Card sorting game online
Two Piles · Focus · 15 levels
Cards come one at a time. Send each card left or right by the rule above it. By shape, circles go left and squares go right. By color, yellow goes left and blue goes right.
Free up to level 5, 15 levels in all.
How to play
- A card appears with the rule above it.
- Tap the button on the matching side or swipe the card.
- On a keyboard, use the left and right arrows or A and D.
- Each card has a time limit. A wrong side or a miss costs a life.
What this card sorting game is
Cards come one at a time. Each card is a circle or a square, and it is yellow or blue. Above the card is a rule, By shape or By color, and you send the card to the left pile or the right pile by that rule.
By shape, circles go left and squares go right. By color, yellow goes left and blue goes right. The mapping never changes, and the piles are labeled in words with the current category, circle or square, yellow or blue, so you do not have to memorize which side is which. What makes it hard is speed, and on later levels a rule that keeps changing.
Yellow cards are always solid and blue cards are always hollow outlines. If you find yellow and blue hard to tell apart, you can sort by color using the fill, and the pile labels are written as words.
You can tap the button on the matching side, swipe the card, or use the left and right arrow keys, or A and D, on a keyboard.
Where the idea comes from
Sorting cards by a rule is an old psychology task. The best known version is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test from 1948, where cards can be sorted by color, shape or number and the rule changes without warning. The person has to work out the new rule from feedback alone.
Two Piles is simpler. There are two features instead of three, and the rule is always written above the card. It is a quick game about switching between two rules, not a copy of that test.
What changes from level 1 to 15
Levels 1 to 7 keep one rule for the whole level. Levels 1, 2, 5 and 7 sort by shape, levels 3, 4 and 6 by color. The time per card goes from 2.5 seconds on level 1 to 1.2 seconds on level 7, with level 3 keeping the 2.2 seconds of level 2 while it switches to color. The deck grows from 10 cards to 16.
Levels 8 to 15 switch the rule during the level. On level 8 it changes 3 times in 16 cards, and each card gets 2.2 seconds again, since switching is a new skill. The changes then become more frequent and the time shorter. Level 15 has 20 cards, 12 rule changes and 1.4 seconds per card.
For half the cards both rules point to the same pile. A yellow circle goes left and a blue square goes right under either rule. The other half, a blue circle and a yellow square, go to different piles depending on the rule. Those are the cards where the old rule pulls you the wrong way right after a switch.
Each level has an exact number of cards of each kind and an exact number of rule changes, so every attempt at a level has the same mix. Levels 1 to 5 are free. All level settings are our first guess and have not been tested on players yet.
How the points work
A right answer gives 10 points and a speed bonus of up to 10, counted from the moment the card appears. An answer in under 0.06 seconds earns the full bonus, then it drops by one point every 0.12 seconds and reaches zero at 1.14 seconds. The short pause after each card, when the piles show the result, is not counted.
A card sent to the wrong pile costs a life, and so does a card you let run out of time. You have three lives. When they are gone the level stops and you keep your points. If a life is still left after the last card, the level is cleared, even when that answer was wrong or late. If it costs your last life, the level ends and you keep your points.
The most a level can give is 20 points per card, 200 on level 1 and 400 on levels 13 to 15.
What counts as a good result
We do not publish norms or compare you with other players. After each level the results screen shows your points, the speed bonus, the time, your mistakes and your previous best on that level. A good result is one that beats your best on that level.
A few tips
Read the rule before you look at the card. On switch levels the card itself tells you nothing about which rule applies.
Be most careful with blue circles and yellow squares. They are the only cards where the rule changes the answer.
If swiping feels slow, try the buttons or the keyboard. All three count the same.
Questions
- Is the card sorting game free?
- Levels 1 to 5 are free. The full version opens all 15 levels. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription.
- Is this the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test?
- No. It borrows the idea of sorting by a changing rule, but the rule is always shown above the card and there are only two features, shape and color. It is a game, not that test.
- Can I play this card sorting game online?
- Yes, once it launches. It will run in the browser on a phone or a computer, and inside Telegram, with nothing to install. Levels 1 to 5 are free.
- Can I play with a keyboard?
- Yes. Use the left and right arrow keys, or A and D. On a phone you can also swipe the card.
- What if I cannot tell yellow from blue?
- Yellow cards are solid and blue cards are hollow, so you can sort by color using the fill. The pile labels are words.
- How long does a level take?
- Not long. Level 15 has 20 cards with 1.4 seconds each, so even if you use the full time on every card it takes well under a minute.
- Will it help me switch between tasks at work?
- We make no such claim. The points show how you did in this game.