Schulte table online

How to play

1. Press Start and the numbers appear.
2. Tap the numbers in order, starting from 1.
3. You have three lives. A wrong tap costs one.
4. Faster taps earn more points.

What a Schulte table is

A Schulte table is a square grid filled with the numbers from 1 up to the number of cells, in random order. You look for them one by one, 1, then 2, then 3, until the grid is done. The classic paper version is a 5×5 grid with the numbers 1 to 25, and people time themselves with a stopwatch.

The table is named after Walter Schulte, a German psychiatrist. On a screen the game checks every tap for you, and the rules go further than the paper version. Some levels count down, some shuffle the grid after a correct tap, and every level has three lives and a speed bonus.

This version starts small and grows. Level 1 is a 3×3 grid, level 15 is 7×7 with 49 numbers. The numbers stay hidden until you press Start, so you can't scan the grid before the clock runs.

What changes from level 1 to 15

The grid grows in steps, 3×3 on level 1, 4×4 on levels 2 to 5, 5×5 on levels 6 to 9, 6×6 on levels 10 to 13 and 7×7 on levels 14 and 15.

On the 4×4, 5×5 and 6×6 grids the rules follow one order. First you count up from 1. Then you count down, from the largest number to 1. After that come the shuffle levels. After every correct tap except the last, the game reshuffles the whole grid, the numbers you already found included, and a number can land back in its old cell only by chance. On a shuffle level you cannot remember where the next number was, because it has just moved. You have to find it again.

Levels 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 and 13 are shuffle levels. Shuffling stops at 6×6. The two 7×7 levels keep the numbers in place, one counting down and the last one counting up. We haven't yet checked with players whether counting down on a 7×7 grid feels harder than counting up, so the order of levels 14 and 15 may change after testing.

The first five levels are free. They cover the 3×3 grid and all four ways to play the 4×4 grid, so you see every rule before you decide whether to open the rest.

How the points work

Each correct tap gives 10 points plus a speed bonus of up to 10. For the first number the clock runs from Start, and after that from your previous correct tap. A tap in under 0.15 seconds earns the full 10. After that the bonus drops by one point for every 0.3 seconds, and from 2.85 seconds it is zero. A slow tap still counts, it just earns 10 points instead of 20.

The most a level can give is 20 points per number. That is 180 on the 3×3 grid, 320 on 4×4, 500 on 5×5, 720 on 6×6 and 980 on 7×7. To get it you would have to find every number within 0.15 seconds of the last one, so treat it as a ceiling that shows the scale, not a target.

A tap on the wrong number costs a life. You have three. When the last one is gone, the level ends and the points you have so far are kept. A tap on a number you already found is ignored and costs nothing.

What counts as a good result

Many Schulte table sites print a table of normal times for 5×5. The tables differ from site to site, they are made for different grids and rules, and they rarely say where the numbers came from. We do not publish norms, and the game does not compare you with other people.

What the game does show is your own history. 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. Compare shuffle levels with each other rather than with the plain level of the same size, because on a shuffle level every number has to be found from scratch.

A few tips

Look at the center of the grid rather than chasing each number with your eyes. On 3×3 and 4×4 you can often see the whole grid at once. On 6×6 and 7×7 that stops working, and sweeping the grid in blocks is easier.

Keep your eyes on the grid, not on your finger. While you tap one number, start looking for the next.

On countdown levels, say the next number to yourself. Counting down is less automatic than counting up, and it is easy to look for 18 when you need 17.

Questions

Is the Schulte table online free?

Levels 1 to 5 are free, with the 3×3 grid and all four 4×4 variants. The full version opens all 15 levels. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription.

How big is the grid?

It grows from 3×3 on level 1 to 7×7 on levels 14 and 15. The classic 5×5 table, numbers 1 to 25 counted up and left in place, is level 6. Levels 7 to 9 use the same grid counted down, shuffled, or both.

Is there a red and black version, or one with letters?

Not in this game. Some Schulte tables use letters, or mix black numbers counting up with red numbers counting down. Here the variants are counting down and numbers that move after every correct tap.

What is a good time for a 5×5 Schulte table?

There is no reliable norm to quote. Published times disagree and rarely give a source. The game compares each result only with your own previous best on that level.

Can I play it on a phone?

Yes, once it launches. It will run in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and inside Telegram. Nothing will need to be installed.

Will it improve my attention?

We make no such claim. The points show how you did in this game. Whether practice here carries over to anything else is not something the game can measure.