Perceptual speed

How to play Anomaly Hunt on DailyQuest.ai

Anomaly Hunt is a browser drill on DailyQuest.ai, a free brain-training site. Each grid contains one symbol that differs from all the others. Find it and click or tap its cell before the countdown reaches zero. The difference can be the symbol itself, its colour, its rotation or its size.

You start with three lives. A wrong selection or an expired timer costs one life and ends that round, so you cannot keep guessing on the same grid. The daily game lasts up to eight rounds; endless mode continues until you lose all three lives.

What this drill practises

This drill practises visual scanning and noticing small differences under time pressure. You compare symbols for shape, colour, orientation and size, then select the single exception. It is practice, not a validated assessment of ability.

How to play

1. Look across the grid to establish what the matching symbols look like. There is exactly one odd cell.
2. Check for four possible differences: a different glyph, a change in hue and lightness, a rotated symbol, or a larger or smaller symbol. Each board uses one of these difference types.
3. Click or tap the odd cell. A correct selection earns points and ends the round. A wrong selection earns no points, costs one life and also ends the round.
4. Keep an eye on the countdown. The limit is 7,000 minus 450 times the round number, in milliseconds, with a minimum of 2,800 milliseconds. Round 1 therefore gives you 6.55 seconds, and round 8 gives you 3.4 seconds.
5. After a round ends, feedback appears for 850 milliseconds before the next round or the result.
6. Expect grids from 4×4 to 6×6. The base size is 4×4 in rounds 1–2, 5×5 in rounds 3–5 and 6×6 from round 6 onwards. Random size variation means the grid does not necessarily grow every round.
7. Finish the eight daily rounds while retaining at least one life, or keep going in endless mode until your third failed round.

Rules, timing and scoring

• A correct selection earns: 80 + (seconds remaining × 26) + (grid side length × 12), rounded to the nearest whole point.
• The grid-size contribution is 48 points for a 4×4 board, 60 for a 5×5 board and 72 for a 6×6 board. It uses the side length, not the total number of cells.
• For example, a correct selection on a 5×5 grid with 2.3 seconds remaining earns round(80 + 59.8 + 60) = 200 points.
• A wrong selection or timeout earns zero points for that round and removes one life. It does not subtract points already earned.
• There is no streak multiplier or separate completion bonus in the scoring code. Faster correct selections earn more through the remaining-time term.

Worked examples

Common mistakes

Looking only for a different shape

The odd symbol may use exactly the same glyph as the others. If the shapes match, check colour, tilt and size.

Trying several cells on one board

Your first wrong selection ends the round and costs a life. Compare the suspected anomaly with a neighbouring symbol before selecting it.

Assuming the grid must grow every round

Grid size varies around the round's base size and stays between 4×4 and 6×6. Check the actual layout rather than relying on the previous board.

Waiting for complete certainty until time expires

A timeout costs the same life as a wrong selection and earns no points. Use a consistent scan rather than repeatedly checking the same area.

Tips

• Scan rows from left to right, or columns from top to bottom. A repeatable route helps you avoid overlooking a cell.
• Use a few matching symbols as your reference, then look for the exception rather than examining every symbol from scratch.
• If no different glyph stands out, compare brightness and colour, then orientation and size.
• Check a suspected size anomaly against a nearby symbol on the same board. The displayed base font size is smaller on 6×6 boards than on 4×4 or 5×5 boards.
• Select promptly once you have identified a clear difference: remaining time contributes directly to your score.

Practice by level

Beginners

Start by building a reliable scanning habit. Establish the common symbol, sweep the grid in order, and compare any suspicious cell with a neighbour. Remember that one wrong click ends the board; accuracy is more useful than clicking several guesses.

Advanced

Aim to reduce repeated scanning while keeping selections deliberate. Notice the board's dominant shape, colour, orientation and size together, then inspect anything that breaks that pattern. In endless mode, the timer reaches its 2.8-second minimum at round 10 and stays there, so practise a scan you can complete without revisiting the same cells.

Questions about this drill

How many rounds are there?

The daily game has eight rounds, but ends sooner if you lose all three lives. Endless mode has no fixed round limit and ends when your lives run out.

What happens if I click the wrong cell or run out of time?

Either outcome ends the current round, earns zero points and costs one life. Your accumulated score remains unchanged.

How subtle can the differences be?

Tint boards shift hue by 16°–40° and lightness by 10–20 percentage points. Rotation boards turn the odd symbol by 40°–130°. Size boards make it 20% to just under 35% larger or smaller. Glyph boards replace it with a different symbol.

Do larger grids always give me more time?

No. The time limit depends on the round number, not the grid size. It falls by 0.45 seconds per round until it reaches the 2.8-second minimum.

Other game guides

• Synapse Relay
• Switchboard
• Dark Blueprint
• Target Echo
• Rapid Balance
• Logical Patterns
• Number Sequences
• Spatial Rotation
• Working Memory
• Attention Search
• Verbal Reasoning