What the exercises measure
Each exercise is a timed task with a clear rule. Your score describes how you did on that task, on that day, at that difficulty.
A score in Brain Gym measures performance on one specific task. It is not an IQ score, a percentile against other people, a brain age, or a medical measure. Getting better at an exercise reliably means you got better at that exercise. Whether that carries over to unrelated everyday tasks is not something this app can measure, and the research on broad transfer from computerised training is mixed, so nothing here assumes it.
Reaction Control
Go/No-Go test · Donders, 1868/1969
Colour Conflict
Stroop test · Stroop, 1935
Memory Match
N-back test · Kirchner, 1958
Spatial Sequence
Corsi block test · Corsi, 1972
Rule Switch
Task switching test · Rogers & Monsell, 1995
Number Sprint
Mental maths speed test · Groen & Parkman, 1972
- How scoring works
- Every score compares today's round with your own history on that exercise. There is no leaderboard and no combined IQ-style score.
- Sources
- Stroop (1935); Kirchner (1958); Donders (1868/1969); Corsi (1972, unpublished); Rogers and Monsell (1995); Groen and Parkman (1972). These are the papers each exercise is adapted from: a starting reading list, not a claim that Brain Gym itself has been through peer review.
Each scored set produces accuracy, a speed score and a consistency score. Accuracy carries most of the weight, speed a small part, and consistency less again. If accuracy falls below 60% the speed contribution is removed, so answering fast and wrong never beats answering carefully. Spatial Sequence uses its own formula built around the longest sequence you recalled correctly.
Accuracy
Most of the weight
Speed
A small part
Consistency
Less again
Difficulty is a level from 1 to 20 held separately for each exercise. Everyone starts at level 3. After a scored set, high accuracy with reasonable speed moves it up, and a struggle moves it down by one. Practice runs never change it.
Level 3 · everyone starts here
What moves your score
- Sleep and time of day
- Caffeine, alcohol and medication
- Stress, mood and motivation
- Practice with the specific task
- Screen size, input device and network lag
- Interruptions during a set
A single low set is normal and rarely means anything. Read the trend across weeks on the progress page. Need the rules again? Walk through the six exercises.
Not a medical device
If you are worried about your memory, attention or thinking, speak to a doctor or a qualified professional. Nothing in this app can answer that question, and a low score here is not evidence of a problem.
