Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted about 'acing' a cognitive test, but the test's creator says it is not an IQ test and is designed to detect early signs of dementia. In a recent Fox News interview, Trump claimed the last five questions were 'very hard' and that Joe Biden could not answer them.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), created by neurologist Dr Ziad Nasreddine in 1996, is meant to be easy for those without cognitive impairment. Nasreddine told MarketWatch that the test 'is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment' and is not a measure of intelligence.
The test includes tasks such as drawing a clock, naming animals, repeating numbers forwards and backwards, and recalling words. The final questions involve repeating a sentence, naming words starting with F, identifying similarities between objects, and recalling earlier words. For a healthy person, these should be straightforward.
Trump's claim that the last five questions are 'very hard' has been dismissed by experts, who note that the test is designed to be simple for those without cognitive issues. The test does not measure IQ or intelligence, but rather screens for early signs of Alzheimer's or other dementias.
