Comparing memory tests.

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Put your memory to the test

Search for a memory test and you will find free quizzes, clinic screens, brain training games and full neuropsychological assessment, all described in roughly the same language. They are not the same thing and they do not answer the same question.

Here is how each one differs.

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Free online quizzes

An online quiz usually consists of a handful of multiple-choice questions or a game that measures reaction time. They are free, immediate and entertaining.

The limitation is in what they measure. For instance, recognizing the correct answer from a multiple-choice list is a much easier task than recalling something unprompted. And recognition can remain intact even as other aspects of memory begin to change. As a result, recognition-based quizzes may not give you the full picture of your cognitive health.

They also lack a meaningful point of comparison. Without normative data, a score alone cannot tell you how your results compare with other people of your age and educational background.

A score needs something to be measured against

A number on its own tells you very little. It becomes useful next to people of your age and education, or next to your own earlier result as a baseline. Before you take an online test, check to see which of these comparisons it can give you.

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A Black woman in her fifties and her mother in her late seventies taking notes together while a clinician talks

Clinic screening tests

The MMSE, MoCA and SAGE tests are short screens designed to be administered by a clinician in a consulting room. They are well-studied and widely used, and if your doctor gives you one, that's a good thing.

Their constraints are practical. They require an appointment. They are often given once, at the point when somebody is already worried, which means there is rarely a baseline to compare against. And because they are brief and widely circulated, repeat exposure to the same items can flatter a second attempt.

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Full neuropsychological assessment

This type of test spans several hours with a clinical neuropsychologist, covering memory, language, attention, executive function and mood, and is interpreted alongside your history and often your brain imaging.

This is the most informative option by a wide margin, and it is the right answer when there is a real diagnostic question. It is also expensive, often has a long waiting list and is not the most sensible way to put everyday concerns into perspective.

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Where Memory Exam fits

Memory Exam is a screening test that uses spoken recall rather than recognition, scores against normative data for your age and education, and is taken at home without an appointment.

It is not a substitute for neuropsychological assessment and it does not diagnose. What it does that the other options largely do not is let you establish a baseline inexpensively and repeat it later, ensuring a future result can be compared against your own earlier performance rather than solely against a population average.

Its approach has been evaluated against standard neuropsychological assessment in peer-reviewed research published in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Neurology and Alzheimer's & Dementia.

Which test should you take?

  • Something has changed suddenly, over hours or days. That is not a screening question. Seek medical help now.
  • You or a family member have a specific, growing concern. Start with a screening, then take the results to a doctor.
  • A doctor has a diagnostic question. Full neuropsychological assessment is the right tool.
  • You want to know where you stand and track it. Take a screening that can monitor your baseline over time.

No screening test, ours included, can tell you why your memory has changed. Understanding why memory changes requires a conversation with a clinician. Screening can be a useful first step, giving you insightful information to bring to the conversation so it's more efficient and you are better prepared.

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Where to go next

For a repeatable baseline, Memory Exam gives you a place to start.

Buy a Memory Exam

Read how the exam works, or why tracking beats a single result.