MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination)
The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), introduced by Folstein, Folstein, and McHugh in 1975, is a 30-point cognitive screening test. It checks orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, language, and drawing ability, and takes 5 to 10 minutes. Scores of 24 to 30 count as normal, 18 to 23 as mild, 10 to 17 as moderate, and below 10 as severe impairment. The MMSE was once the dominant dementia screen, and it is still widely used in clinics and trials to track change. But it has well-known limits. It hits a ceiling for spotting mild cognitive impairment (its sensitivity for MCI is low), and scores lean heavily on your education, language, and hearing or vision. The MoCA has largely replaced it for MCI screening in research. The MMSE still earns its place for staging and tracking established dementia over time.
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