
Abstraction: Similarity between train-bicycle, watch-rule.The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room Language: Repeat: I only know that John is the one to help today.The last five questions assess attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation. Returning to the Trump-Wallace interview, the President predicted that Wallace “could not answer the last five questions” on the MoCA. For example, inability to draw a clock with the hands pointing to the designated time and the numbers appropriately placed, signifies an impairment in executive function. There are a number of tasks and questions which are accurate indicators of these domains. These include visuospatial, executive function (e.g., use the telephone, pay bills, etc.), object naming, memory, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation. While there are different samples of the test, it is designed in way to assess for deficits in a number of domains. Pictured below is the test Chris Wallace flaunted in response to Mr.
ANSWERS TO MOCA TEST SERIAL
The test is supposed to help physicians detect early signs of Alzheimer’s.” Copying a cube, drawing a clock, word recall, and serial sevens Nasreddine asserted that MoCA “is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment … this is not an IQ test or the level of how a person is extremely skilled or not. In a recent interview with Market Watch, Dr. Why? Experts argue that because many people who take the test are already showing signs of dementia, people with cognitive problems dominate the sample. While a perfect score would be an encouraging sign for a patient showing some signs of decline, for a normal person, a perfect score should be a given. Nasreddine, a score of 26 or higher is considered normal, with the average score being 27. Less than 10= severe cognitive impairment The MoCA is supposed to be easyĪccording to Dr. Jackson at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.Īs per MoCA’s website, the test “has been validated for 55-85 year olds.” MoCA presents the following ranges of scores to grade severity of cognitive impairment: President Trump’s test was administered by his own physician. Primary care providers or geriatricians often administer the test. In addition to memory clinics, it can be administered virtually anywhere any by any provider.

The MoCA, a 10-minute, 30 question examination, evaluates basic cognitive skills such as short-term memory, visual cues, language, and orientation. MCI causes a slight but noticeable and measurable decline in cognitive abilities, including memory and thinking skills.

Zaid Nasreddine created the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test in 1996 as a means to measure mild cognitive impairment or MCI. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is designed to screen for mild cognitive impairment My initial understanding was that it has an advantage over the MMSE through its power to identify very early signs of cognitive deficit, particularly executive function. The MMSE certainly had weaknesses such as not being as sensitive to pick up mild cognitive impairment and the inability to identify signs of progression at the later stages of dementia.Īs the advent of the MoCA came about immediately after my research experience, I was not as intimately familiar with it. Rather the MMSE along with a slew of other tests are designed to screen for signs of dementia. These are indeed not intelligence tests or even methods to determine mental stability. Through this experience, I probably had administered brief cognitive tests such as the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) hundreds of times. Why was the President exhibiting such excitement with is results? Might he hold the perception that the MoCA is a measure of intelligence?Įarlier in my career I was part of a team which conducted research studies which included individuals with dementia. He then questioned whether Wallace himself could answer the last five questions on the exam noting their difficulty. The President appeared quite proud to have achieved a perfect score.

In a recent interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace, US President Donald Trump discussed his success taking the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
