How to Improve Memory

Memory is not one thing. Holding a phone number for a few seconds, remembering where a square was, and learning facts for an exam use different skills. The techniques below help with all of them, and the free tests let you see whether your scores move.

Measure your starting point

• Number memory test: how many digits you can hold.
• Visual memory test: remember which squares lit up.
• Verbal memory test: decide whether you have seen a word before.
• Sequence memory test: repeat a growing pattern.
• Chimp test: remember where the numbers were after they vanish.

All are free, take a couple of minutes, need no login and keep your best score in your own browser.

Techniques that work

1. Chunking. Group items into bigger units. The digits 4829173650 are easier as 482 917 3650. Fewer chunks mean less to hold at once.
2. Visualise. Turn items into vivid pictures. A strange or funny image sticks better than a plain word or number.
3. The memory palace. Picture a familiar place, such as your home, and put each item you need to remember at a spot along a fixed route. To recall, walk the route in your head.
4. Spaced repetition. Review at growing gaps: after a day, a few days, a week. This beats cramming for anything you want to keep.
5. Test yourself. Trying to recall something is a stronger memory builder than rereading it.
6. Pay attention. Most forgetting is something never stored in the first place. Put the phone away while learning.
7. Sleep well. Sleep helps the brain consolidate what you learned, and tiredness hurts focus and recall.
8. Move and eat regularly. General health supports concentration, which supports memory.

Using the tests to practise

Pick one test and play it once a day for a week. Watch your average rather than your best run. Try one technique at a time: use chunking on the number test, a pattern or story on the sequence test, and compare. Stop when tired, because tired scores are noise. Brain games build skill at the game itself and are not a proven fix for memory problems, so treat them as practice and fun.

More brain games

See the full list of free brain games and skill tests, or try the reaction time test. For a daily challenge that exercises memory and reasoning, play Rankle, a free daily ordering puzzle. Other ideas are in our list of daily puzzle games.

FAQ

Can you improve your memory with games?

Practice makes you better at the specific game, and the habits you build, such as chunking and focusing, can carry over to similar tasks. Brain games are not a proven cure for general memory problems, so use them as a fun way to track and practise, alongside sleep, exercise and real-life learning.

What is chunking?

Chunking means grouping items into larger units, for example remembering the number 4829173650 as 482 917 3650 instead of ten separate digits. Fewer chunks are easier to hold in short-term memory.

What is spaced repetition?

Spaced repetition means reviewing information at increasing intervals, such as after a day, then a few days, then a week. Reviewing just as you begin to forget strengthens long-term memory more than cramming does.

Does sleep affect memory?

Yes. Sleep helps the brain consolidate what you learned, and being tired makes it harder to pay attention and recall things. Regular sleep is one of the most reliable ways to support memory.