US election campaign
Trump asks Biden to take cognitive performance test – how would you do?
In the “MoCA” test procedure, US President Donald Trump achieved all 30 points in 2018
© mocatest.org, Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/DPA
US presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to measure his mental fitness with incumbent Joe Biden. He took the test himself and passed it with flying colors. This is what the test looks like.
Trump, 77, also boasted that he had taken two cognitive tests himself and “passed both with flying colors.” The 81-year-old Biden repeatedly causes a stir with mix-ups and slips of the tongue – but Trump also makes similar mistakes.
Donald Trump scored the best
Trump was already celebrated for passing an intelligence test during his presidency in 2018. His personal physician at the time, Ronny Jackson, presented the results to the assembled world press. Jackson said he had no reason to doubt Trump’s mental capacity. There are no signs of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Trump passed the corresponding test on his cognitive abilities with 30 out of 30 possible points – a top score.
According to US media reports, the White House chose including from CNNthe recognized test procedure “Montreal Cognitive Assessment” (MoCA). According to “Medical Newspaper” This could be used, for example, to detect the onset of dementia. “MoCA” tests orientation, memory, language, attention and control skills. The procedure takes about ten minutes; results of 26 points or more are considered normal.
Test yourself The German version of the “Montreal Cognitive Assessment” procedure. How many points do you achieve? © mocatest.org
After registration, the test form can be downloaded free of charge in various languages the website of the Canadian CEDRA Center for the Diagnosis and Research of Alzheimer’s Disease be downloaded. It is divided into eight sections:
- Executive: Here the test subject has to connect points in the order 1-A-2-B-3-C-4-D-5-E, repeat the three-dimensional drawing of a cube and draw a clock with a complete dial and the time 11:10 a.m.
- To name: Three animals depicted must be correctly named (lion, camel/dromedary, rhinoceros/rhinoceros).
- Memory: The examiner reads out the five terms “face,” “velvet,” “church,” “tulip,” and “red,” and the subject then has to repeat them from memory in random order. The procedure is then repeated.
- Attention: The test subject has to repeat a five-digit series of numbers that is read out to him. The next step is a three-digit series of numbers that has to be played backwards. The second sub-task of the “Attention” section requires the test person to have 29 letters read to them; they should tap their hand for each “A”. The third part consists of arithmetic tasks.
- Language: Two sentences that have been read out must first be repeated verbatim; in the second part, at least eleven words that begin with the letter “F” should be mentioned.
- Abstraction: The test person must recognize similarities between word pairs (e.g. “banana” and “orange” are fruits).
- Memory: The terms from the “Memory” section need to be repeated again.
- Orientation: The current date, day of the week and location must be named correctly.
Joe Biden only underwent his annual medical health check on Wednesday. His doctor Kevin O’Connor said afterwards that the president was “still fit for duty.” Biden is “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old man who remains capable of successfully carrying out the duties of the presidency.” However, the examination did not include a cognitive test. The White House described such a test on the president as unnecessary.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2018 and has been extensively updated.