Does it help with speed reading?

Schulte tables are used to train peripheral vision and visual search, and are sometimes presented as part of speed-reading practice. It doesn't guarantee speed reading itself, but it does exercise using a wide field of view to pick up information.

How much should I do each day?

Short, regular sessions suit focus training better than long ones. Repeating tens of seconds to a few minutes at a time — say between breaks — works well.

Only your best time per difficulty is saved, in your device's localStorage. There is no external communication or upload.

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2026-07-09

Train Focus and Peripheral Vision with a Schulte Table (Free)

Tapping numbers scattered across a grid, in order from 1, as fast as you can — this task, the "Schulte table," is known for training focus and peripheral vision (the width of your view). This guide covers what it trains and how to play a free game where the numbers keep moving to make it even harder, with tips to improve.

What is a Schulte table?

A Schulte table places numbers randomly in a square grid, and you find and tap (or point to) them in order from 1. It has long been used to train attention and visual search.

To go fast, you can't search with the center of your gaze alone — you have to take in the whole field softly and spot the next number. That is why it's said to exercise using your peripheral vision to pick up information quickly.

What changes when the numbers move

A normal Schulte table keeps numbers fixed, but in Slide Tap Number the numbers keep swapping with an adjacent cell at a short cadence. You can't just memorize positions and jump ahead, so you must keep scanning the board to track the number you want.

This adds a "tracking" element — following a moving target — on top of searching a static one. Building the habit of viewing the whole board calmly trains both search speed and composure.

How to play (Slide Tap Number)

The free tool Slide Tap Number is a time attack on a moving Schulte table. It runs fully locally with no external communication.

The steps:

Open Slide Tap Number and choose a difficulty (Easy 3×3 / Normal 4×4 / Hard 5×5)
Tap the numbers as fast as you can, in order from "1"
The numbers swap with neighbors at a short cadence, so track their positions as you search
A wrong tap costs +2 seconds; your best clear time is saved per difficulty

Tips to improve

The trick is not to stare at one point — rest your gaze near the center of the board and take it in as a whole "field." Using the information at the edge of your vision to find the next number makes you faster.

Panicked mashing racks up +2-second penalties on wrong taps and actually slows you down. Prioritize accuracy on Easy first, then increase the grid size as you get comfortable. Short daily repetitions are the effective way to train focus.

Try the tool featured in this article — free, right now.

Use Slide Tap Number

Frequently asked questions

Q. Does it help with speed reading?: A. Schulte tables are used to train peripheral vision and visual search, and are sometimes presented as part of speed-reading practice. It doesn't guarantee speed reading itself, but it does exercise using a wide field of view to pick up information.
Q. How much should I do each day?: A. Short, regular sessions suit focus training better than long ones. Repeating tens of seconds to a few minutes at a time — say between breaks — works well.
Q. Is my record saved?: A. Only your best time per difficulty is saved, in your device's localStorage. There is no external communication or upload.