Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
A 30-point cognitive screen that detects mild cognitive impairment in about 10 minutes.
By Claire White
- Clinician-administered; approximately 10 minutes.
- Rater certification required; see mocacognition.com for training.
- 30 points across visuospatial/executive, naming, memory, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation.
- Score < 26 suggests possible cognitive impairment (education adjustment: +1 point for ≤ 12 years).
What it measures
The MoCA screens 8 cognitive domains: visuospatial and executive function (trail-making, clock drawing, 3D cube copy), naming (3 animals), attention (digit span, sustained attention, serial subtraction), language (repetition, verbal fluency), abstraction, delayed recall (5 words), and orientation. It was designed to detect mild cognitive impairment that the MMSE misses.
What the result tells you
A total score below 26 suggests possible cognitive impairment and warrants further evaluation. One point is added for people with 12 or fewer years of education. The MoCA is more sensitive than the MMSE for mild impairment. In Parkinson’s disease it detects Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and predicts risk of dementia. Rater certification is required to use the scale.
Used for
Evidence, psychometrics and provenance
Psychometrics
Screening accuracy (vs normal aging) and reliability on a 0 to 1 scale. Higher is better.
References
This assessment uses a validated instrument and is reference information, not a diagnosis.