What cognitive tests can show — and what they can’t

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the new chant in Washington politics: “Get a cognitive test!”

Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden undergo such testing after his dismal debate performance – even though his physician says he gets, and passes, an annual neurologic exam.

Former President Donald Trump, who’s only a few years younger, makes his own gaffes. He recently bragged about passing a 2018 cognitive test – while calling the doctor who administered it by the wrong name.

With all the concern, what can cognitive testing actually tell about a person’s brain health – and what can’t they answer? And presidents aside, does the average older adult need one?

What are cognitive tests?

They’re brief screening tools, a 10-minute series of questions to assess different brain functions. Two of the most common are called the MMSE, Mini-Mental State Exam, and the MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Recalling a list of five unrelated nouns or seeing how many words beginning with F you can say in a minute can assess short-term memory and language. Counting backward by 7s tests attention and concentration. Drawing a clock with the correct time is a clue to spatial awareness.

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