Overview
A brief 30-point cognitive screening instrument widely used to assess and track cognitive impairment.
Use cases
Cognitive staging in dementia clinics, trial inclusion screening.
Assessment intelligence
- Score range
- 0 – 30
- Direction
- Higher = better
- Scoring method
- Sum
- Time to score
- ~5 min
Subscales
- Orientation0-10
Time and place orientation
- Registration0-3
Immediate recall
- Attention/Calculation0-5
Serial 7s or WORLD
- Recall0-3
Delayed recall
- Language0-9
Naming, repetition, comprehension, reading, writing, drawing
Cutoff thresholds & interpretation
| Severity | Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | 24-30 | No cognitive impairment |
| Mild | 19-23 | Mild cognitive impairment |
| Moderate | 10-18 | Moderate cognitive impairment |
| Severe | ≤9 | Severe cognitive impairment |
Adjust cutoffs for education and age.
Editorial notes
Sensitivity ~88%, specificity ~86% for dementia at cutoff <24; ceiling effects in MCI.
Available languages
Validation studies (2)
- Mini-mental state: a practical method for grading cognitive stateFolstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. · Journal of Psychiatric Research · 1975DOI: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6
- Population-based norms for the MMSECrum RM, Anthony JC, et al. · JAMA · 1993DOI: 10.1001/jama.1993.03500180078038
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