Attention and Concentration Flashcards

The MoCA digit span forward sequence (21854) must be read by the examiner at which pace?

Answer: One digit per second

Standardized administration requires reading each digit at a rate of one per second.

A patient with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) is MOST likely to show difficulty on which MoCA attention task due to reduced working memory capacity?

Answer: Digit span backward

The backward digit span demands active manipulation of information in working memory, which is typically more sensitive to early cognitive decline than forward span.

If a patient taps correctly on all A's but also taps twice on non-target letters during the MoCA vigilance task, what is their score?

Answer: 0 points

Two or more commission errors (tapping non-targets) on the vigilance task results in a score of 0.

The MoCA serial 7 subtraction task awards 1 point for how many correct subtractions?

Answer: 1 or 2 correct

The MoCA awards 1 point for 1-2 correct responses, 2 points for 3-4 correct, and 3 points for all 5 correct.

What does a patient's score of 0 on the MoCA serial 7 subtraction task most likely indicate?

Answer: Either refusing or getting 0-0 correct subtractions

A zero score means either refusal or no correct responses, both of which result in 0 points under standard MoCA scoring.

In clinical practice, which demographic factor most commonly requires education-based score adjustment on MoCA attention tasks?

Answer: Having 12 or fewer years of education

The MoCA recommends adding 1 point for patients with 12 or fewer years of education to correct for educational bias.

Which of the following is a correct description of how the MoCA letter vigilance task sequence is structured?

Answer: It contains exactly 10 target letters (A) in a 30-letter sequence

The standardized MoCA letter sequence contains exactly 10 A's embedded within a 30-letter string read aloud by the examiner.