How the digits game works
Pymetrics’ 2017 US patent names digit span as the task behind its Digits game. In its version you are shown a series of digits and, when prompted, type the sequence back on your keyboard. Get it right and the next sequence is longer. The length of the longest sequence you can recall is your digit span.
Pymetrics does not publish the starting length, display speed or stopping rule for the live game. Because each success brings a longer sequence, everyone eventually reaches a length they cannot hold, and that point is the measurement rather than a sign you have failed.
What it measures
The patent describes digit span as a measure of working memory capacity for numbers. It notes that digit span correlates positively with other measures of working memory and negatively with age, and that the task gives consistent results for healthy adults over a one-month interval. Pymetrics’ own studies found split-half reliability of .63 and test-retest reliability of .68.
As with the other games, Pymetrics reads your result against a model built for the role, not a fixed pass mark. If you have dyslexia or ADHD, Pymetrics offers a matching setting in a Game Configuration pop-up before the games start.
How our practice version works
Our Digits practice starts at three digits. A correct answer adds a digit, up to twelve, and a wrong answer takes one away. Each digit shows for 750 milliseconds with a short blank between digits, and three wrong answers in a row end the game. Those settings are ours, since Pymetrics does not publish its own. You type the sequence on your keyboard or a number pad on screen. Digits is one of our free games.