- Short-term memory is brief storage of a few items for seconds — like repeating a phone number you just heard.
- Working memory is temporary storage plus manipulation (Baddeley & Hitch and later models).
- Forward span is closer to simple storage.
- Working memory correlates with fluid reasoning, but a span of 6 is not a 120 IQ.
- Task scores often rise with practice.
- Try backward digit span, spatial 2-back, and Simon span.
What is short-term memory?
Short-term memory is brief storage of a few items for seconds — like repeating a phone number you just heard. Modern estimates often sit around a handful of chunks, not a magic “seven forever.” It is not an IQ score.
What is working memory?
Working memory is temporary storage plus manipulation (Baddeley & Hitch and later models). You reverse digits, update a 2-back position, or keep a running total while doing mental math. That extra work is the difference.
Is forward digit span the same as backward?
Forward span is closer to simple storage. Backward span requires reordering, so it leans more on working memory. This site’s digit-span game mixes both; backward-digit-span is reverse only. Neither is a Wechsler subtest.
Is working memory the same as IQ?
Working memory correlates with fluid reasoning, but a span of 6 is not a 120 IQ. General intelligence (g) is estimated from a broad, normed battery — not from one web game.
Can you train working memory into a higher IQ?
Task scores often rise with practice. Far transfer to general intelligence is mixed and frequently weak in later reviews. Treat gains here as “better at this task,” not a new IQ.
How should I practice here?
Try backward digit span, spatial 2-back, and Simon span. They sample storage and updating. They do not diagnose ADHD, dementia, or giftedness.
❓ People also ask
What Is a Good IQ Score?
An IQ of 100 is exactly average; 110-119 is above average, 120 and up puts you in the top 10% (a genuinely 'good' score), and 130+ is considered gifted. IQ is built on a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, so most people cluster near the middle.
What Is a Good IQ Score? →IQ Percentile Chart: What Percentile Is My IQ?
Your IQ percentile tells you the share of people you scored higher than: an IQ of 100 is the 50th percentile, 115 is about the 84th, 120 is roughly the top 10%, and 130 is roughly the top 2%. The table below maps every major IQ band to its classification, percentile, and share of the population.
IQ Percentile Chart: What Percentile Is My IQ? →Are Online IQ Tests Accurate?
A well-designed online IQ test gives a reliable estimate of your reasoning ability, but it is not a clinical diagnosis — only a proctored test like the WAIS or Stanford-Binet provides that. This test is built on Raven's Progressive Matrices and CHC theory, scored on the standard scale (mean 100, SD 15), with an internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of about 0.85-0.92.
Are Online IQ Tests Accurate? →Can You Increase Your IQ?
You can meaningfully sharpen reasoning skills, working memory, and test performance through training and education, but raising your underlying general intelligence (g) substantially and permanently is not well supported — core g is largely heritable. The honest answer is that some gains are real and some popular claims are overstated.
Can You Increase Your IQ? →Genius IQ Level: What Number Counts as Genius?
A 'genius' IQ traditionally starts at 140, while 130 and above is labeled 'very superior' on modern tests. Scores that high are extremely rare, and the famous IQ numbers you see for historical figures are almost always estimates, not measured results.
Genius IQ Level: What Number Counts as Genius? →