Cognitive Test Trump Says He 'Aced' Is Supposed To Be Easy, Doctor Says | HuffPost Latest News - Action News
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Posted: 2020-07-21T21:35:36Z | Updated: 2020-07-21T21:35:36Z

President Donald Trump may be very pleased he recently managed to ace a cognitive test, but it may have been more than dumb luck.

Thats because the doctor who designed a test recently given to Trump at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said its actually supposed to be easy for people without cognitive impairment.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test invented by Dr. Ziad Nasreddine in 1996 is a 10-minute examination that measures the strengths of different areas of the brain that handle short-term memory, spatial awareness and executive functioning.

But it doesnt measure intelligence, Nasreddine stressed to MarketWatch.

This is not an IQ test or the level of how a person is extremely skilled or not, Nasreddine explained. The test is supposed to help physicians detect early signs of Alzheimers, and it became very popular because it was a short test and very sensitive for early impairment.

A normal score is about 27 out of 30, but Trump recently bragged about how he did on the test to both Sean Hannity and Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace.

To be fair, Wallace wasnt impressed.

Its not the hardest test, Wallace said. They have a picture and it says, Whats that? And its an elephant.

But Nasreddine says critics who talk about how easy the test is are missing the point.

It is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment, he said.

One of the more difficult tasks requires a person to be given five words to remember and then they are asked to recall them 10 minutes later.

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Thats the most difficult part of the test for someone who has cognitive impairment, Nasreddine told MarketWatch.

Although Trump has been ridiculed for bragging about how he did on the cognitive test, Nasreddine believes that cognitive impairment is a relevant issue this election year considering Trump is 74 and his challenger, Joe Biden, is 77.

Dementia becomes more prevalent with age, Nasreddine said. Statistically, one person out of four could have cognitive impairment or dementia at age 75. So it is a pertinent question, and its not surprising that this is becoming an issue this election.