Title of Assessment
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
Author(s)
Ziad Nasreddine
Year of Publication/Publisher
2015
Occupational Medicine
Identify Type of Assessment
standardized
criterion-referenced
performance based.
Cost (identify source) & How to Access Assessment (include link if possible)
Population (who it is appropriate for [age, diagnosis, etc.])
55+ years old
mental health conditions including schizophrenia, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders, sleep behavior disorder, brain tumors, TBI, substance abuse disorders, heart failure COVID, and HIV.
Appropriate Settings (potential practice settings appropriate to administer assessment in)
hospital acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient, and home health.
Purpose of Assessment & Function(s)/Area(s) Assessed
The MoCA is used to identify an individual's cognitive functioning and assesses if there is any cognitive dysfunction present. It looks closely at short term and working memory, orientation, language, executive functioning, attention, concentration, and visuospatial abilities.
Administration (time to administer, group/individual, if there are subtests, can they be completed individually, are there specific instructions to ensure standardization, etc.)
10-15 minutes
10 subtests that evaluate the following: orientation to time and place, short-term memory, naming, working memory, visuospatial and executive abilities, attention, concentration and calculation, repetition, abstraction, and verbal fluency.
User Qualifications
any health care professional with a MoCA training certification ($125 for training that lasts 2 years)
Materials Required
writing utensil
MoCA test sheet
Scoring Procedure (how is assessment scored and what does score indicate)
The MoCA is a 30-point test, you add a point if the client has 12 years or less of education.
26+ = normal
18-25= mild cognitive impairment
10-17 = moderate cognitive impairment
less than 10= severe cognitive impairment
Psychometrics/Standardization (norms, reliability/validity studies)
high test-retest reliability
good convergent and divergent validity
Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment
strengths
it takes a minimal amount of time
easy to score
many languages available
good psychometric properties
weaknesses
training required to administer
bias in individuals with lack of education
References
Pereiro A. X., Ramos-Lema S., Lojo-Seoane C., Guardia-Olmos J., Facal-Mayo D., & Juncos-Rabadan O. “Normative Data for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) in a Spanish Sample of Community-Dweller Adults.” European Geriatric Medicine, No longer published by Elsevier, 4 May 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878764917300700#:~:text=Results,within%20the%20recommended%20range%20value
“Moca Duo App Now Free for All Healthcare Professionals. Go Paperless.” MoCA Cognition, mocacognition.com
Moca-8.1.8.2-English.PDF, championsforhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MOCA-8.1.8.2-English.pdf. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.
“Montreal Cognitive Assessment.” Montreal cognitive assessment - an overview. ScienceDirect Topics. www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/montreal-cognitive-assessment
“Try Our New Self-Testing Tool for the General Public.” MoCA Cognition, mocacognition.com/.