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MindBenchmark

Verbal Memory Test

Test your verbal memory by deciding if each word is new or if you have seen it before in this session. Keep going until you make 3 mistakes.

Test your verbal memory

Is the word new or have you seen it before?

?

Words will appear here one at a time

Learn more

Glossary

What is verbal memory?

Verbal memory is the capacity to encode, retain, and retrieve information presented in words — whether spoken or read.

Related Tests

Sequence Memory Test

Remember and repeat tile patterns that grow longer each level.

Visual Memory Test

Remember which tiles light up on a grid and click them back.

How It Works

  1. Click Start to begin.
  2. A word appears each round.
  3. Tap NEW if you haven't seen it before in this run.
  4. Tap SEEN if it has appeared already.
  5. You get 3 mistakes — then the test ends.
  6. Your score is how many correct decisions you made.

Tip: Focus on the words that stand out to you. Creating mental associations or visualizations can help you remember which words you've already seen.

Live Verbal Memory Test scores on MindBenchmark

Where results actually land for people taking this test in a browser.

Verbal Memory Test score bands from recent MindBenchmark submissions
BandScore
Top 1%107
Top 5%75 or better
Top 10%61 or better
Top 25%39 or better
Median23

From 267 submissions on MindBenchmark in the last 180 days · refreshed nightly

These are real attempts in a browser — every device, every connection, first tries included. Published research figures are usually collected on dedicated hardware with practiced participants under controlled conditions, so they typically run higher than what this table shows. Both are useful, and they answer different questions: a score can sit well behind the research figure and still be mid-pack among people actually taking the test here.

See the full data study: what 10,000 real scores look like →