THE MINI MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION Information about the test

The name of the test is The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Lenore Kurlowicz and Meredith Wallace are the authors of the test. The test is published by Meredith Wallace in January, 1999. The test is available commercially. There is an alternative form available for free. The alternative forms take several minutes to administer. Comprehensive users manual is available. The test has been revised recently. Older adults represented the standardization group. The test can be available from its providers and also online. The instrument has been subjected to peer review. Amount and complexity of the items were included in the assessment. The instrument does not assess the construct of interest directly. There are no alternative methods of assessment that assess the construct of interest in more direct ways. The use of the instrument does not require an unacceptable degree of inference between the construct it assess and the pscyholegal issue of relevance. Instrument does not include any measures of response style. Low skills, even if present, do not mean that the test is passed. The length is appropriate it lasts few minutes and allows identify all the necessary issues. Literacy is important to complete the test. The test is administered at the native language of the examinee. The vocabulary levels of the tests directions might be or not be appropriate for the examinee. The test items are presented in questions. The test items are responded to orally. Some adaptations can be made in order to meet needs of the patients in each case the response modes and the questions depend upon condition of health of the examinee.

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The test is free of sex and ethnic biases and its materials are not necessarily interesting to the examinee. The test is suitable for individual administration. The manual provides a clear statement of the purposes and applications for which the test is intended and the qualifications needed to administer the test and interpret it properly. The test, manual, record forms, and accompanying materials guide users toward sound and correct interpretation of the test results. The statements in the manual that express relationships presented in quantitative terms, so that the reader can tell how much precision or confidence to attach to them. The directions for administration are complete and clear as well as the scoring procedures The theoretical construct of the test should be measuring. The test items correspond to the theoretical description of the construct. The test is not always reliable since people with low level of literacy do not pass it. The reliability estimates sufficiently high. Relative stability of the trait, the method of estimating reliability and the test format define reliability of the test. The test is completely valid for the stated purposes. Measuring and assessment were used to validate the test. The test will produce accurate measurements within the context and purpose for which it would like to be used. The scales are not described clearly or carefully. The norms reported in an appropriate form are percentile ranks. The population is clearly defined and described. If more than one form is available, the tables available show equivalent scores on the different forms. The manual does not discuss the possible value of local norms and does not provide any help in preparing local norms. The population to be tested is similar to the population the test is standardized on. The sample size standardization is adequate. Specialized subgroup norms have not been

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developed. The instructions permit adequate standardized administration (In Depth Review of MMSE; Kurlowicz, Wallace, 1999).

THE MINI MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION References In Depth Review of MMSE. Retrieved from http://strokengine.ca/assess/module_mmse_indepth-en.html#section4 Kurlowicz, L., Wallace, M. (1999). The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Meredith Wallace, The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing.