The task
How to play Pulse Pattern
Watch a sequence of pulses with uneven gaps, then tap the rhythm back. Remember the pattern of short and long spaces between pulses. Your overall pace may change; the proportions of those spaces determine the score.
Reproduce the relative timing between pulses, keeping the short and long gaps in the same order.
- Watch the entire visual pattern. Count the pulses, but pay most attention to the gaps between them.
- When answering begins, tap once for the starting pulse and again for every following pulse. A pattern with five gaps needs six taps.
- Submit the complete pattern and compare your normalized gap lengths with the target. The result also reports whether your overall pace was faster or slower.
Phone, mouse and keyboard controls
Use the large tap button on a phone or click it with a mouse. With the button focused, press Space or Enter for each pulse. The visible pulse sequence contains the timing information, so sound is not required. Use one consistent input method within a round.
Press Begin round when you are ready to observe. Keep the game visible during the round. If an interruption requires another observation, the run is labeled Reviewed to distinguish it from an uninterrupted first attempt.
Know what your result means
How the score works
Each gap is divided by the mean gap length of its own pattern. The game takes the root mean square difference between your normalized gaps and the target normalized gaps. For this error e, score = round(100 × exp(−0.5 × (e / 0.2)²)). Overall pace is reported separately and does not lower a perfectly proportional answer.
A worked example
For target gaps of 500, 1,000, 500 and 750 ms, an answer of 600, 1,200, 600 and 900 ms keeps every ratio and scores 100. It is 20% slower overall. Tapping every gap at 750 ms loses the alternating short/long pattern even if the average pace feels similar.
A score is feedback on this puzzle and these rules. Compare attempts with the same game, difficulty and puzzle conditions; a score from another type measures a different task.
Learn from the answer
Common mistakes and what to try next
Counting taps but ignoring the gaps
The spaces between taps carry the pattern. Think “short, long, short” while watching, then reproduce those relationships.
Trying to correct pace halfway through
A sudden speed change distorts interval ratios. Keep a consistent internal pace from the first answer tap to the last.
Holding the key down
Use separate presses and releases. Holding a key is not a series of intentional taps, and very short or very long gaps cannot form a valid answer.
One change at a time
The targeted variation changes the playback pace from 500 ms per base unit to 650 ms, or back, while retaining the relative pattern. It tests the same rhythm at a different overall speed.
After a pack, the result suggests a focused variation for your lowest-scoring type. After that variation, retry it or choose a fresh practice pack. A replay is useful for learning, but its score should not be treated as a first unseen attempt.
Pulse Pattern questions
Do I need sound or headphones?
No. The pulses are visible and contain all the timing information needed to play. You do not need headphones or musical notation.
Can a slower answer still score 100?
Yes, if all the gaps keep the target proportions. Uniformly slowing or speeding the whole answer preserves the normalized rhythm.
Why is there one more tap than the number of gaps?
A gap is the time between two taps. Five gaps need a starting tap plus five more taps. Each recorded gap must be between 80 and 5,000 ms.