Schulte table: what it is, how to use it and what it trains
How many seconds does your brain need to switch on? Psychologists have long used the Schulte table to see how fast a person gets into work and whether they keep the pace. All it takes is a minute and 25 numbers. Play the first table right here, then we look at the method, the types of tables and the honest limits.
Contents
Schulte table online: find 25 numbers
Tap Start and find the numbers from 1 to 25 in order. Tapped the wrong one? No problem, just keep looking. Remember your time, you will need it below.
What is a Schulte table
A Schulte table is a 5 × 5 grid with the numbers 1 to 25 in random cells. The task is simple: find and point to every number in order as fast as you can. The tables were created by the German psychiatrist Walter Schulte, and psychologists use them to look at search speed and how steady attention is.
At home it works as a short attention warm-up: one table takes less than a minute, and the result shows straight away in seconds.
What the Schulte table trains
In those thirty seconds your head did four different jobs. You can train each one on its own, and each has its own chapter in the game.
Keep one target in mind and ignore the numbers next to it. Coloured cells make it harder.
Chapters 1–2See the whole grid instead of reading row by row. The bigger the table, the wider you have to look.
Chapter 5Track two series at once: some numbers up, others down. That is the Gorbov table, see below.
Chapter 3Get into the task from the first second and keep the speed to the end. When the numbers shuffle, remembering places does not help.
Chapter 4How to use a Schulte table
The main trick: look at the centre and catch the numbers with side vision instead of running your eyes along the rows.
- Look at the centre cell and keep your eyes close to it.
- Don't say the numbers to yourself: it slows you down.
- Lost your place? Don't go back to the start of the row, look for the next number.
- Time yourself and write it down: that is how you see progress.
The Schulte test: five tables and how to read the results
The classic method uses five tables in a row, not one, and notes the time of each: T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. Three scores come from them.
WE = (T1 + T2 + T3 + T4 + T5) / 5The average time per table. Lower means faster search.
WU = T1 / WEBelow 1.0: you get going at once. Above 1.0: you need a warm-up.
MS = T4 / WEBelow 1.0: your pace holds. Above 1.0: attention tires towards the end.
Our 5-table check works these out for you.
Put simply, the last two answer two questions: how fast you get going and whether you keep the pace to the end.
About 3 minutes. At the end you see your warm-up and how well your pace holds. It is a snapshot of the day, not a diagnosis.
Types of Schulte tables
The classic is 5 × 5 with the numbers 1 to 25, but there are more versions. Here are the main ones and where they are in our game.
Numbers 1 to 25. Adults start here.
Chapter 1Up to 9 and 16 numbers, for preschool and first grade.
Chapter 1Up to 49 numbers: you have to take in the whole grid.
Chapter 5A non-square grid breaks the familiar layout.
Chapter 2Cells or numbers in different colours. Colour only distracts, you still go by number.
Chapters 1–2Two series, one going up and one going down.
Chapter 3After every right tap the numbers swap places.
Chapter 4Letters instead of numbers, in alphabetical order.
Not yetThe red-black Gorbov–Schulte table
When the plain table feels easy, add a second series. The Gorbov–Schulte table has 49 cells: black numbers 1 to 25 and red numbers 1 to 24. You alternate: black going up, red going down. It is used to look at switching attention. In our game the colours are blue and pink.
Schulte tables for kids
For preschoolers and first-graders start with small 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 tables, the first levels of the game. Children of 7–10 can use the classic 5 × 5.
- Play together and keep it short: 2–3 tables while it is fun.
- Praise beating their own time, not being "as fast as others".
- Don't make age norms from the internet the goal: conditions differ.
Printable Schulte tables
Need a table on paper, for a lesson or for practice with a child? Tap a button: you get a new table on a full A4 or Letter page every time. In the print window you can choose "Save as PDF".
Pages print without ads or extra text.
The honest part
There are many loud promises around this table. Here is what can be said without stretching it.
With practice you get faster at the table itself. That is the most solid result of research on any brain training.
The table is used in attention research, for example to see how a second colour gets in the way of the search.
That the table raises IQ or speeds up reading. A large 2016 review found no reliable transfer of brain training to everyday tasks.
So we offer it for what it is: a minute to get focused and a clear score in seconds that shows your progress.
A minute a morning: how to train attention
It works best before email and the feed. Three tables are enough.
No rush, just remember to look at the centre.
Full speed. Misses do not matter, the pace does.
With your own best time, not with "norms" from the internet.
Coloured cells, two series, shuffle. The first 20 are free, your best times stay on this device.
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Questions
Is the online Schulte table free?
Yes. In our trainer the first 20 levels are free with no sign-up, from 3 × 3 to 5 × 5, plus the 5-table attention check.
How do I print a Schulte table?
In the Print section tap the size you need. The print window opens: choose a printer or "Save as PDF". The table is new every time.
What is a normal result?
There is no single norm for an online table. Handbooks give rough times, but for a paper table with a stopwatch and a psychologist in the room, which is a different setup. Compare yourself with yesterday.
How often should I practise?
Three tables a day, that is 2–3 minutes. Short and daily works better than long and weekly.
Is it good for children?
Yes. Start with 3 × 3 and 4 × 4, the first levels of the game. Adults can start right at 5 × 5.
How is the Gorbov table different?
It has two series of numbers in different colours, and you alternate between them: one goes up, the other goes down.