MoCA Clock Drawing 3

Question 1

On the MoCA, a patient draws a square instead of a circle for the clock contour. The contour criterion is scored:

Accepted Answer

0 points — the contour must be a circle

Answer

The clock contour must be a recognizable circle. A clearly non-circular shape (square, rectangle) does not meet the criterion for the contour point, scoring 0 for that sub-point.

Question 2

In MoCA clock drawing, the number placement point is awarded when:

Accepted Answer

All 12 numbers are present in correct sequential clockwise position with reasonable spacing

Answer

To earn the number placement point, all 12 numbers must be present, and they must be arranged in a roughly correct clockwise sequence with appropriate spacing.

Question 3

A patient draws a perfect clock circle and places all numbers correctly but forgets to add the hands. The clock drawing score is:

Accepted Answer

2 points

Answer

Without hands, only the contour (1 pt) and number placement (1 pt) criteria can be met. The hand placement point (1 pt) cannot be awarded, yielding a maximum of 2 out of 3.

Question 4

When a patient with moderate tremor draws a slightly irregular clock circle, the examiner should:

Accepted Answer

Award the contour point if it is recognizably a circle despite tremor

Answer

Mild tremor or motor impairment that does not obscure the intent of the drawing is not penalized. The examiner should judge whether the overall intention is correct, not the neatness of execution.

Question 5

The MoCA clock drawing task belongs to which cognitive domain on the assessment form?

Accepted Answer

Visuospatial/Executive

Answer

Clock drawing is placed within the Visuospatial/Executive domain on the MoCA form because it tests both spatial construction and executive planning simultaneously.

(MoCA) Montreal Cognitive Assessment Practice Test

(MoCA) Montreal Cognitive Assessment Practice Test

MoCA Clock Drawing 3