MMSE Registration of Words 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During MMSE registration, a patient repeats only 2 of the 3 words on the first attempt. What is the registration score?
- 0
- 1
- 2 (Correct answer)
- 3
Correct answer: 2
The registration score equals the number of words correctly repeated on the first trial, so 2 correct words = a score of 2.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of the registration task in the MMSE?
- To assess long-term autobiographical memory
- To establish words in short-term memory for later recall testing (Correct answer)
- To evaluate the patient's reading ability
- To test the patient's vocabulary
Correct answer: To establish words in short-term memory for later recall testing
Registration introduces the three words into short-term memory so that delayed recall can be tested later in the exam.
Question 3: After presenting the three words for registration, the examiner asks the patient to repeat them. The patient says them in a different order but all three are correct. How should this be scored?
- 0, because order matters
- 2, one point deducted for wrong order
- 3, all three words are credited (Correct answer)
- The trial must be repeated
Correct answer: 3, all three words are credited
The MMSE does not require words to be repeated in order; all three correct words earn a full score of 3 regardless of sequence.
Question 4: How many times may the examiner repeat the three words during the registration phase if the patient fails to recall all of them on the first trial?
- The examiner may not repeat them at all
- Up to 3 additional times
- Up to 6 additional times (Correct answer)
- As many times as needed until all three are learned
Correct answer: Up to 6 additional times
Standard MMSE administration allows the examiner to repeat the words up to 6 times to ensure learning, but only the first trial is scored.
Question 5: A patient with severe attention deficits scores 0 on registration. Which of the following is the most likely explanation?
- The patient chose not to respond
- The patient could not sustain attention long enough to encode any of the three words (Correct answer)
- The words were too long for the patient to pronounce
- The examiner administered the test incorrectly
Correct answer: The patient could not sustain attention long enough to encode any of the three words
Attention is required to encode information into short-term memory; severe attentional deficits can prevent successful registration of any words.
Question 6: Why is it important that the examiner speaks clearly and at a moderate pace when presenting the registration words?
- To allow the patient time to write the words down
- To ensure the patient can hear and encode each word accurately (Correct answer)
- To give the patient time to look up definitions
- To allow the observer to transcribe the session
Correct answer: To ensure the patient can hear and encode each word accurately
Clear, paced delivery ensures that sensory and perceptual factors do not prevent proper encoding of the words.
Question 7: The three words used in MMSE registration are typically chosen to be semantically unrelated. What is the clinical rationale for this choice?
- To make the task more interesting for the patient
- To prevent semantic clustering from artificially inflating the score (Correct answer)
- To comply with copyright requirements
- To reduce the time needed to administer the test
Correct answer: To prevent semantic clustering from artificially inflating the score
Using semantically unrelated words prevents the patient from using associative strategies that would make recall easier and less diagnostic.
MMSE Registration of Words 2
During MMSE registration, a patient repeats only 2 of the 3 words on the first attempt.
What is the registration score?