Rule shifting

How to play Switchboard

Switchboard on DailyQuest.ai is a free browser brain-training drill about routing falling packets while the sorting rule changes. Each packet carries a coloured shape, a colour word, a number and an arrow. Your job is to use the feature named by the current rule and ignore the others.

Every gate selection routes the lowest packet on the board, regardless of which lane it occupies. A standard shift lasts 120 seconds unless you lose all three lives first. Build a streak of correct routes for more points, and use the rule-change warnings to prepare for the next instruction.

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What this drill practises

Switchboard provides practice in switching between instructions, selecting relevant visual information and resisting distracting cues. Sometimes the ink colour matters; sometimes the written word or number takes priority. It is a practice game, not a validated test of ability.

How to play

Learn the four gates from left to right: gate 1 has a circle, gate 2 a square, gate 3 a triangle and gate 4 a diamond. Each also has its own colour and colour label.
Select gates 1–4 with A, S, D and F, or with the number keys 1, 2, 3 and 4. The arrow-key mapping is ← for gate 1, ↓ for gate 2, ↑ for gate 3 and → for gate 4. You can also click or tap a gate.
Read the active rule above the board. The shift starts with colour sorting: match the packet’s ink colour to the gate colour.
Always inspect the lowest packet first. Your next gate selection applies to that packet, not to a packet in the selected gate’s lane. Selecting a gate when the board is empty does nothing.
For shape sorting, match the packet’s shape to the gate’s shape. For word sorting, read the colour word and choose the gate with that colour label, ignoring the ink. For arrow sorting, use ← → gate 1, ↓ → gate 2, ↑ → gate 3 and → → gate 4.
For parity rules, check whether the number is even or odd and use the destinations shown in the rule. For high–low rules, numbers 5–8 use the displayed 5+ destination; numbers 1–4 use the other destination. These destinations can change, so read the instruction rather than memorising one mapping.
For an avoid rule, normally sort by the written colour word. If that word names the banned colour, choose any of the other three gates. If it names another colour, only its matching gate is correct.
Use the three-second warning to read the upcoming rule. The board is cleared and spawning stops during the warning; cleared packets do not cost lives. When the new rule starts, the wave number increases and there is a brief slower-flow period.
Keep routing before packets reach the floor. A wrong route or a packet reaching the floor costs a life and breaks your combo. Three lost lives end the shift. In endless mode there is no 120-second cut-off; play continues until your lives run out.

Rules, timing and scoring

Each correct route adds points based on your streak after that route: correct routes 1–4 in a streak earn 10 points each; 5–9 earn 20 each; 10–14 earn 30 each; 15–19 earn 40 each; and 20 onwards earn 50 each.
The multiplier is capped at ×5. The combo count shown in the HUD is your streak length, not the points multiplier.
A wrong gate removes the targeted packet, costs one life and resets the combo to zero. Each packet that reaches the floor also costs one life and resets the combo. Neither event subtracts points already earned.
Streaks of 5, 10 and 20 trigger a celebration, but there is no separate milestone points award.
There is no speed bonus per route or completion bonus. Finishing the standard shift keeps the points you have earned.
Rule changes do not reset your combo. Longer combos also increase packet falling speed, with that extra speed capped at a streak of 20.

Worked examples

1. Read the word, not the ink

The active rule is word sorting. The lowest packet is a circle in gate 1’s ink colour, but its written colour word matches gate 3’s colour label. It also shows 6 and →. Which gate should you select?

Answer: Gate 3 — press D, 3 or ↑, or tap gate 3.

Step by step: First identify the active feature: the written word. That word matches gate 3’s label, so gate 3 is correct. The circle, gate 1’s ink colour, number 6 and right arrow do not affect a word-sorting answer.

2. Use the current even–odd mapping

The rule sends even numbers to gate 2’s colour and odd numbers to gate 4’s colour. The lowest packet shows 7, a triangle in gate 1’s ink colour, a word matching gate 2 and ←. Where should it go?

Answer: Gate 4 — press F, 4 or →, or tap gate 4.

Step by step: Read the number: 7. It is odd because it is not divisible by 2 without a remainder. The displayed rule sends odd numbers to gate 4. Ignore the shape, ink, word and arrow.

3. Five belongs in the high group

The rule sends 5+ to gate 1’s colour and numbers below 5 to gate 3’s colour. The lowest packet shows 5, a diamond in gate 2’s ink colour, a word matching gate 4 and ↓. Which gate is correct?

Answer: Gate 1 — press A, 1 or ←, or tap gate 1.

Step by step: Compare 5 with the threshold. The high group includes 5 itself, so this packet belongs in the 5+ group. That group is assigned to gate 1. None of the packet’s other features changes the answer.

4. Avoid applies to the written word

The rule says to sort by word but avoid gate 2’s colour. The lowest packet’s word matches gate 2’s label. Its ink matches gate 3, and it shows a square, 4 and ↑. Which gates are accepted?

Answer: Gate 1, gate 3 or gate 4. Gate 2 is the only wrong choice.

Step by step: First read the word: it names the banned colour. This activates the exception, which accepts any gate except the banned one. The ink does not force you to choose gate 3. If the word instead named an unbanned colour, you would have to choose that word’s matching gate.

Common mistakes

Routing by the packet’s lane: A lane is only where the packet falls. Every input targets the lowest packet anywhere on the board.
Matching ink during a word rule: The word and its ink can disagree. Read the colour name when the rule asks for words; match the ink when it asks for colour.
Treating avoid as permission to use any unbanned gate every time: That freedom applies only when the packet’s word names the banned colour. Other words still require their matching gate.
Sending 5 to the low destination: The split is 5 or more versus below 5. Five belongs with 6, 7 and 8.
Assuming ↑ means the rightmost gate: The arrow mapping follows the gate labels: left, down, up, right correspond to gates 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Continuing with the previous rule: Use the warning banner to replace the old instruction. The next wave may require a completely different packet feature.

Tips

Keep your attention in a short loop: active rule, lowest packet, matching gate.
Use the fixed shape order — circle, square, triangle, diamond — to familiarise yourself with the four gate positions.
During a number rule, reduce the decision to one question: “even or odd?” or “at least five?” Then apply the displayed destination.
Read the upcoming instruction during the warning rather than trying to rescue packets: the board is cleared for the transition.
Expect word, parity, high–low and avoid rules to have slower falling packets and longer gaps between spawns than non-reading rules.
Aim for accurate streaks rather than frantic inputs. There is no direct speed bonus, though you still need to route packets before they reach the floor.

Practice by level

Beginners

Start by learning A/S/D/F and checking the lowest packet before every input. Say the relevant feature to yourself — “ink”, “shape”, “word”, “number” or “arrow” — when a rule starts. For number and avoid rules, read the full mapping before committing to a gate. Focus on keeping lives rather than watching the score.

Advanced

Use each warning to form a compact instruction, such as “even to 2, odd to 4”. Preserve your streak across rule changes, since the combo carries over. Be ready for faster falling packets as both the shift and your combo progress; a high streak raises the points per route but also increases the falling speed. In endless mode, the time-based escalation reaches its cap after four minutes, while play can continue.

Questions about this drill

How long is a game, and how many waves are there?: A standard shift has a 120-second game timer and can end earlier if you lose all three lives. There is no fixed wave-count target: waves advance when the rule changes. Endless mode has no shift timer.
Can I choose which packet to route?: No. Clicking a gate or pressing a routing key always acts on the lowest packet currently on the board. You do not select a packet or lane.
Are rule changes in a fixed order?: No. The first rule is colour sorting, but later rules are generated from colour, shape, word, parity, arrow, avoid and high–low types. Number destinations and the banned colour can vary.
Does the rule-change warning pause the shift timer?: No. It clears the board and stops packet spawning and movement during the warning, but the standard shift timer continues. The cleared packets do not count as misses.

What your score does and doesn’t mean

Switchboard scores performance within this particular routing game. It is not a validated assessment of intelligence, health or suitability for work. Familiarity with the controls and rule mappings can affect how you play, so treat scores as practice feedback rather than a general measure of ability.