Can you beat a chimp?
Ayumu consistently recalled 9 numbers. Most humans max out at 5–7.
Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee?
The question "are you smarter than a chimpanzee?" became famous after a 2007 Kyoto University study revealed something shocking: chimpanzees could beat humans at a specific memory test. While humans excel at language, abstract reasoning, and complex problem-solving, chimps have one surprising advantage — photographic memory for spatial positions. The chimp test challenges you to prove whether you can beat a chimp at their own game. Spoiler: it's harder than you think. Most humans cannot beat the chimp consistently, even with practice.
What is the Chimp Test?
The chimp test (also known as the chimpanzee memory test or chimp memory test) is a cognitive experiment from Kyoto University where numbers appear briefly on a grid, and you must click them in ascending order after they disappear. The test measures your working memory and visual recall — specifically, whether you're smarter than a chimpanzee at remembering number positions. The original research by Tetsuro Matsuzawa showed that Ayumu, a young chimp, could consistently outperform adult humans, scoring 80%+ on trials where humans averaged under 40%.
The Original Experiment: How Ayumu Beat Humans
Ayumu the Chimpanzee
In 2007, researchers at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute found that Ayumu, a young chimpanzee, could remember the positions of 9 numbers after seeing them for just 210 milliseconds — outperforming every human tested. Ayumu scored approximately 80% accuracy on the hardest trials, while college students averaged 40%. This discovery challenged the long-held assumption that humans have superior memory in all domains. The study made headlines worldwide when people asked: "Are you smarter than a chimpanzee?" For this specific memory task, the answer for most humans is no.
Why Chimps Beat Us
Researchers believe chimps have superior "eidetic" (photographic) short-term memory for visual-spatial information. They can capture an entire visual scene in a fraction of a second — a skill that may have helped their ancestors track multiple predators and food sources simultaneously. Humans likely traded this ability during evolution to develop language processing in the same brain regions. This evolutionary trade-off is why it's so difficult for humans to beat the chimp at this memory test, even with extensive practice. Are you smarter than a chimp overall? Yes. Can you beat the chimp at this test? Probably not.
How Does the Chimp Memory Test Work?
- 1.Numbers (1-9) appear randomly on a grid
- 2.When you click the first number (1), all other numbers disappear
- 3.You must click the remaining positions in ascending order from memory
- 4.The test starts with 4 numbers and increases difficulty as you succeed
- 5.Your goal: beat the chimp by reaching 9+ numbers consistently (most humans can't)
Can You Beat the Chimp? Tips for Improving
While it's extremely difficult to beat a chimpanzee at this memory test, humans can improve with practice. Here are strategies to help you get closer to Ayumu's level:
- •Chunk patterns: Instead of memorizing individual numbers, try to see patterns (diagonals, clusters, shapes)
- •Snapshot the grid: Take a mental "photo" of the entire grid rather than scanning numbers sequentially
- •Use spatial memory: Remember positions relative to other numbers, not absolute locations
- •Practice regularly: Your score can improve 20-30% with consistent practice over several weeks
- •Stay relaxed: Anxiety reduces working memory capacity. Take deep breaths before each round
Even with these strategies, reaching Ayumu's consistent 80%+ accuracy on 9-number trials is extremely rare for humans. If you can beat the chimp regularly, you have exceptional visual memory!
Understanding Your Chimp Test Score
How do you compare to other humans and chimps on the chimp memory test? Here's what different scores mean:
Remember: Ayumu the chimpanzee scores 80%+ accuracy at the 9-number level consistently. Most humans struggle to reach 40% accuracy at that level, even with extensive practice.
The Science Behind the Chimp Memory Test
The chimp memory test is rooted in a landmark 2007 study by Tetsuro Matsuzawa and Sana Inoue at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute (PRI). Published in the journal Current Biology, the study titled "Working memory of numerals in chimpanzees" demonstrated that young chimpanzees possess a remarkable form of eidetic memory — the ability to capture and retain a visual scene almost instantaneously.
Working Memory vs Short-Term Memory
The chimp test specifically measures working memory — the cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information. Working memory differs from short-term memory in an important way: short-term memory is passive storage (like remembering a phone number for a few seconds), while working memory requires active processing (like remembering number positions and recalling them in a specific order). The Kyoto primate institute memory test revealed that chimpanzees excel at the visual-spatial component of working memory, even though humans outperform them on verbal and sequential working memory tasks.
Matsuzawa's Research at Kyoto University PRI
Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa spent over 30 years studying chimpanzee cognition at the Primate Research Institute in Inuyama, Japan. His research group trained chimpanzees to recognize Arabic numerals (1–9) and their sequential order on touchscreen monitors. In the critical experiment, numbers appeared on screen for durations as short as 210 milliseconds — roughly the time of a single eye fixation — before being masked by white squares. Ayumu, the star subject, could recall all 9 positions with approximately 80% accuracy at that speed. Human university students tested under identical conditions scored around 40% on the hardest trials. The study was replicated multiple times and the results held consistently, establishing that this chimpanzee advantage is genuine, not a fluke.
The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis
Why can chimps beat humans at this memory test? Matsuzawa proposed the "cognitive trade-off hypothesis": as humans evolved language capabilities, the brain regions responsible for rapid visual-spatial encoding were repurposed for linguistic processing. Chimpanzees, who never developed complex language, retained this ancestral photographic memory ability. This hypothesis suggests that humans didn't simply "lose" this skill — they traded it for something even more powerful: the ability to communicate through language. The chimp memory test captures this evolutionary trade-off in action.
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the chimp test?
The chimp test is a working memory experiment made famous by a 2007 study at Primate Research Institute, Kyoto. Numbers appear briefly on a grid; after you tap the first one, the rest disappear and you must click all positions in ascending order from memory. It tests visual-spatial recall — a domain where chimpanzees outperform most humans.
Who is Ayumu?
Ayumu is a chimpanzee at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute, born in 2000. In 2007, researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa found that Ayumu could memorize the positions of 9 numbers after seeing them for just 210 milliseconds — faster and more accurately than any adult human in the study. The discovery went viral and spawned online chimp tests worldwide.
Are chimps really smarter than humans?
Not overall — but for this specific task, yes. Humans vastly outperform chimps in language, abstract reasoning, tool-making, and social cognition. However, chimps appear to have superior photographic short-term memory for visual-spatial positions. Researchers believe humans may have traded that ability during evolution to free up brain regions for language processing.
What does my score mean?
Scores of 4–5 numbers are typical for first-time players. Most people plateau at 6–7 with practice. Reaching 8 is above average; 9+ means you are performing at Ayumu's level — fewer than 5% of humans get there consistently. Ayumu himself averaged 80%+ accuracy at 9 numbers; most humans average under 40% at that difficulty.
Is this the official "are you smarter than a chimpanzee" test?
This is a faithful free recreation of the Kyoto University chimpanzee memory test made famous by Ayumu and researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa. The original test is not publicly available online — it was run on touchscreen hardware in a controlled lab setting. This version replicates the core mechanic: numbers flash briefly on a grid, you tap the first one, the rest vanish, and you must recall all positions in order. The difficulty scaling (starting at 4 numbers, increasing as you succeed) mirrors the original protocol.
Are you smarter than a chimpanzee overall?
Yes — in almost every meaningful cognitive domain. Humans vastly outperform chimpanzees in language, abstract reasoning, planning, tool-making, mathematics, and social cognition. Chimps have one narrow advantage: photographic short-term memory for visual-spatial positions. This specific ability — snapshotting a grid of numbers in milliseconds — is the only domain where chimps consistently beat adult humans in controlled studies. So the honest answer is: you are smarter than a chimpanzee, but you probably cannot beat a chimpanzee at this particular test.
Human vs chimpanzee: how do the scores actually compare?
| Metric | Ayumu (chimp) | Average human |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers recalled (consistent) | 9 | 6–7 |
| Accuracy at 9 numbers | ~80% | ~40% |
| Flash duration mastered | 210 ms | 500+ ms |
| Improvement with practice | Minimal (already maxed) | 20–30% possible |
Can I play the chimp memory test online for free?
Yes — this is a free online chimp memory test you can play directly in your browser, no download or sign-up required. It faithfully recreates the Kyoto University experiment where Ayumu the chimpanzee outperformed humans. The test works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Simply click "Start" above to begin testing your memory against a chimpanzee.
What was Ayumu the chimpanzee's test score?
In the original 2007 Kyoto University study, Ayumu consistently recalled all 9 numbers with approximately 80% accuracy when the numbers were displayed for just 210 milliseconds. Even at the shortest exposure times, Ayumu maintained high accuracy. By comparison, the best-performing human participants in the same study scored around 40% on 9-number trials with the same brief exposure. Ayumu's score represents the gold standard for this test — if you can consistently recall 9 numbers, you are performing at the same level as one of the most cognitively gifted chimpanzees ever studied.
What is the Primate Research Institute Kyoto memory test?
The Primate Research Institute (PRI) at Kyoto University in Inuyama, Japan, is where Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa and his team conducted the famous chimpanzee memory experiments. The "PRI memory test" or "Kyoto primate institute memory test" refers to the numerical sequence task where chimpanzees and humans compete to remember the positions of numbers on a touchscreen. The original lab test used custom hardware and software. This online version replicates the same core mechanics so anyone can experience the test that made Ayumu famous worldwide.
How is this different from Human Benchmark's chimp test?
Both this chimp memory test and Human Benchmark's version are based on the same Kyoto University experiment. The core mechanic is identical: numbers appear on a grid, you click the first one, the rest disappear, and you recall positions in order. BenchMyBrain's version includes additional context about the original research, Ayumu's actual scores, and the science behind why chimps beat humans. The difficulty scaling starts at 4 numbers and increases as you succeed, matching the original experimental protocol.
Does the chimp memory test measure IQ?
No — the chimp test measures a specific type of visual-spatial working memory, not general intelligence or IQ. You can have a high IQ and still struggle with this test, because it targets a narrow cognitive skill (rapid visual encoding) that is largely independent of verbal reasoning, logic, or problem-solving ability. The test is better understood as a measure of your visual working memory capacity and processing speed. That said, working memory is one component of fluid intelligence, so a very high chimp test score does suggest strong cognitive processing in that domain.
Can children beat the chimp test more easily than adults?
Interestingly, yes — younger participants often perform better on visual-spatial memory tasks like the chimp test. In Matsuzawa's research, younger chimpanzees (including Ayumu, who was 5 years old during the original study) outperformed older chimps. Similarly, children and teenagers tend to have faster visual processing speeds than adults. This may be because the brain's visual-spatial encoding abilities are at their peak during development, before the prefrontal cortex fully matures and shifts resources toward abstract reasoning and language. If you're an adult struggling to beat the chimp, age may be a factor — but practice still helps.