Recall test: a free word recall test, with examples
Study a list of words, then write down as many as you can remember. It’s one of the simplest memory tests there is, and one of the most revealing.
A recall test is about as simple as memory tests get: you study some information, it’s taken away, and you bring back as much as you can with no hints. Psychologists have used versions of it for well over a century, and it’s still one of the clearest windows into how memory works.
Try a quick recall test
You’ll see 12 words for 30 seconds. Then type as many as you remember, in any order. Don’t write them down while you study; that’s cheating your own result.
What a recall test measures
Recall means retrieving information without being shown it again. That makes it different from recognition, where you only have to say whether you’ve seen something before. Recognition is much easier: you can pick out a word you studied far more reliably than you can produce it from nothing. Our guide to recall vs recognition explains why.
A recall test also shows how you organized what you studied. People rarely write words in random order. They cluster them by meaning (all the animals, then the kitchen things) or by when they appeared, and that clustering is a big part of why some people remember more.
Three kinds of recall test
- Free recall: write down the items in any order. This is the version above, and the most common.
- Serial recall: recall the items in the exact order you saw them. Much harder for long lists. A number memory test is a serial recall test for digits.
- Cued recall: you get a hint for each item, such as its first letter or category (“an animal…”). Cues usually help a lot, which shows that much “forgetting” is really failing to find a memory rather than losing it.
Examples of recall tests
A simple word list. Ten to fifteen everyday nouns, studied for about two seconds each or 30 seconds as a block, then written down. This is the classic classroom example.
Immediate and delayed recall. You recall the list straight away, then again after 10 to 30 minutes of doing something else. The drop between the two shows how much made it into longer-term memory. The forgetting curve describes how quickly that drop happens without review.
Repeated learning trials. Some standardized tests, such as the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, read the same 15-word list several times and ask for recall after each reading. Watching the score climb shows how well someone learns with repetition.
Everyday versions. Writing a shopping list from memory, naming everyone at a dinner you went to, or listing the points from a meeting are all free recall tests in disguise.
What’s a normal score?
For a 12-word list studied once, recalling around half right away is common for adults, and remembering 8 or more is a strong result. A few things push scores up or down:
- Attention and sleep. Tired or distracted people recall noticeably fewer words.
- Word type. Concrete words you can picture (“lantern”) are easier than abstract ones (“justice”).
- Strategy. Simply repeating words is the weakest method. Linking them into images or a story is far stronger.
Why the first and last words stick
If you look at which words people remember, a pattern appears: the first few and the last few are recalled best, and the middle ones most often go missing. This is called the serial position effect. The first words get the most rehearsal as you study, so they reach long-term memory (the primacy effect). The last words are still sitting in working memory when you start writing (the recency effect). Wait 30 seconds before recalling and the recency advantage largely disappears, while the primacy advantage stays.
How to recall more words
Group them. Sort the list into a few categories as you study: animals, food, things in a house. Three groups of four are easier than twelve separate words. This is chunking at work.
Make a story. Link each word to the next in a strange little scene: the dolphin balances a candle while riding a wagon. Recall the story and the words come with it.
Use a route. Place each word at a spot in your home and walk through it to recall them. This is the memory palace, the technique memory champions use for long lists.
Write down the last words first. When recall starts, empty the end of the list from working memory before it fades, then work on the rest.
Recall and recognition in our games
The daily Words game tests the other side of verbal memory: recognition. Instead of producing words, you decide whether each one is new or one you’ve already seen, and the list keeps growing. Try both and you’ll feel how differently the two kinds of memory behave.
This test is for fun and practice, not a medical assessment. If you’re concerned about changes in your memory, please talk to a doctor.
Frequently asked questions
What is a recall test?
A recall test asks you to bring information back from memory with no options to choose from, for example writing down a list of words you studied a minute earlier. It’s harder than a recognition test, where you only pick out what you saw.
What is an example of a simple recall test?
Study a list of 10 to 15 everyday words for about 30 seconds, look away, then write down as many as you can in any order. Your score is the number of words you got right.
How many words should I be able to recall?
From a 12-word list studied once, recalling about half straight away is common. Scores vary a lot with sleep, attention and how the words were studied, and techniques like grouping or making a story raise them quickly.
Is a recall test a medical test?
No. Online recall tests are for curiosity and practice. Clinicians use standardized word-list tests as one part of a full assessment. If you’re worried about your memory, talk to a doctor.