MoCA Memory 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During the MoCA delayed recall task, how long after initial learning are subjects asked to recall the words?
- 2 minutes
- 5 minutes (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes
- 20 minutes
Correct answer: 5 minutes
The MoCA delayed recall is administered approximately 5 minutes after the two learning trials.
Question 2: A patient recalls 3 of 5 words on the MoCA delayed recall without any cues. How many points does this earn?
- 0 points
- 1 point
- 3 points (Correct answer)
- 5 points
Correct answer: 3 points
Each word recalled without a cue earns 1 point, so 3 unprompted recalls = 3 points.
Question 3: Which type of cue is offered FIRST when a patient fails to recall a word on the MoCA delayed recall?
- Multiple-choice cue
- Semantic category cue (Correct answer)
- Phonemic cue
- Repetition of all 5 words
Correct answer: Semantic category cue
The MoCA protocol offers a semantic (category) cue before a multiple-choice cue.
Question 4: What does MoCA scoring record when a word is recalled only after a semantic category cue?
- Full credit (1 point)
- Half credit (0.5 points)
- No additional points but noted for clinical analysis (Correct answer)
- Deduct 1 point
Correct answer: No additional points but noted for clinical analysis
Cued recalls are noted for qualitative clinical interpretation but do not earn points on the formal score.
Question 5: Which memory system is primarily assessed by the MoCA delayed recall task?
- Procedural memory
- Semantic long-term memory
- Episodic memory (Correct answer)
- Implicit memory
Correct answer: Episodic memory
Delayed recall of a word list specifically measures episodic memory — consciously encoded personal experiences.
Question 6: A clinician notices a patient performs poorly on free recall but improves substantially with semantic cues on the MoCA. This pattern most suggests:
- Encoding failure
- Retrieval difficulty with intact storage (Correct answer)
- Complete hippocampal destruction
- Frontal lobe amnesia only
Correct answer: Retrieval difficulty with intact storage
Benefit from cueing indicates the information was encoded but retrieval cues are needed, pointing to a retrieval deficit.
Question 7: How many learning trials are given for the word list before the MoCA delayed recall test?
- 1
- 2 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 4
Correct answer: 2
The MoCA presents the five words across two learning trials before intervening tasks and final delayed recall.
MoCA Memory 2
During the MoCA delayed recall task, how long after initial learning are subjects asked to recall the words?