Cognilo
Rule Match: a focus puzzle that rewards reading carefully
Every card has a shape, a word, some dots and a digit. Only one pair matters, and the rule tells you which. Count the cards that match without letting the other features pull you in. There is no clock; accuracy is the whole game.
What is a rule-matching focus puzzle?
A rule-matching puzzle shows items with several features and asks you to judge only one relationship, for example whether the word names the shape. The other features are deliberate distractions. The challenge is holding the rule in mind while your eyes keep offering you the wrong evidence.
Harder versions invert the rule (match only when the word does NOT name the shape), which turns your first instinct against you.
How to solve focus puzzles accurately
Say the rule before each card, not just once at the start. Rules slip out of mind faster than it feels.
Look only at the two features the rule mentions. If the rule is about digits and dots, cover the word with your attention: it cannot change the answer.
Keep a running tally and touch each card once, left to right, top to bottom. Most mistakes are double-counts or skipped cards, not misjudged cards.
With an inverted rule, decide what a normal match would be and then flip it. Two small steps are more reliable than one big one.
Answer to our read-the-rule puzzle
Rule: the word must name the shape. Cards: a triangle labelled TRIANGLE, a circle labelled SQUARE, a star labelled STAR. Two cards match: the triangle and the star. The circle fails because its word names a different shape.
Focus games in the Cognilo app
Signal Sort in the app uses the same three rules and, at higher levels, switches between them mid-round. Quick Signal is a separate reaction game for anyone who wants a timed challenge. Because a fast reaction and a careful decision are different things, Cognilo reports them separately.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an attention test?
No. It is a puzzle. A handful of rounds cannot say anything meaningful about a person, and Cognilo makes no medical or diagnostic claims. Your result shows only how you did on this puzzle.
Why are focus puzzles harder than they look?
Because the features you are told to ignore are still easy to read, and reading them is automatic. Holding a rule against that pull takes deliberate effort, which is exactly what makes these puzzles satisfying to get right.