MMSE Recall of Words 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During MMSE word recall, what is the maximum score a patient can earn?
- 3 points (Correct answer)
- 5 points
- 7 points
- 10 points
Correct answer: 3 points
The recall section awards 1 point per word, and 3 words are used, making the maximum score 3.
Question 2: A patient recalls 2 of the 3 words after the delay. Which statement is most accurate?
- The patient scores 2 out of 3 on recall (Correct answer)
- The patient has failed the MMSE
- The patient must repeat the exercise immediately
- The patient scores 0 because recall was incomplete
Correct answer: The patient scores 2 out of 3 on recall
Each correctly recalled word earns 1 point independently, so recalling 2 words yields a score of 2.
Question 3: Which cognitive domain is primarily assessed by the MMSE word recall task?
- Short-term memory (Correct answer)
- Language fluency
- Visuospatial ability
- Abstract reasoning
Correct answer: Short-term memory
Asking the patient to remember and later retrieve three words tests short-term (recent) memory.
Question 4: Why are distracting tasks (orientation and calculation) administered between registration and recall on the MMSE?
- To prevent simple repetition and test true retention (Correct answer)
- To give the examiner time to score other sections
- To assess attention independently of memory
- To make the test longer and more comprehensive
Correct answer: To prevent simple repetition and test true retention
The intervening tasks prevent the patient from simply holding the words in working memory through rehearsal, testing actual encoding and retrieval.
Question 5: A patient with severe anterograde amnesia is likely to score how on MMSE word recall?
- 0 out of 3 (Correct answer)
- 1 out of 3
- 2 out of 3
- 3 out of 3
Correct answer: 0 out of 3
Severe anterograde amnesia impairs the ability to form new memories, so no words are likely to be recalled.
Question 6: Which condition is most commonly associated with a score of 0 on the MMSE word recall task?
- Moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (Correct answer)
- Mild depression
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Chronic back pain
Correct answer: Moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease primarily damages hippocampal circuits critical for memory encoding and retrieval, often producing 0/3 on recall.
Question 7: If a patient spontaneously recalls a word after initially failing but then receives a category cue, how is the score recorded?
- Full credit is only given for words recalled before any cue is provided (Correct answer)
- Credit is given regardless of whether a cue was needed
- The word is re-administered the following day
- The examiner averages the cued and uncued performances
Correct answer: Full credit is only given for words recalled before any cue is provided
Standard MMSE scoring awards points only for words the patient recalls spontaneously without any cuing.
MMSE Recall of Words 2
During MMSE word recall, what is the maximum score a patient can earn?