Attention
Ordered Number Search Task
Also called: Schulte table, concentration grid, sequential number search, number grid task
Measure visual search speed as participants select numbers in order on shuffled grids. Record completion time and wrong selections.
4-7 minTimed: desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad
Free to start: 10 free participants per account, then $0.99 per participant for academic research, or any yearly plan. Try it here first, with no account.
- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 244
- Evidence grade
- C
- Registered clinical studies
- 9
What it measures
Measures attention and visual search speed. Participants select numbers from 1 to 25 in order on five shuffled grids. Scores completion time, wrong selections and time between numbers.
Constructs
- Selective attention
- Visual search
- Processing speed
Research uses
- Attention research
- Sport and performance research
- Aging and visual search research
How the paradigm works
Select numbers in ascending order on a shuffled 5 by 5 grid. The task measures visual search and sustained selection across a complete sequence. Five independent grids follow a small practice grid. Numbers remain in place after a selection; wrong choices leave the required number unchanged and the clock continues.
More about the paradigm
Mean completion time is the primary measure. Wrong selections, unfinished grids and time between numbers describe how the search unfolded. Completion times include error correction and exclude unfinished grids, which are reported separately. The standard limit is 120 seconds per grid. Compare runs with the same device and settings.
Scores
- Mean grid timeseconds
- Mean completion time over finished grids.
- Lower means faster search
- Median grid timeseconds
- Median completion time over finished grids.
- Lower means faster search
- Time between numbersms
- Mean time to the next correct selection, including time spent correcting errors; intervals under 100 ms are excluded.
- Lower means faster search
- Wrong selectionscount
- Selections of a number other than the next required number.
- Lower means fewer errors
- Numbers foundcount
- Numbers correctly selected across all grids, including unfinished grids.
- Higher means more numbers found
- Completed gridscount
- Grids with all 25 numbers selected in order.
- Informational
- Unfinished gridscount
- Recorded grids without all 25 selections.
- Informational
- Anticipationscount
- Selections less than 100 ms after the preceding selection or initial display.
- Informational
- Grids scoredcount
- Test grids with a valid stored layout.
- Informational
- Planned gridscount
- Number of test grids set before the session.
- Informational
Use and evidence
244 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 122% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 123 of 582 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 77 |
| 2024 | 35 |
| 2023 | 59 |
| 2022 | 28 |
| 2021 | 45 |
| 2020 | 36 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2017 | 18 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2014 | 9 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2003 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
Use grade C
100 to 299 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade C
At least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 2
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 20
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 9
Measured on ConductCognition
Pooled across the studies that feed our platform norms, by device group. A figure needs 50 or more people.
No pooled figure yet.
Note on the counts: includes training studies that use the grid as an exercise.
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Grids
- Five 5 by 5 grids as standard, each containing 1 to 25 once. Researchers can choose 1 to 5 grids. A separate 3 by 3 practice grid comes first.
- Response
- Click or tap the numbers in ascending order. Every number stays visible. A wrong selection leaves the next required number unchanged while time continues.
- Timing
- A 500 ms lead-in precedes each grid. The limit is 120 seconds per grid as standard, adjustable from 60 to 180. Rest screens separate test grids.
- Scores
- Mean and median time over completed grids, wrong selections, numbers found, time between correct selections, anticipations and unfinished grids.
- Data
- The seeded layout and each selection’s cell, value, input type and time are saved. The scorer replays selections in order.
The grids are generated for each session. This version adds a small practice grid, a fixed time limit and touch responses to the published mouse task. Compare devices and settings consistently. Scores support research and do not diagnose.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: ordered_number_search_grid from the scored run. Selections are replayed in order. Wrong selections and unfinished grids are reported, not judged against chance. No completed grid invalidates; a run with fewer recorded grids than planned is flagged. Correct selections supply the response intervals. Responses under 100 ms follow the timed-test rule.
Why these rules
Every number must be found in sequence, so completion has no meaningful chance level. Slow or unfinished grids are part of the measured search performance. Fast selection intervals detect responses that precede a visual search.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Number of grids | 5 | 1 to 5 |
| Time per grid (seconds) | 120 | 60 to 180 |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. Participant devices
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- No percentile. Scores and quality flags only. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Ordered Number Search Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Solianik, Brazaitis and Skurvydas, 2016), with the standard settings (number of grids: 5; time per grid (seconds): 120). The main score was mean grid time (mean completion time over finished grids).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Solianik, R., Brazaitis, M., & Skurvydas, A. (2016). Sex-related differences in attention and memory. Medicina, 52(6), 372-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medici.2016.11.007The ascending number-grid search method and mean completion-time measure.
Source papers
- Solianik R, Brazaitis M, Skurvydas A (2016). Sex-related differences in attention and memory. Medicina, 52(6), 372-377.Paradigm source, Adults
Questions
How long does the Ordered Number Search Task take?
About 4 to 7 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Mean grid time, Median grid time, Time between numbers, Wrong selections, Numbers found, Completed grids, Unfinished grids, Anticipations, Grids scored and Planned grids. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Ordered Number Search Task used in research?
244 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, up 122% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 123 of 582 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade C). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.39.0, counted 8 November 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Ordered Number Search Task have?
In the published research, 2 papers report its test-retest reliability and 9 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome (evidence grade C in the ConductCognition test census).
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Number of grids (1 to 5) and time per grid (seconds) (60 to 180). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
Participants can take this test in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
Every test: the full test list.
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