Multiple Object Tracking Test (MOT)
Memorize the red-flashing circles, track them as all 8 balls move for 5 seconds, then pick them out. 8 scored rounds, from 3 up to 5 targets.
What this test measures
Covert attentional tracking: the ability to keep multiple moving objects tagged by visual attention without staring at any single one. Each round, 8 identical circles appear and 3 to 5 of them flash red for 2 seconds. The markers then vanish, every circle turns the same color, and all 8 bounce around the arena for 5 seconds. When they stop, you click the ones you believe were targets and confirm. The test runs 1 unscored practice round with a single target, then 8 scored rounds stepping up from 3 targets (rounds 1-3) to 4 (rounds 4-6) and finally 5 (rounds 7-8) — deliberately pushing past the 4-5 object limit most adults hit. Your score is the average percentage of targets correctly identified across the 8 scored rounds.
The science behind it
Multiple object tracking (MOT) was introduced by Pylyshyn & Storm 1988 (Spatial Vision), who showed observers can track about 4-5 independently moving targets among identical distractors — early evidence that visual attention can index several objects in parallel. Later work reframed the limit as a flexible resource: Alvarez & Franconeri 2007 (Journal of Vision) found people track up to 8 very slow objects but only 1 very fast one. Meyerhoff et al. 2017 reviewed three decades of MOT studies; untrained adults average roughly 65% accuracy at 4-target loads like this test's middle rounds. The paradigm has a competitive pedigree too: action video game players track more objects than non-gamers (Green & Bavelier 2006, Cognition), and professional athletes outperform amateurs on 3D-MOT and learn it faster (Faubert 2013, Scientific Reports) — the basis of NeuroTracker-style training used in esports.
How to improve your tracking
Two strategies measurably help. First, don't chase individual balls with your eyes — trackers do better when gaze rests near the center of the target group, monitoring everything with peripheral vision (Fehd & Seiffert 2008). Second, mentally group the targets into a single imaginary polygon and track the shape as it deforms, a strategy documented since Yantis 1992 (Cognitive Psychology). Practice also raises scores on the trained task, and 3D-MOT training is popular in professional sports. Be honest about the limits, though: the 4-5 object capacity ceiling is robust, gains are strongest on the practiced task itself, and independent evidence that MOT training transfers to unrelated skills is mixed. Fatigue and sleep loss reliably hurt sustained attention, so test rested.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good multiple object tracking score?
Untrained adults average about 65% accuracy at 4-target tracking, with SD around 15% (Pylyshyn & Storm 1988; Meyerhoff et al. 2017). Against that distribution, 80% puts you around the top 16% and 95% around the top 2-3%. Because our final rounds use 5 targets — beyond most people's capacity — averages above 90% are rare.
How many objects can humans track at once?
About 4-5 under typical conditions (Pylyshyn & Storm 1988). The limit is not a fixed slot count: with very slow objects people can track up to 8, and with very fast ones barely 1 (Alvarez & Franconeri 2007), suggesting a shared attentional resource. Our difficulty curve from 3 to 5 targets is designed to bracket exactly that limit.
Do gamers and esports players track objects better?
On average, yes. Action video game players can track more objects than non-gamers at comparable accuracy (Green & Bavelier 2006). Professional athletes also outperform amateurs on 3D multiple object tracking and improve faster with practice (Faubert 2013), which is why MOT-style tools such as NeuroTracker are used in esports and pro sports training.
Can I improve my MOT score with training?
Yes, on the task itself: practice, resting your gaze near the center of the target group (Fehd & Seiffert 2008), and grouping targets into one imaginary shape (Yantis 1992) all raise scores. Whether training transfers to other skills is debated — commercial MOT training products claim broad benefits, but independent evidence for far transfer is mixed. Treat your score as a snapshot of attentional tracking, not a fixed ability.
Why does the test get harder each round?
The first three scored rounds use 3 targets, the next three use 4, and the last two use 5. Stepping across the 4-5 object capacity limit spreads scores out: almost everyone succeeds at 3 targets, while 5 targets separates strong trackers from average ones. The single practice round with 1 target just teaches the flow and is never scored.
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