Typing country names from a blank screen is the purest test in geography. Nothing prompts you — no options, no flags, no map.
Play it: Name All 197 Countries, 15 minutes on the clock.
Why it feels so much harder
Recognising an answer is easy; producing one from nothing is hard. That is exactly why this format is worth doing — it is the mode that actually builds durable memory.
A strategy that works
Go continent by continent instead of free-associating. Europe, then Africa, then Asia, then the Americas, then Oceania. Within each, walk a geographic line — north to south, or around the coast — rather than jumping around. People who work systematically routinely score 40 or 50 higher than people who type whatever comes to mind.
Practise the weak continent alone
Europe · Africa · Asia · South America · North America
Spelling
Close is usually good enough — common alternative spellings and abbreviations are accepted. If you know a country by a different English name, try it; the list is generous.
The countries by continent table is the answer key when you want to see what you missed.