Attention and Calculation Flashcards

The sequence 93 → 86 → 79 → 72 → 65 represents which MMSE task performed correctly?

Answer: Serial 7 subtractions from 100

This sequence shows five correct serial subtractions of 7 starting from 100, the standard MMSE attention task.

A clinician notes that a patient's serial 7s performance may be confounded by poor arithmetic education. What is the MOST appropriate response?

Answer: Administer the WORLD backward spelling alternative and note the substitution

The MMSE allows substituting 'WORLD' backward for serial 7s, and the examiner should document which task was used.

Which response to the serial 7s task would earn a score of 0?

Answer: The patient refuses to attempt the task

Refusing to attempt the task results in 0 points because no subtraction steps are completed or credited.

What does a perfect score on the MMSE Attention and Calculation subsection indicate?

Answer: The patient correctly performed all five serial 7 subtractions

A perfect subsection score of 5 means the patient correctly subtracted 7 five consecutive times starting from 100.

A 78-year-old patient with an eighth-grade education scores 2/5 on serial 7s. Which interpretation is MOST appropriate?

Answer: Limited education may contribute to the low score, and context must be considered

Serial 7s performance is influenced by educational background, so low scores must be interpreted in the context of the patient's history.

In the MMSE, the phrase 'beginning with 100, count backward by sevens' is an instruction for which task?

Answer: Serial 7 subtractions

This phrasing is the standardized instruction for the serial 7s task in the Attention and Calculation section of the MMSE.

Which of the following patients would MOST likely score highest on the serial 7s MMSE task?

Answer: A retired accountant with mild subjective memory concerns

A retired accountant with extensive arithmetic practice and only mild subjective concerns is most likely to perform serial 7s accurately.