Examples of What People May Be Asked To Do | What This Test Evaluates |
---|---|
State the current date and place and their name. | Orientation to time, place, and person |
Spell "world" or another 5-letter word forward, then backward. | Concentration |
Repeat a short list of objects. | Attention and recording of information to memory (registration) |
Recall the short list of objects after about 2 to 5 minutes. | Short-term recall (called working memory) |
Describe an event that happened in the last day or two. | Recent memory |
Describe events from the distant past. | Remote (long-term) memory |
Ask people to do one of the following:
| Abstract thinking |
Describe their thoughts about the illness and its severity. | Insight into illness |
Name the last five presidents and the state capital. | Fund of knowledge |
Tell how they feel on this day and how they usually feel. | Mood |
Follow a simple command that involves three different body parts and requires distinguishing right from left (such as “put your right thumb in your left ear and stick out your tongue”). | Language comprehension |
Name simple objects and body parts, and read, write, and repeat certain phrases. | Ability to use language |
Copy simple and complex structures (for example, using building blocks), and draw a clock, cube, or house. | Ability to understand spatial relationships |
Brush the teeth, or take a match out of a box and strike it. | Ability to do an action |
Do simple arithmetic, such as asking them to subtract 7 from 100 and continue to subtract 7 from the answer obtained—93 minus 7 equals 86 minus 7 equals 79 and so on—or asking them how many nickels are in $1.35. | Ability to calculate numbers |
Ask what they would do in a hypothetical situation requiring good judgment, such as “What would you do if you found a stamped, addressed letter on the sidewalk?” | Judgment |