Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers about the platform, the science, and the results.

What is the Stroop effect?

The Stroop effect is the mental delay that occurs when a word's meaning conflicts with its ink color — like the word RED printed in blue ink. Naming the ink color takes longer than reading the word. It has been a standard measure of selective attention since 1935. Read the full science page →

How does the IDM Stroop test work?

You see color words one at a time and respond to the ink color before the interval ends. Every trial is timed server-side in milliseconds; accuracy and score are tracked per session. In most modes, one mistake ends the run — so consistency matters as much as speed.

What do my results mean?

Results report your reaction time in milliseconds and your accuracy. Stroop test results include a Stroop effect analysis: your average speed on congruent versus incongruent trials and the interference between them. The Cognitive Skills Report tracks your progress across nine cognitive domains over time — the number that matters most is your own trajectory.

Is IDM Stroop free?

Yes. You can play for free every day within daily limits. A subscription unlocks additional daily play and advanced features. New cognitive games are added to the library over time.

Does brain training actually work?

Practicing a specific task reliably improves performance on that task — that part is well established. Whether training transfers broadly to general intelligence is genuinely debated in the research literature. IDM Stroop takes the honest position: it measures and tracks the skills you actually train, without inflated claims. Your progress is reported in milliseconds and accuracy — not hype.

How do live competitions work?

Stroop Live lets you create a room, share the code, and compete in simultaneous real-time rounds — head-to-head with friends, colleagues, or anyone you dare to challenge.

Is there an Arabic version?

Yes. The entire platform — games, dashboards, and reports — is fully bilingual in English and Arabic, with complete right-to-left support. Switch languages any time, or start directly at stroop.idm.sa/ar.

Is my data private?

IDM Stroop stores only what is needed to run your account and track your own progress. See the terms and privacy policy in the app for details.

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Read more: The Stroop effect, explained · All six games