Dual N-Back — Free Online Working Memory Training

Track a square and a sound at the same time.

Working memory
5 min
Hard

Dual N-Back asks you to track two streams at once: a square's position and an audio cue. Compare each with what happened N turns earlier. Play a 20-turn round in your browser, choose your starting N and review your position and sound accuracy.

Play Dual N-Back

How it works

1Each turn: one square lights up and one letter is spoken.

2Compare with N turns ago — here N = 2, so look two back.

3Press Position, Audio, both, or neither.

How to play

1
Watch and listen
A square lights up on a 3×3 grid while an audio cue plays. Listen with sound enabled; both cues occur once per turn.
2
Compare N steps back
At N=2, press Position (A) if the square matches two turns ago, and Sound (L) if the audio cue matches. Press both for two matches, and neither when neither matches.
3
Raise N
Use N=1 to learn the rule or try N=2 for a larger challenge. After a completed round with at least 80% accuracy, the result screen offers the next N. This is a game progression rule, not a population benchmark.

What it trains

Hold and update information while under load. Dual n-back is used in working-memory research. Early transfer findings and later reviews differ; improving a game score does not establish an increase in intelligence.

Practice focus: Working memory
Based on: Jaeggi et al., 2008; Melby-Lervåg et al., 2016

Research background

These sources describe related tasks or concepts. HumanCalc adapts them for browser practice; a game score is not a clinical result.

Leaderboard

Weekly season resets every Monday. Scores show as N-5.

Leaderboard

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Questions

What N should I start with?

Start at N=1 if the matching rule is new, then try N=2. Choose a level where you can follow both streams rather than guess.

What is a good dual n-back score?

Compare your accuracy at the same N across completed rounds. HumanCalc offers the next N at 80% accuracy; this threshold is a progression rule, not a verified average or percentile.

Does dual n-back actually make you smarter?

Research findings about broader transfer differ. A better HumanCalc score shows improvement on this exercise; it does not by itself show an increase in IQ or everyday memory.

How long should a session be?

One round has 20 turns. You can play a round or repeat several, stopping when you lose focus. A short browser session is not the same as a published research protocol.