Symbol Match: The Symbol and Digit Game
Symbol match gives you a key that pairs 9 symbols with digits. One symbol appears at a time. Find it in the key and enter its digit, as many times as you can before the clock runs out.
- A key at the top pairs nine symbols with the digits 1 to 9. The pairing changes every game.
- One symbol at a time appears below it. Enter the digit it goes with.
- You have 60 seconds. A wrong answer just moves on.
Keys: digits 1 to 9
The clock stops if you leave the page, and starts again when you come back.
How does the game work?
The key sits at the top, with a symbol above each digit. Below it, one symbol appears in the panel. Enter the digit it goes with on the pad or with your number keys. A right answer moves on at once, and so does a wrong one.
You have 60 seconds. The pairs change every game, so you cannot learn them by heart between rounds. Within one game you will start to remember some of them. That is part of it.
Where does this kind of task come from?
Symbol and digit tasks began as lab experiments more than a century ago. Today a version of them is among the most used tests in clinical neuropsychology. Our symbols, key and layout are our own. This symbol match game shares the idea, not the test.
The task is simple, yet a score depends on many things at once. You scan the key, hold a pair in mind and move your hand. A review of the clinical test found it reacts to changes in thinking from many causes. The same review noted the flip side. A score does not say which ability made the difference.
What does my score mean?
Your score is the number of right answers in 60 seconds. Higher is better. The result also shows wrong answers, your pace per minute and your accuracy.
Once this game has enough plays on this site, the result also shows how your score compares with them. Until then, compare with your own earlier games on the same device. Typing is usually faster than tapping, so switching will change your score.
What happens if I leave the page?
The clock stops while the page is hidden. When you come back, press Resume and the clock picks up where it left off.
Will practice make me faster?
Almost certainly, at this game. A large review of brain-training research found little evidence that such gains spread to other tasks. See our brain games page for more.
FAQ
Why does the digit pad not show the symbols?
If it did, you could match shapes on the pad and skip the key. Using the key is the whole task.
What else can I try?
Mental math is another race against the clock. The visual search test is about scanning for a shape. Reverse digits is a memory game with digits.
For reasoning, try our free IQ test. Our guide on how accurate IQ tests are explains why a game score is different. The test score itself is explained on our methodology page. The cookie policy lists what the games save on your device.