Folstein Administration and Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many total scored items are on the standard 30-point MMSE?
- 20
- 25
- 30 (Correct answer)
- 35
Correct answer: 30
The standard MMSE contains 30 individual scored items, each worth one point, totaling a maximum score of 30.
Question 2: What should the examiner avoid doing during MMSE administration to maintain standardization?
- Using a clipboard
- Giving verbal clues or hints (Correct answer)
- Writing down answers
- Using a standard form
Correct answer: Giving verbal clues or hints
Providing hints, prompts, or corrections invalidates the standardized scoring and inflates the patient's apparent performance.
Question 3: How should the examiner handle a patient who refuses to attempt an MMSE item?
- Score it as 0
- Mark it as refused and exclude from the denominator (Correct answer)
- Skip it without recording
- Ask a family member to answer instead
Correct answer: Mark it as refused and exclude from the denominator
Refused items should be marked as refused and may be excluded from the denominator to avoid penalizing unwillingness rather than inability.
Question 4: What materials must the examiner prepare before beginning the MMSE?
- Only a pen
- A pen, paper, and a stimulus card with the pentagon and 'CLOSE YOUR EYES' (Correct answer)
- A computer
- A video recording device
Correct answer: A pen, paper, and a stimulus card with the pentagon and 'CLOSE YOUR EYES'
The examiner needs a pen, blank paper for writing and drawing tasks, and a stimulus card showing the pentagons and 'CLOSE YOUR EYES' instruction.
Question 5: In what order should the MMSE sections be administered?
- In any order that suits the patient
- In the standardized sequence: orientation, registration, attention, recall, language, construction (Correct answer)
- Starting with the easiest items only
- Based on the examiner's clinical judgment each time
Correct answer: In the standardized sequence: orientation, registration, attention, recall, language, construction
The MMSE should always be administered in its standardized sequence to ensure the attention section provides the intended delay between registration and recall.
Question 6: Which patient populations may require adapted MMSE administration?
- Patients with vision or hearing impairments (Correct answer)
- Only pediatric patients
- Patients with diabetes
- Patients taking vitamins
Correct answer: Patients with vision or hearing impairments
Patients with sensory impairments such as visual or hearing deficits may need accommodation, with unadministered items marked as untestable.
Folstein Administration and Procedures 2
How many total scored items are on the standard 30-point MMSE?