The MMSE is a brief, quantitative measure of cognitive status in adults. It can be used to screen for cognitive impairment, to estimate the severity of cognitive impairment at a given point in time, to follow the course of cognitive changes in an individual over time, and to document an individual's response to treatment.

The standard MMSE form published by PAR is based on its original 1975 conceptualization, with minor subsequent modifications by the authors. The MMSE has demonstrated validity and reliability in psychiatric, neurologic, geriatric, and other medical populations. The convenient new "all-in-one" test form includes a detachable sheet with stimuli for the Comprehension, Reading, Writing, and Drawing tasks. The form also includes alternative item substitutions for administration in special circumstances.

The pocket-size User's Guide provides detailed instructions for standard administration and scoring for each MMSE task, as well as recommended cutoff scores for use in classifying the severity of cognitive impairment. This handy pocket guide also provides population-based normative data (by age and years of education), which are useful for comparing an individual's MMSE. Total score with the appropriate reference group, or when interpreting the scores of individuals who are illiterate, who have had less than nine years of schooling, or who are age 80 years or older.

The MMSE has been recommended for the screening of cognition in depressed patients (Special Report, Expert Consensus Guideline Series, Postgraduate Medicine, October 2001).

MMSE Clinical Guide with Pocket Norms Card
The Clinical Guide by Marshal F. Folstein, MD, Susan E. Folstein, MD, and Gary Fanjiang, MD, describes the development, validation, administration, and interpretation of the MMSE. Normative data (T scores) for age and education groups are provided in the Appendix as a supplement to the traditional interpretation of the MMSE raw scores.

• Chapters in the Clinical Guide contain in-depth information about using the MMSE as part of the diagnostic process and highlight the instrument's usefulness in guiding psychiatric or medical treatments.

• A handy, new, laminated Pocket Norms Card provides the raw score to T-score conversions for 14 age and education groups--making it ideal for use in clinical settings.

Authorized Foreign Language Translations of the MMSE
The following authorized translations of the MMSE are currently available:

In order to use a modified version of the MMSE, including a modified format or translation, please download and complete the MMSE Permission Request Form.