Our Story

Built to make cognitive science
accessible to everyone

Human Benchmark translates validated neuropsychological research into free, browser-based tests that anyone can take in under five minutes — no account required, no equipment needed.

Free

Every test, forever

Validated tests

Cognitive domains

Feb 2025

Launched

Home / About

Our Mission

For decades, detailed cognitive measures — reaction time, working memory span, processing speed — have lived inside expensive laboratory settings or clinical evaluations. Most people go their entire lives with no reliable data on how their mental abilities compare to population norms, or how those abilities change with age and lifestyle.

Human Benchmark exists to change that. We translate the same paradigms used in cognitive neuroscience research into browser-based experiences that run on any device, require no downloads, and are completely free. Every test produces a real, interpretable score grounded in published population data.

We believe cognitive self-knowledge is a fundamental right, not a laboratory luxury. Whether you are tracking a baseline, monitoring the effects of a lifestyle change, or competing on a global leaderboard, Human Benchmark gives you the data to understand your own mind.

Core Principles

Science-first

Every test traces to a validated paradigm from peer-reviewed literature. We cite our sources and publish our methodology.
Radically free

All 30 tests are free forever. No paywalls, no trials, no bait-and-switch. Create an account only if you want to save scores.
Privacy by design

We do not sell data. Anonymous visitors receive no tracking cookies. You own your results.
Honest about limits

Browser-based testing has real constraints. We state measurement uncertainty on every test page and never overclaim.

How Our Tests Work

Each test begins with a validated cognitive paradigm from experimental neuropsychology, then is engineered to run accurately inside a standard web browser.

Paradigm selection

We survey the cognitive psychology literature for paradigms with strong psychometric validity and test-retest reliability. Only tests with a published population baseline make the cut — including the Hick-Hyman Law (reaction time), the Corsi block task (spatial memory), and the Matsuzawa chimpanzee paradigm (visual working memory).

Precision engineering

Timing uses performance.now() for sub-millisecond accuracy. We account for known browser latency sources — rendering pipeline delays, event loop jitter — and communicate residual uncertainty of approximately ±5ms on all result displays. Visual stimuli are synchronized to display refresh cycles where possible.

Population calibration

Your score is compared against a growing dataset of real submissions. We stratify norms by age group and device type — mobile touchscreens show systematically different latency distributions than desktop mice. Percentile ranks update as the dataset grows. Aggregate distribution statistics are published on each test page.

Data Transparency

What happens to your scores

Here is exactly what we do — and do not do — with test data.

Scores are aggregated anonymously to compute population percentiles shown publicly on each test page
Registered users can view their own score history and trends on their personal dashboard
Anonymised aggregate datasets are available to qualified researchers under a formal data agreement
Individual scores are never sold, shared with advertisers, or disclosed to third parties
Anonymous visitors receive zero tracking cookies — no analytics IDs, no advertising pixels

Free tests, no paywall

Data sold

±5ms

Timing precision

30 days

Data request response

What We Are Not

We want to be clear about the limits of what Human Benchmark is and does. These distinctions matter.

Not a medical service

Our tests do not diagnose ADHD, dementia, TBI, or any other condition. A below-average score in a single session is not clinically meaningful on its own. If you have cognitive health concerns, consult a licensed neuropsychologist or physician.

Not a brain training app

We do not claim our tests improve general cognitive ability. The evidence for "brain training" transfer to real-world performance is limited and contested. Our tests measure — they do not train. We are honest about this distinction even though it would be commercially advantageous to obscure it.

Not a surveillance platform

We do not build behavioral profiles for advertising. We do not share data with social media platforms. We do not use dark patterns to extract personal information. The relationship is simple: you test, you get your score, you own your data.

Our Story

From an idea to a global cognitive testing platform in just a few months.

Jan
2025

The idea

The concept for Human Benchmark was born out of frustration with existing cognitive tools — either expensive clinical software, or shallow "brain game" apps that prioritised engagement over accuracy. We set out to build something in between: rigorous enough to be meaningful, simple enough to use in five minutes.

Feb
2025

Public launch — 12 tests from day one

Human Benchmark launched in February 2025 with all 12 cognitive tests live from day one: Reaction Time, Number Memory, Verbal Memory, Sequence Memory, Visual Memory, Chimp Test, Typing Speed, Aim Trainer, Pattern Recognition, Processing Speed, Attention & Focus, and MoCA. Within the first weeks, people from around the world were completing tests every day.

Mar
2025

Global leaderboards go live

Individual leaderboard pages launched for each test, showing top scores per category with country flags, city, and submission dates. Anomaly filtering was introduced — physiologically impossible results (e.g. reaction times under 100ms) are automatically rejected. The tiebreaker rule was set: equal scores rank newer submissions higher.

Apr
2025

Accounts, flags & personal dashboards

Google Sign-In launched, bringing persistent score history, personal dashboards, and country flag assignment based on sign-in location. The dashboard shows your brain profile — Speed, Memory, Motor, and Focus — compared to global averages. Score data is now associated with user accounts, enabling attributed leaderboard entries.

May
2026

17 new cognitive tests — the biggest expansion yet

Human Benchmark expanded from 12 to 30 tests, adding Stroop, Flanker, Go/No-Go, N-Back, Digit Span (backward), Corsi Block, Audio Reaction Time, Choice Reaction Time, Subitizing, Color Blindness, Peripheral Vision, Anti-Saccade, Trail Making, Mental Rotation, Cognitive Reflection, Mini IQ, and Raven's Progressive Matrices. The platform now covers 9 cognitive domains — the broadest free cognitive testing suite available in any browser.

What's coming

Score trend tracking over time. Mobile app. Age-stratified percentile norms. Research data partnerships. We are building in public — follow the blog for updates.