This Simple Test Will Let You Know If You Have 'Photographic' Memory

"Only 1% of the population will pass this test"
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Wouldn't life be a lot easier if you could look at your to-do list once and remember it for the rest of the day? 

Eidetic memory, the medical term for super-accurate memory, is a power we would all like to have.

Thanks to the internet (and science obviously) there is a test that can tell you how good your eidetic memory is.

However, before we proceed any further there are a few things we should keep in mind.

According to Barry Gordon, a professor of neurology and cognitive sciences at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, even those among us who profess to have perfect 'photographic memory' don't truly have it.

Writing in Scientific American, he says: "Even visual memories that seem to approach the photographic ideal are far from truly photographic.

"These memories seem to result from a combination of innate abilities, combined with zealous study and familiarity with the material, such as the Bible or fine art."

And now, for the challenge.

Devised by the University of Iowa Department of Psychology in association with Bang Goes the Theory and The Open University, the simple test involves staring at two different images. 

Look at the first image for 10 seconds:

Open Image Modal

 Look at the second image for 10 seconds: 

 

Open Image Modal
Part two of the memory test
University of Iowa Department of Psychology in association with Bang Goes the Theory and The Open University.

What letter do you see?

The image has been doing the rounds on the internet thanks to a PlayBuzz quiz created by Megan Elizabeth.

If you're wondering about the answer. Spoiler alert: it's G.

If you got it wrong, don't worry. Eidetic memory is most common among children aged between two and 10 and according to Elizabeth only one percent of the population can pass this test.

Here's the full challenge.