Chimp Test
Are you smarter than a chimpanzee? Numbers appear briefly, then hide. Click them in ascending order.
🦍 Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee?
In a 2007 study, a chimpanzee named Ayumu outperformed humans at remembering number positions. Numbers will flash on screen, then get covered. Click them in order from 1 to the highest number.
About the Chimp Test
The chimp test is based on a famous 2007 experiment by Dr. Tetsuro Matsuzawa at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University. In the study, a young chimpanzee named Ayumu was shown numbers 1 through 9 on a touchscreen. After the numbers were displayed for just 210 milliseconds (about one-fifth of a second), they were covered by white squares. Ayumu had to touch the squares in ascending numerical order.
Remarkably, Ayumu could consistently remember the positions of all 9 numbers at this extremely brief display time — a task that most adult humans struggle with beyond 4–5 numbers. This finding challenged the long-held assumption that humans are superior to other primates in all cognitive tasks.
Why Are Chimps Better at This?
Scientists hypothesize that young chimpanzees possess a type of eidetic (photographic) memory that allows them to capture and store visual information almost instantly. Researchers believe that during human evolution, we may have traded this raw visual memory capacity for more advanced language and abstract reasoning abilities. This is known as the "cognitive tradeoff hypothesis."
What Does This Test Measure?
- Visuospatial working memory: Your ability to encode and recall positions of items in space
- Processing speed: How quickly you can scan and memorize a visual scene
- Sequential recall: Your ability to remember items in a specific order
Tips to Improve
- Chunk nearby numbers: Group numbers that are close together rather than memorizing each position independently
- Scan systematically: Develop a consistent scanning pattern (e.g., left to right, top to bottom)
- Focus on spatial relationships: Remember where numbers are relative to each other, not absolute positions
- Practice daily: Even 5 minutes of daily practice can improve your score by 1–2 levels within a week