N-Back

About the N-Back exercise

Following a conversation where each new point pushes out the last, keeping track of whose turn it is at cards, noticing that the bus you just saw is the same one as two stops ago: everyday life asks the mind to hold the last few things and keep updating them as new ones arrive.

N-Back is a free online n-back practice tool. Pictures, shapes or places on a grid appear one at a time, and the person taps one big button whenever an item is the same as the one a set number of steps back: the one before (1 back), two before (2 back) or three before (3 back). A worked example opens first, a few practice items come with help on screen, and the end of the round shows plain counts and times.

What is the n-back task?

The n-back is a working memory task: items arrive one at a time, and the job is to notice when the newest one is the same as the one n steps back. At 1 back that is the item just before; at 2 back it is the one before that, so the item in between has to be skipped over. Wayne Kirchner described an early version in 1958, and the version used today, which asks for a response on each match, became one of the most used tasks in working memory research.

Dual n-back runs two of these at once: a square on a grid and a spoken letter, each checked against its own n back.

1. A picture appears for 3 seconds, then the card is blank for a second.
2. The first 2 pictures have nothing 2 back yet, so just look at them.
3. From the third picture on, tap Same as 2 back when the picture matches the one two before it.
4. Let every other picture go by, including a repeat of the one just before.
5. At the end, the round shows matches tapped, matches missed, taps on non-matches and the typical time to tap.

What N-Back practices

Holding the last few in mind

Each new item is compared with one that is no longer on the screen. At 2 back and 3 back that means keeping a short run of items in order, not just the latest one.

Updating as each item arrives

Every new picture pushes the oldest one out of the run. The practice is in letting go of the item that no longer matters and taking in the new one, again and again.

Letting near misses go by

A picture that repeats straight after itself looks like a match, but at 2 back it is not one. Leaving it alone is part of the practice.

Keeping up with a steady pace

Items come at a fixed pace, about every 4 seconds on the presets, so attention stays on the screen through the whole round.

How the tool works and what it records

Three free presets: 1 back, 2 back and 3 back, each with pictures at a calm pace: every item shows for 3 seconds, then the card is blank for 1 second before the next. A round is 20 counted items plus the first ones that cannot match yet (22 at 2 back), and about 1 in 3 of the counted items is a match. Practice comes first on the first round of a visit: 5 items plus the first ones that cannot match, with the last items shown above the card and a plain line after each match or near miss. Practice is never recorded. What appears (pictures, shapes or places on a grid), Practice first, large print, high contrast and a soft click when tapping are always free.

Pro opens the dials: 4 back; a steady (3 seconds), brisk (2.5 seconds) or Wait for me pace, where each item stays until Same or Next is tapped; 10, 20, 30 or 40 items; about 1 in 4, 1 in 3 or 2 in 5 matches; a few look-alikes; the helper row during the round; a step up on its own after an easy round; and two at once, where a square lights up on the grid and a voice says a letter, with Same place and Same letter buttons. The end of round shows matches tapped, matches missed, taps on non-matches and the typical time to tap a match, with the round item by item; there is no percentage and no total. Signed-in users get 5 free rounds a day, one of them with every dial; Pro removes the cap and adds the round record PDF, the session log, saved setups and home practice links.

What the research says

The n-back is one of the most used tasks in working memory research, with healthy adults, older adults and clinical groups. When people practice it, they reliably get better at the task itself and at similar n-back tasks, but large reviews find little or no change in broader abilities such as reasoning or everyday memory, especially when studies use a fair comparison group. Rehabilitation guidelines suggest that computer exercises are most useful as one part of a plan, guided by a clinician and tied to everyday tasks.

Screen or paper?

The screen keeps the pace exactly, makes a fresh sequence every round, keeps earlier items out of sight, and counts the taps. Paper suits a table session without a device: the Working Memory Worksheets for Adults pack has the n-back as its Two back exercise, with a window card that slides along so earlier items stay covered, and answer keys for a partner.

The printable version is the Working Memory Worksheets for Adults on rehabworksheets.com, and there is a free working memory worksheet to try first, with no email required.

Using it well

• Start at 1 back. Even people who find 2 back easy start well at 1 back. Move up when a round feels comfortable; after an easy round the end screen offers the next step.
• Let the first few go. The first items of a round have nothing to compare with yet. The button rests and a line under the card says to just look.
• Name the pictures under your breath. Saying each picture quietly (cup, key, cup) makes the run easier to hold. Shapes are harder to name, so they make the same round harder.
• Watch for the repeat right after itself. At 2 back and 3 back, the most common extra tap is on a picture that repeats straight after itself. It is not a match, so it goes by.
• Use the practice when it helps. Practice runs again whenever the steps back or what appears change, and the card after practice offers Practice again. Practice is never recorded.

Common questions