Bourdon Test: a classic attention task as a game

A grid full of symbols and a target. Scan carefully, count every occurrence of the target, and pick the right number before time runs out.

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How to play Bourdon Test

1
See the target
A letter, a number, a dice face or a constellation is shown above the grid.
2
Scan and count
Count every occurrence of the target in the grid.
3
Pick the count
Choose the correct number from the answer options.
4
Beat the clock
Answer before time runs out. Higher levels bring denser grids and look-alike symbols.

Four modes

Mode	What you count	The hard part
Letters	A target letter	Look-alikes such as b and d
Numbers	A target digit	Look-alikes such as 6 and 9
Dice dots	A dice face	Telling five dots from six at a glance
Constellations	A star pattern	Patterns instead of symbols

About the Bourdon test

The task goes back to the French psychologist Benjamin Bourdon, who described a letter-crossing test at the end of the 19th century. Versions of it, often called cancellation tests, are still used in psychology to observe sustained and selective attention: how steadily someone keeps scanning without skipping targets or marking the wrong ones.

Tips for accuracy

1
Scan in a fixed pattern
Row by row, the way you read. Jumping around is how targets get counted twice or missed.
2
Count under your breath
Keep a running count instead of trying to see the total at once.
3
Double-check look-alikes
A quick second look is cheaper than a wrong answer.

Another classic attention taskThe Stroop test: name the ink color, not the word, and measure your own interference effect.Try it online

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bourdon test measure?

Sustained and selective attention: the ability to keep scanning accurately for a target among distractors. The game version is for practice, not assessment.