How to Do a Schulte Table: Steps, Reading Your Times and Common Mistakes

Short answer: a Schulte table is a 5×5 grid with the numbers 1 to 25 scattered at random. Keep your eyes near the center, find 1, then 2, then 3, all the way to 25, as fast as you can. Write down the time, and compare it with your own earlier times.

How to do one

Hold the screen at a comfortable distance, close enough to see the whole grid without moving your head.
Look at the center cell. Try to find the numbers using your side vision instead of scanning row by row.
Tap 1 to 25 in order. Speed matters, but so does getting the order right.
Note your time when you tap 25.
Do a few in a row, then stop. A new grid each time keeps you from memorizing positions.

How to read your times

Compare with yourself. There is no universal "good" time; screen size and grid layout change it.
Look at the trend. One slow table means little. Look at your best and typical times across days.
The first table of the day is often slower. That is normal warm-up, not a bad day.

Common mistakes

Scanning line by line. It works, but it turns the drill into a search game. Try to keep your gaze near the middle.
Memorizing one grid. If the numbers stay in the same place, you are training memory, not looking. Use a new random grid each time.
Rushing into wrong taps. Tapping the wrong number to save a second makes the time meaningless.
Doing it for too long. Tired eyes get slower. A few tables, then rest.
Holding the phone too close. If you have to move your head, the grid is too big for your view.

How Readlark does it

Readlark includes a 5×5 Schulte table: tap 1 to 25 in order and it records your time. Your best result for each drill is on the Records tab, next to a WPM graph and a 4-week calendar. The Schulte table is one of four drills, alongside word flash, running words and wide view, and all of them are unlocked from the start, with no login and no ads on the drill screens.

The Schulte table is a practice drill. How your times change is different for everyone, and it is not a test of intelligence or a medical treatment.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Schulte table?

A grid, usually 5×5, filled with the numbers 1 to 25 in random places. You find and tap them in order from 1 to 25 as quickly as you can while trying to keep your eyes near the center.

What is a good Schulte table time?

There is no single standard. Times depend on the screen, the grid size and the person. Record your own times and compare with your earlier ones.

How often should I do it?

Short and regular works better than long and rare. A few tables as part of a 5-minute daily routine is a reasonable start.

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