Flanker Test: The Focus Arrows Game
This flanker test shows five arrows in a row. Your only job is the arrow in the middle. The four around it sometimes point the same way and sometimes the other way. That is what makes it tricky.
- Five arrows appear in a row. Look only at the middle one.
- Answer which way the middle arrow points. Ignore its neighbors, which sometimes point the other way.
- A short practice of 4 comes first, then 32 scored trials. Be quick, but try to be right.
Keys: Left and Right arrows (or F and J)
Answers faster than a real reaction count as guesses, and that trial runs again.
How does the flanker test work?
Each trial shows one row of arrows. Answer which way the middle arrow points, with the Left or Right button or the arrow keys. A small cross appears between trials, so keep your eyes on the center.
You start with 4 practice trials that do not count. Then come 32 scored trials. In half of them the neighbors agree with the middle arrow. In the other half they point the opposite way.
What is the flanker effect?
The task goes back to a study by Barbara and Charles Eriksen. They surrounded a target letter with other letters. Later versions often use arrows, like this game. The finding is steady across many studies. When the neighbors call for the opposite answer, people are slower and make more mistakes.
That slowdown is called the flanker effect. It shows that we cannot fully shut out things right next to what we are looking at. The neighbors get processed anyway, and the brain has to settle the conflict before you answer.
What does my score mean?
Your score is your median time for right answers, in milliseconds. The median is the middle value, so one slow trial cannot drag it far. Lower is faster.
The result also shows your own flanker effect: how much longer right answers took when the neighbors disagreed. A personal best is saved only when most answers are correct, so guessing fast cannot win. We have no data from other players, so there is no ranking.
Your device adds its own delay, too. Compare scores on the same phone or computer.
Why do some answers say “too fast”?
A real reaction to something you see takes time. An answer that comes faster than that is a guess made before the arrows were seen. Those trials run again and do not count.
If you switch tabs during the game, it pauses and drops the trial in progress. That keeps a hidden page from producing a strange time.
Can this game improve my focus?
Practice will likely make you faster at this game. A large review of brain-training studies found that gains mostly stay with the trained task. There was little evidence that they spread to daily life. Read more on our brain games page.
FAQ
Is this the same as a clinical flanker test?
No. Lab and clinical versions use set rules, careful timing and data from many people. This is a free game based on the same idea, with no norms.
Why is the middle arrow not highlighted?
Marking it would make the neighbors easier to ignore. Then the game would no longer show the effect it is about.
What else can I try?
The Stroop test has a similar conflict between reading and color. The go/no-go test is about stopping an answer you have started. Visual search asks you to scan a crowded panel.
Our free IQ test measures reasoning instead. Our guide on how accurate IQ tests are explains why a game score is not an IQ score. The test score itself is explained on our methodology page. What the games save on your device is listed in our cookie policy.