Learning · ~3 minutes
Can you hold your attention?
Press on the circles, hold back on the squares. Simple — until the squares turn rare and the habit to press takes over. This Go/No-Go task measures vigilance, impulse control, and how steady your focus stays over forty trials.
Forty shapes will flash one at a time. Press the panel (or Space) the instant you see a circle. When you see a square, do nothing and let it pass. Squares are rare, so the urge to press everything is the whole challenge. Around three minutes.
Your attention profile
The focus score (1–99, approximate) combines accuracy with response consistency — a steadier reaction time counts for more than a faster one. Impulse errors mean you pressed on a square; missed signals mean you let a circle slip by. This is an educational instrument, not a diagnosis: fatigue, environment, and a single off day all move the number.
About this instrument
What this measures — and what it doesn't
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Measures
Sustained attention
Two things at once: staying vigilant across a repetitive stream, and inhibiting a prepotent response when the rare stop-signal appears. Together they form the core of what everyday language calls focus.
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Method
Go/No-Go, 40 trials
Circles (go, ~75%) and squares (no-go, ~25%) flash for one second each. The high go-rate builds a response habit, so withholding on squares is genuinely effortful — which is exactly what makes commission errors informative.
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Result
A profile, not one number
Accuracy, impulse errors, missed signals, mean reaction time, and consistency — plus an approximate composite that rewards steadiness. The shape of the profile tells you whether your focus fails by impulsivity or by drifting off.
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Limits
Honest limits
This is not an ADHD test or any clinical assessment. Go/No-Go performance is highly state-dependent — sleep, caffeine, noise, and motivation all move it — and one short run is a snapshot, not a trait. Real attention concerns belong with a clinician.
Go deeper
The science behind this instrument
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The state factors that make attention wander — and how to test on a fair day.
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Before you begin
What does this focus test measure?
Sustained attention and response inhibition, using a Go/No-Go task. You respond quickly to common 'go' signals and withhold on rare 'no-go' signals. It captures how well you stay vigilant over time and resist acting on impulse.
What do commission and omission errors mean?
A commission error is pressing when you should have withheld — a failure of impulse control. An omission error is missing a signal you should have responded to — a lapse of attention. The two patterns say different things about how your focus breaks down.
Why does response consistency matter?
A steady reaction time signals stable attention; a reaction time that swings wildly between fast and slow is one of the clearest markers of a wandering mind — often more telling than average speed. That's why the score weighs consistency, not just accuracy.
Is this an ADHD test?
No. Go/No-Go tasks resemble tools used in attention research, but this is an educational instrument, not a diagnostic one. A low score can come from tiredness, a distracting environment, or simply an off day. If attention affects your daily life, that's a conversation for a qualified clinician.
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