Flanker Test Practice (Arrows Game)
Follow the middle arrow, ignore the rest.
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Hit start and the game runs exactly like the real assessment — timers and all.
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What is the flanker test practice (arrows game)?
The flanker task — usually branded as the "arrows game" in game-based assessments — shows you a row of five arrows. Your job: respond with the direction of the middle arrow only. Sometimes all five agree (>>>>>), sometimes the middle one points the other way (>><>>), and those incongruent trials are where careless mistakes happen.
Vendors like pymetrics and HireVue-style platforms use arrows games to measure attention control and impulse inhibition — whether you can act on the relevant signal while filtering out distraction. Your score combines accuracy with median reaction speed, plus your "flanker effect": the extra milliseconds incongruent trials cost you.
Tips that actually help: lock your gaze on the centre position before the arrows appear, respond to what you see there and nowhere else, and slow down by ~50 ms rather than gamble — a wrong fast answer costs more than a right slightly-slower one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the arrows game in hiring assessments?
It is the Eriksen flanker task: five arrows appear and you respond with the direction of the middle one, ignoring the surrounding "flanker" arrows. It measures attention control and impulse inhibition.
What is a good flanker test score?
Strong performers keep accuracy above 90% with responses well under 600 ms. On this trainer, a combined score above 80 puts you in the top quarter of test takers.
What is the flanker effect?
The extra reaction time you need when the flanking arrows point the opposite way to the middle one. A typical cost is 30–100 ms; a small, stable flanker effect signals good attention control.
How do I get better at the arrows game?
Fixate on the centre of the screen before each trial, respond only to the middle arrow, and favour accuracy over raw speed. Short daily practice sessions shrink the flanker effect quickly.
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