MoCA Practice Test: Video 4 Answers (24 Questions) Flashcards

How many individual subtraction attempts are made in the MoCA serial 7 task?

Answer: 5 attempts

The examiner asks for 5 consecutive subtractions of 7 starting from 100 (93, 86, 79, 72, 65), giving 5 individual attempts to score.

How is the MoCA serial 7 task scored when a patient gives the sequence 93, 87, 80, 73, 66?

Answer: 3 points

Each subtraction is scored independently from the prior answer. 93 is correct (100-7=93); 87 is incorrect (93-7=86); 80 is correct (87-7=80); 73 is correct (80-7=73); 66 is correct (73-7=66). That is 4 correct = 3 points.

The MoCA serial 7 task is classified under which cognitive domain on the score sheet?

Answer: Attention

Serial 7 subtraction is placed within the Attention domain on the MoCA score sheet, alongside digit span and letter vigilance.

What is the maximum score possible for the serial 7 subtraction task?

Answer: 3 points

Serial 7s is scored out of 3 points: 4-5 correct subtractions = 3 pts, 2-3 correct = 2 pts, 1 correct = 1 pt, 0 correct = 0 pts.

A patient answers: 93, 86, 79, 72, 65. What is their serial 7 score?

Answer: 3 points

All five answers are correct (100-7=93, 93-7=86, 86-7=79, 79-7=72, 72-7=65). Five correct answers earns the maximum score of 3 points.

A patient with 11 years of education earns a raw score of 30. What total is recorded?

Answer: 30

The education point cannot push the total above the 30-point maximum.

How many points are assigned to the clock-drawing task?

Answer: 3

The clock earns one point each for contour, numbers, and hands.

A patient with 10 years of formal education scores 25 on the MoCA. What is the adjusted total score?

Answer: 26

One point is added for patients with 12 or fewer years of formal education, raising 25 to 26.

A patient's total MoCA score drops from 27 to 22 over one year. What is the best interpretation?

Answer: Meaningful decline warranting further evaluation

A drop of several points crossing the cutoff suggests clinically meaningful decline.

Since 2019, what is required for clinicians to officially administer and score the MoCA?

Answer: Completion of the official MoCA training and certification

MoCA requires completion of official training and certification for administration.

Which domain does the clock drawing fall under on the MoCA form?

Answer: Visuospatial/Executive

Clock drawing is categorized under the Visuospatial/Executive domain on the MoCA because it requires both spatial construction and executive planning.

The MoCA visuospatial/executive domain contributes how many points to the total score?

Answer: 5 points

The Visuospatial/Executive domain includes: 1 point for Trail Making B, 1 point for cube copy, and 3 points for clock drawing (contour, numbers, hands) = 5 points total.

How does Visuospatial Abilities affect cognitive abilities?

Answer: It directly influences mental functioning.

Visuospatial abilities are integral to various aspects of mental functioning, including problem-solving, memory, and attention. They allow individuals to perceive and interact with their environment effectively, impacting how they process information and make decisions. Deficits in this area can significantly impair daily cognitive tasks, highlighting its direct influence on overall cognitive abilities.

What is the role of Visuospatial Abilities in cognitive assessment?

Answer: It plays a crucial role in cognitive functioning.

Visuospatial abilities refer to the capacity to understand, analyze, and manipulate visual information and spatial relationships. This cognitive domain is fundamental for tasks like navigation, object recognition, and understanding maps or diagrams, making it a crucial component of overall cognitive functioning. Assessing these abilities provides valuable insights into an individual's cognitive health.

How does Visuospatial Abilities influence problem-solving?

Answer: It aids in effective problem-solving.

Visuospatial abilities are critical for problem-solving, especially for tasks that involve understanding spatial relationships, visualizing solutions, or mentally manipulating objects. For example, planning a route, assembling furniture, or solving puzzles all rely heavily on these skills. This capacity allows individuals to effectively strategize and execute solutions, thereby aiding in effective problem-solving.

A clinician notes a patient recalled 0 words freely but correctly identified all 5 words on multiple-choice. This most suggests:

Answer: A retrieval deficit rather than a storage/encoding deficit

Intact recognition with failed free recall suggests a retrieval failure rather than storage/encoding failure, a pattern more consistent with subcortical or frontal pathology than Alzheimer's disease.

During the MoCA, when is the delayed recall task administered?

Answer: At the end of the MoCA, after all other tasks are completed

The delayed recall task is administered at the END of the MoCA, after the other domains have been tested. This ensures the delay time (approximately 5 minutes) has elapsed from the initial word presentation.

The five words used in the MoCA delayed recall task are presented how many times before the delay?

Answer: Twice

To allow encoding, the five words are read to the patient twice. The patient is told they will need to remember them later but is not asked to recall them immediately.

How many words must the patient recall after the delay in the MoCA delayed recall task?

Answer: 5 words

Five words are presented twice at the beginning of the MoCA. After a delay of approximately 5 minutes (during which other tasks are completed), the patient is asked to recall all 5 words freely.

A patient recalls 3 of 5 words freely and retrieves 1 more word with a category cue. The standard MoCA delayed recall score is:

Answer: 3 points

Standard MoCA scoring for the 5-point delayed recall domain counts only freely recalled words. Three freely recalled words = 3 points. The word retrieved via cue does not add to the 5-point total.