finishes, you repeat it by clicking the pads in the same order. Get it right and the game adds one more step and plays the longer sequence. One wrong pad ends the run, and your level is how long a sequence you reproduced.

What it measures

This exercises your **working memory** — the mental scratchpad that holds information for a few seconds while you use it. Reproducing a sequence forces you to encode the order, hold it, and recall it under mild pressure. Most people top out somewhere between 5 and 12 steps.

How to go further

- **Chunk the sequence.** Instead of remembering nine separate steps, group them into threes, like a phone number. - **Use rhythm.** Repeating the pattern in a steady beat helps you recall the timing as well as the order. - **Say it, don't just watch it.** Naming the colors ("green, red, red, blue") engages verbal memory alongside visual memory.

It's a quick, satisfying brain workout that runs entirely in your browser and stores nothing.