Trail Making Test Online — Part A & Part B
The classic pen-and-paper neuropsychology task, playable in your browser: tap the scattered circles in rule order and watch your trail draw itself. Part A connects numbers 1→2→3; Part B alternates 1→A→2→B; and the exclusive Dynamic mode lets unfinished nodes slowly drift. Your time and errors are scored instantly — and never leave your device.
Connect the numbers in order: 1 → 2 → 3 …
Pick a mode and node count, press start, then tap the circles in order as fast as you can.
Finish a round to start your local history.
How to read your time — published paper-test anchors: Trail A average 29s, Trail B average 75s; lower is better. Full scoring standards →
How this trail making test online works
Circles are scattered across the board. In Part A you connect the numbers in plain order — 1, 2, 3 … — just like the classic Trail Making Test Part A sheet. In Part B the board holds numbers and letters, and you alternate between the two sequences: 1 → A → 2 → B …, exactly like Trail Making Test Part B. Each correct tap extends the line from the previous circle; a wrong tap flashes red and counts as an error but never stops the clock. Your score is the total completion time in milliseconds plus the error count — lower is better.
Pick 8, 12 or 16 nodes: 12 is the default and a good starting point; 8 suits warm-ups and kids, 16 approaches the density of the paper original (which uses 25 circles). After each round you get a four-band rating anchored to published 25-circle paper values (scaled by node count and clearly marked as such), a progress curve of your last 20 rounds, and a comparison against your personal best. For the full sourced reference values, see the trail making test standard scores page; for offline practice, the printable Part A + Part B cards.
A honest note on meaning: the trail making test is used clinically as a quick screening snapshot — Part A for visual search and processing speed, Part B for task switching and mental flexibility. This online version is training and self-tracking, not a medical assessment, and practicing it mainly makes you faster at this task. Treat your trend as personal feedback, not a diagnosis or a promise of broader cognitive change.
How to take the test
- Pick a mode — Part A (numbers in order), Part B (alternating numbers and letters) or Dynamic (Part A with drifting nodes) — and a node count: 8, 12 or 16.
- Press Start. Circles appear scattered across the board and the timer starts immediately.
- Tap the circles in the required order as fast as you can. Correct taps draw the connecting line; wrong taps flash red and count as errors.
- Read your score: completion time, errors, a sourced rating band and your trend. Results are stored locally so you can track progress.
What your results mean
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Completion time | Total milliseconds from start to the last correct tap — the headline score of every trail making test; lower is better. |
| Errors | How many wrong circles you tapped. The paper original counts these too, and they usually cost you search time. |
| Mode & node count | Part A, Part B or Dynamic at 8/12/16 nodes — history, personal bests and the progress curve are tracked per combination. |
| Rating band | Excellent / Good / Average / Keep practicing, anchored to published 25-circle paper values scaled to your node count (a site derivation, not a clinical norm). |
Online boards with fewer nodes run systematically faster than the 25-circle paper test, so never compare your online seconds directly with paper norms. The sourced paper reference values are collected on the trail making test standard scores page.
Printable Part A + Part B cards
Prefer the original paper format? Generate fresh randomized trail making cards — one Part A and one Part B per sheet — and print straight from your browser. Open the printable trail making cards →
Frequently asked questions
What is the trail making test?
The trail making test (TMT) is a timed neuropsychological task: you connect scattered circles in a set order as fast as you can. Part A links numbers 1-2-3; Part B alternates numbers and letters (1-A-2-B). It is widely used as a quick screening snapshot of visual search, processing speed and mental flexibility — not a diagnosis by itself.
How does the trail making test work?
Circles are scattered across the board. Starting at 1, tap each circle in the required order — numbers only in Part A, alternating numbers and letters in Part B — and a line is drawn along your path. The clock runs until the last circle; wrong taps flash red and count as errors. Your score is the total completion time.
What is the difference between Part A and Part B?
Part A is a pure connect-the-dots numbers task — 1-2-3 and so on — measuring visual search and processing speed. Part B adds alternating letters (1-A-2-B), so your brain must keep two sequences active and switch between them; that extra demand taps task switching and executive control, which is why Part B typically takes two to three times as long.
What is a normal trail making test time?
On the classic 25-circle paper version, published clinical summaries put the adult average near 29 seconds for Part A and 75 seconds for Part B, with most people finishing under 90 seconds and 3 minutes respectively. Times rise steadily with age. Online versions with fewer nodes run faster — compare like with like using the sourced reference values.
What does the trail making test measure?
Part A mainly measures visual search speed and sustained attention. Part B adds mental flexibility — the ability to switch between two sequences — plus working memory, so it is often used as a quick executive-function screen. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis: clinicians interpret it alongside age norms, education and a full assessment.