Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Doctor Who Designed Cognitive Test Trump Claimed He 'Aced' Says It's 'Supposed To Be Easy'

Doctor Who Designed Cognitive Test Trump Claimed He 'Aced' Says It's 'Supposed To Be Easy'
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

You may remember the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test, or MoCA, as the test that Trump supposedly "aced"—especially since he has barely stopped speaking about it ever since.

You know, the one the entire internet joined together to mock him for recently?


Well, one of the doctors who designed the test, Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, said in an interview with MarketWatch earlier this week that the test is "supposed to be easy." And despite what the President seems to think, the test has nothing to do with intelligence.

As Dr. Nasreddine explained:

"This is not an IQ test or the level of how a person is extremely skilled or not. The test is supposed to help physicians detect early signs of Alzheimer's..."
"The purpose is to detect impairment; it's not meant to determine if someone has extremely high levels of abilities."

Nasreddine also emphasized the simplicity of the test..

“It is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment."

Indeed, several psychologists, doctors and other medical professionals who routinely administer the test have taken to Twitter to echo the fact that passing this test isn't much of an achievement.

But Nasreddine also said that the ridiculing of the test in recent weeks misses the point.

It may be simple, but it's anything but for the people the test is intended for.

For instance, one aspect of the test requires the test taker to recall five words they were assigned 10 mins earlier. For someone with dementia, Alzheimer's or similar conditions, that simple task is an uphill—or maybe even impossible—battle.

As Nasreddine put it:

"That's the most difficult part of the test for someone who has cognitive impairment... There are 'traps' that patients who have cognitive impairments fall into with this test."

But on Twitter, of course, people were far more focused on the silliness of Trump's repeated boasts about the test.











Laughter and controversy aside, Nasreddine also pointed out that given the ages of both candidates—Trump is 74 and Biden is 77—the question of cognitive impairment is a valid one.

"Statistically, one person out of four could have cognitive impairment or dementia at age 75. So it is a pertinent question, and it's not surprising that this is becoming an issue this election."

Here's hoping they both continue to "ace" the MoCA, then.

More from People/donald-trump

Nathan Lane
Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Nathan Lane Reveals Frustrating Reason 'Space Jam' Director Rejected Him For Role

Actor Nathan Lane, on publicity tour for a new TV series, discussed old films and old chances in an interview with Vanity Fair recently.

The actor—a Tony, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Laurence Olivier award winner—talked about how all the awards in the world did not land him a role in the iconic movie Space Jam back in 1997.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Viral Post Explains Why It's So Alarming That GOP Is Using Signal App For Top Secret Chats

Amid revelations that Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen, Threads user jeanie.online went viral after stressing why Trump administration officials are really using the app to discuss secret matters.

It's worth noting that Signal messages can be set and managed to disappear, as the team behind the app acknowledges on the Signal website:

Keep ReadingShow less
Brian Kilmeade
Fox News

Fox News Host Sparks Outrage With Disturbing Stance On Immigrant Deportations

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade enraged social media users after he said that undocumented immigrants "don't deserve" due process before getting deported.

On Monday's broadcast of the right-wing cable news channel Fox & Friends, Kilmeade stated that he didn't think it was "practical to do due process on 8 million people."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Janet Mills
Win McNamee/Getty Images (left and right)

Trump Dragged After Demanding 'Full-Throated Apology' From Maine's Governor

President Donald Trump was called out after reviving his feud with Maine Governor Janet Mills, demanding a "full-throated apology" after she pushed back last month against his executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.

Last month, while discussing the order he'd signed on the issue, Trump threatened Mills after she said she would only comply with "state and federal laws," saying he'd deny federal funding for her state:

Keep ReadingShow less
Married couple in a mountainous field
Foto Pettine/Unsplash

The Biggest Red Flags People Have Ever Seen At A Wedding

Tying the knot with the person you see yourself spending the rest of your life with is one of life's greatest moments.

However, those who have an outside perspective of your relationship may see signs that your matrimonial bliss could be more of a miss.

Keep ReadingShow less