MoCA Word Recall 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The five standard words used in the MoCA word recall task (version 7.1) are:
- APPLE, PENNY, TABLE, LARGE, CLOUD
- FACE, VELVET, CHURCH, DAISY, RED (Correct answer)
- DOOR, LAMP, CANDLE, RIVER, STONE
- KING, CABBAGE, PENCIL, WATER, MUSIC
Correct answer: FACE, VELVET, CHURCH, DAISY, RED
The MoCA v7.1 uses these five words: FACE, VELVET, CHURCH, DAISY, RED. They span five semantic categories (person feature, fabric, building, flower, color) to minimize clustering effects.
Question 2: After the examiner reads the word list the second time, the patient is asked to:
- Write the words down
- Recall them after a 30-minute delay
- Recall as many as possible immediately (unscored) (Correct answer)
- Recall them while counting backward from 20
Correct answer: Recall as many as possible immediately (unscored)
After the second reading of the word list, the patient is again asked for immediate recall. No points are scored for either immediate recall attempt; they serve only to maximize encoding.
Question 3: What is the relationship between the MoCA word recall (encoding) phase and the delayed recall scoring?
- Encoding trial scores are averaged with delayed recall
- Encoding is not scored; it only ensures learning opportunity for the delayed scored recall (Correct answer)
- The first immediate recall is scored but not the second
- Both immediate and delayed recall are scored equally
Correct answer: Encoding is not scored; it only ensures learning opportunity for the delayed scored recall
The word recall encoding phase (two immediate recall trials) is not scored. Its purpose is to ensure the patient had adequate opportunity to learn the words before the scored delayed recall trial 5 minutes later.
Question 4: On the MoCA, the words are read by the examiner at which pace?
- As fast as possible to test auditory processing speed
- Two words per second
- One word per second (Correct answer)
- One word every 3 seconds
Correct answer: One word per second
The words are read at one per second (one word every second) during both encoding trials. A consistent pace is critical for standardized administration and fair encoding opportunity.
Question 5: What is the clinical purpose of using semantically unrelated words for the MoCA word list?
- To make the test shorter
- To prevent chunking strategies, maximizing the demand on pure episodic memory (Correct answer)
- To ensure cultural neutrality
- Because related words are trademarked
Correct answer: To prevent chunking strategies, maximizing the demand on pure episodic memory
Semantically unrelated words prevent the patient from using chunking or narrative strategies to recall the list. Unrelated words place a greater demand on episodic memory compared to related word lists.
Question 6: If a patient recalls a word from the list but changes it slightly (e.g., "velvet" recalled as "velveteen"), how should this be scored?
- 1 point — it is semantically close enough
- 0 points — the exact target word must be recalled (Correct answer)
- 0.5 points for a phonologically similar word
- 1 point if the patient can self-correct when prompted
Correct answer: 0 points — the exact target word must be recalled
Near-misses and distortions are scored as incorrect. The patient must recall the exact target word. "Velveteen" is not the same as "velvet," so it would score 0 for that word.
MoCA Word Recall 2
The five standard words used in the MoCA word recall task (version 7.1) are: