MoCA-Style Cognitive Screening
A check of memory and thinking built like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: connect circles, copy a figure, set a clock, name animals and remember words. Three versions: Quick (5 minutes, free result), Normal (10 minutes, scored out of 30) and Full (20 minutes, extended profile).
Table of Contents
What This Screening Is
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a 10-minute pen-and-paper test that doctors use to screen for mild cognitive impairment. This online screening follows the same structure: the same seven areas, the same 30-point scale and the same kinds of tasks, rewritten as original tasks you can do on a phone or computer.
It is not the MoCA itself and it is not affiliated with its publisher. It gives you a first indication; only a healthcare professional can assess memory and thinking properly.
Key fact
On the 30-point scale, a score of 26 or more is usually seen in adults without memory or thinking problems. People with 12 years of education or fewer get one extra point.
What Makes This Version Different
Real tasks instead of trivia questions: you draw, tap, type and remember, as in the clinical test. The words, pictures and sentences are written for your language, and there are three versions, so a retest is not the same test.
7 Areas, 30 Points
Each area has its own points, so you see where you lost them
Visuospatial / executive · 5 points
Connect numbers and letters in order, copy a 3D figure on a dot grid, place the numbers on a clock and set its hands.
Naming · 3 points
Name three drawn animals.
Attention · 6 points
Repeat digits forwards and backwards, tap for one letter in a stream of letters, and subtract 7 five times.
Language · 3 points
Type back two sentences exactly, and type as many words as you can that begin with one letter in one minute.
Abstraction · 2 points
Say what kind of thing two items both are.
Delayed recall · 5 points
Remember five words for several minutes, without hints. Hints afterwards give a separate memory index.
Orientation · 6 points
Today's date, month, year and weekday, and the country and city you are in.
Four Simple Steps
From start to result in about 10 to 15 minutes
Find a quiet moment
Take the screening on your own, without help, notes or a calendar. A phone, tablet or computer all work.
Do the 15 tasks
Each task starts with a short instruction. There is no overall time limit; only the word task lasts one minute.
Answer two questions
Your years of education, as in the standard scoring, and your age group if you like.
See your result
Your score, the points for each area, a memory index and what you did in each task. The Quick result is free; the Normal and Full results are one payment.
How the Screening Is Scored
Every task gives points the way the paper test does: one point for an error-free trail, one for an exact copy of the figure, three for the clock, one per animal, and so on up to 30. People with 12 years of education or fewer get one extra point, up to the maximum of 30.
The scoring runs on our server, not in your browser. Typed answers are checked with some tolerance: a small typo in a long word still counts, a different word does not.
There is no IQ score. A screening like this does not measure intelligence; it looks for signs that memory or thinking work less well than expected.
Looking for an intelligence measure instead? Try our free IQ test.
What the Score Means
Points out of 30, including the education point
Usual for adults without memory or thinking problems.
Can have many causes, such as tiredness, stress or unfamiliarity with screens. Worth discussing with your doctor if you or people close to you have noticed changes.
Talk to your doctor about the result, especially if you or people close to you have noticed changes.
Who Should Take This Screening
The screening is meant for adults who want a quick, private look at their memory and thinking, for example after noticing that they forget more than before.
It is especially relevant for:
- Adults over 50 who want a baseline to compare with later
- People who notice more forgetfulness, or whose family does
- Family members who want to see what a doctor's screening looks like
- Students of medicine, psychology and nursing
Important: this screening does not diagnose dementia or any other condition. A low score can have many causes. If you are worried, see your doctor.
Choose Your Assessment
Each test offers a unique perspective on cognitive ability
Free IQ Test
Take the Free IQ Test →Fast & Accurate IQ Test
Try the Fast & Accurate IQ Test →Mensa-Style Test
Take the Mensa-Style IQ Test →Stanford-Binet
Try the Stanford-Binet IQ Test →CHC Assessment
Try the CHC Cognitive Assessment →MoCA Screening
Take the MoCA Screening →WAIS Test
Take the WAIS Intelligence Test →Frequently Asked Questions
It follows the structure and scoring of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, but it is an online version with original tasks and it has not been clinically validated. Treat the result as a first indication, not a diagnosis.
Most people finish in 10 to 15 minutes. There is no overall time limit; only the word task lasts one minute.
The Quick version is free: 5 tasks, a score out of 15 and your points per area, no registration. The Normal and Full versions show your band for free; the exact score, the points per area, the memory index, the task details and the PDF report are one payment, no subscription.
Your score out of 30 with a band, the points for each of the seven areas, a memory index out of 15 and a short overview of what you did in each task.
Yes. There are three versions with different words, pictures and sentences. Leave a few weeks between attempts, because practice raises scores.
Don't panic: tiredness, stress, distractions, poor sight or unfamiliarity with a screen can all lower a score. If you or people close to you have noticed changes in memory or thinking, discuss the result with your doctor.
Related reading & comparisons
MoCA compared to other tests
What every IQ score actually means
References
- Nasreddine, Z. S., Phillips, N. A., Bédirian, V., et al. (2005). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: A brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53(4), 695–699. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53221.x