The Stroop Test
Can your focus beat your reflex to read?
By Dmitry Baluev · Updated June 29, 2026
About this test
Twenty-four color words flash by. Each is printed in a colored ink — sometimes matching the word, often not. Your job: tap the COLOR of the ink, not the word. Stay fast, stay accurate, and don't let the word trick you. Your focus score lands on the leaderboard.
- ≈ 1 min
- Competitive
- Free · no signup
What your result could be
Every possible result for this test, and what each one means.
The Unflappable — The word never stood a chance
Sharp Filter — Distraction in, signal out
The Focused — Solidly in control
Warming Up — The word kept winning this round
Frequently asked
How long does this test take?
About a minute. You'll see 24 color words; for each one you tap the COLOR of the ink it's printed in, ignoring what the word says — as fast and accurately as you can.
What is the Stroop effect?
Reading is so automatic that when a word like "RED" is printed in blue ink, your brain has to suppress the urge to read it before it can name the color. That extra effort slows you down — the slowdown is called Stroop interference, after John Ridley Stroop, who described it in 1935. This test measures how well you push through that conflict.
How is my score calculated?
Higher is better. The score rewards two things: staying accurate under conflict, and keeping your speed on the tricky (incongruent) words close to your speed on the easy ones. It is measured against your own baseline, so a slower device or a calmer day doesn't unfairly penalize you. Guessing tanks the score, because accuracy counts double.
Is this a medical or attention-disorder test?
No. It's a quick game about cognitive focus and inhibition, not a clinical assessment, and it says nothing about ADHD or any condition. It also needs normal color vision — if you're colorblind the task won't work for you, and that's about the test, not your focus.
How does the leaderboard work?
Your focus score is recorded on a leaderboard. The weekly board resets every Monday (UTC); the all-time board never resets. Impossible scores are auto-rejected.