Nicolai Haugsted
“All PERFECT or 120 correct answers out of 120 questions asked!” claims the President.
Donald Trump has spent plenty of time talking about the results of his latest cognitive assessment.
Much less attention has been paid to the test itself. But it has new been made public.
Following a recent medical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the president declared that he had once again achieved a perfect score. Statement reignited public interest in the cognitive screening tool used by doctors and raised a simple question: what exactly does the exam involve?
A Test Designed to Spot Early Cognitive Changes
Medical experts believe Trump completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, commonly known as the MoCA.
Healthcare professionals around the world use the screening tool to identify possible signs of mild cognitive impairment and early dementia.
Unlike a traditional IQ test, the assessment focuses on memory, concentration, language skills, reasoning and problem-solving abilities.
Results are scored out of 30 points, with scores of 26 or higher generally considered normal.
Drawing Clocks and Naming Animals
Despite Trump’s description of the assessment as difficult, many of the exercises are relatively straightforward.
Participants may be shown a picture of an animal and asked to identify it.
Another task requires drawing a clock face and placing the hands at a specified time.
Memory exercises also play a major role. Test-takers are asked to repeat and later recall a short list of words after completing other tasks.
Among the examples included in publicly available versions of the assessment are words such as “leg,” “cotton,” “school,” “tomato,” and “white.”
Attention and Mental Agility Put to the Test
Other sections examine concentration and mental flexibility.
Participants might be required to listen to a sequence of letters and perform a simple action whenever a particular letter is spoken.
Verbal fluency is also measured. One exercise challenges individuals to name as many words as possible beginning with a specific letter within one minute.
Short-term memory receives another workout through number-recall tasks that ask participants to repeat sequences both forwards and backwards.
Abstract thinking is tested as well.
One question may ask a participant to explain the connection between two objects, such as a banana and an orange.
Trump Boasts About His Results
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his performance on the assessment.
Writing on Truth Social, he claimed: “Unlike other US Presidents, none of whom have ever taken an approved, high difficulty, Cognitive Test, I scored a perfect 30 out of 30, considered ‘extreme intelligence’.”
President also said the latest examination marked the fourth time he had achieved a perfect result.
“In fact, this is my fourth such test, all PERFECT or 120 correct answers out of 120 questions asked! It is very rare that anyone gets a Perfect Score, especially when achieved four times in a row.”
Public Interest Remains High
Cognitive assessments have become a recurring topic in American politics as questions surrounding age and fitness for office continue to dominate public debate.
Trump’s latest comments have once again placed the spotlight on a test that usually takes around ten minutes to complete but has generated discussion lasting far longer.
For most people, the MoCA is a routine medical screening tool.
For presidents, it often becomes a national talking point.
