Tests Commonly Used In a Neuropsychological Examination
Neuropsychologists use scientifically validated objective tests to evaluate brain functions. While
neurological examination and CT, MRI, EEG, and PET scans look at the structural, physical, and metabolic
condition of the brain, the neuropsychological examination is the only way to formally assess brain
function. Neuropsychological tests cover the range of mental processes from simple motor performance to
complex reasoning and problem solving. In almost all objective tests, quantitative results are compared
with some normative standard, including data from groups of non-brain injured persons and groups of
persons with various kinds of brain injury. If the norms are based on age and educational achievement,
valid comparison can be made between an individual's performance and that of persons in known
diagnostic categories as well as persons who do not have a diagnosis of brain injury.
Qualitative assessment of neuropsychological tests provides a look at the processes an individual may use
in producing the quantitative scores. Analysis of the pattern of performance among a large number of tests
is key to a neuropsychological assessment. Thus, the selection of tests used in a neuropsychological test
battery should sample a wide range of functional domains. The combination of objective scores, behavioral
process observations, and consistency in emerging pattern of results, along with comprehensive clinical
history, constitute the art and science of neuropsychological assessment. Most neuropsychologists select a
unique combination of tests focused on the diagnostic and examination questions of interest for an
individual.
The following alphabetical listing includes some of the more frequently used tests employed in a
neuropsychological assessment. Brief descriptions indicate the intent of each test . Some tests are included
here that are not, strictly speaking, neuropsychological tests, but that may be used in a comprehensive
examination. In order to keep test content and applications confidential to preserve their clinical usefulness,
this information is restricted to general comments.
Test Name Purpose of Test
This test has been used for many years to help assess premorbid
Ammons Quick Test intelligence. It is a passive response picture-vocabulary test.
Several aphasia and language tests examine level of competency in
receptive and expressive language skills. (e.g., Reitan-Indiana
Aphasia Tests (various)
Aphasia Screening Test)
These scales provide quick assessment of subjective experience of
Beck Depression or Anxiety Scales symptoms related to depression or anxiety.
This test evaluates visual-perceptual and visual-motor functioning,
yielding possible signs of brain dysfunction, emotional problems, and
Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test
developmental maturity.
Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Broad diagnosis of language impairment in adults.
Examination
Assessing the ability to name pictures of objects through spontaneous
responses and need for various types of cueing. Inferences can be
Boston Naming Test drawn regarding language facility and possible localization of
cerebral damage.
This procedure examines several aspects of verbal learning,
California Verbal Learning Test organization, and memory. Forms for adults and children.
Self-evaluation of areas of cognitive impairment for adolescents and
Cognitive Symptom Checklists adults.
Tests that require intense attention to a visual-motor task are used in
assessing sustained attention and freedom from distractibility. (e.g.,
Continuous Performance Test
Vigil; Connors Continuous Performance Test)
Different forms of this procedure exist. Most frequently used for
Controlled Oral Word Association assessing verbal fluency and the ease with which a person can think
Test of words that begin with a specific letter.
This screening test examines language, memory, arithmetic, attention,
judgment, and reasoning. It is typically used in screening individuals
Cognistat (The Neurobehavioral
Cognitive Status Examination) who cannot tolerate more complicated or lengthier
neuropsychological tests.
This procedure measures selective attention and mental concentration.
d2 Test of Attention
Assesses key areas of executive function (problem-solving, thinking
Delis-Kaplan Executive Function flexibility, fluency, planning, deductive reasoning) in both spatial and
System verbal modalities, normed for ages 8-89.
Provides measurement of attention, initiation, construction,
conceptualization, and memory to assess cognitive status in older
Dementia Rating Scale
adults with cortical impairment.
A commonly used test of attention, alertness, and mental processing
Digit Vigilance Test capacity using a rapid visual tracking task.
Different forms of this procedure exist, evaluating nonverbal mental
Figural Fluency Test flexibility. Often compared with tests of verbal fluency.
This procedure measures motor speed. By examining performance on
both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding possible
Finger Tapping (Oscillation) Test
lateral brain damage.
This procedure measures performance speed in a fine motor task. By
examining both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding
Grooved Pegboard
possible lateral brain damage.
Halstead Category Test This test measures concept learning. It examines flexibility of
thinking and openness to learning. It is considered a good measure of
overall brain function. Various forms of this test exist.
A set of tests that examines language, attention, motor speed, abstract
thinking, memory, and spatial reasoning is often used to produce an
Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological
Battery overall assessment of brain function. Some neuropsychologists use
some or all of the original set of tests in this battery.
This procedure examines ability to visually integrate information into
whole perceptions. It is a sensitive measure of moderate to severe
Hooper Visual Organization Test
brain injury.
Assesses cognitive abilities in adults, including attention, memory,
Kaplan Baycrest Neurocognitive
Assessment verbal fluency, spatial processing, and reasoning/conceptual shifting.
A brief, individually administered test designed to determine
Kaufman Functional Academic performance in reading and mathematics as applied to daily life
Skills Test situations.
Measures broad cognitive functions in adolescents and adults with
Kaufman Short Neuropsychological
Assessment mental retardation or dementia.
This is a set of several tests designed to cover a broad range of
functional domains and to provide a pattern analyses of strengths and
Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological
Battery weakness across areas of brain function. The tests reflect a
quantitative model of A. R. Luria's qualitative assessment scheme.
This well-known and well-respected personality assessment is often
used to accompany neuropsychological tests to assess personality and
MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory) emotional status that might lend understanding to reactions to
neurofunctional impairment.
This is a comprehensive battery of tests assessing short-term, verbal,
Memory Assessment Scales and visual memory.
This computerized assessment measures nine functional cognitive
MicroCog areas sensitive to brain injury
A self-report assessment of personality disorders and clinical
syndromes. This is sometimes used as an adjunct instrument in
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory
comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.
Mooney Problem Checklist This instrument helps individuals express their personal problems. It
covers health and physical development; home and family; morals
and religion; courtship, sex, and marriage.
This set of subtests provides comprehensive assessment of a wide
Multilingual Aphasia Examination range of language disorders.
This reading test is often used to help assess premorbid intelligence,
for comparison with current intelligence as measured by more
North American Reading Test
comprehensive tests.
This is a rapid assessment to identify possible neurological signs,
Quick Neurological Screening Test primarily in motor, sensory, and perceptual areas.
Tests for attention deficits including concentration, speed of
processing, mental calculation, and mental tracking. Sensitive for
Paced Auditory Serial Attention Test
diagnosing cognitive impairment in individuals 16 and up.
This instrument measures the tendency to give socially desirable
responses, useful for identifying individuals who distort their
Paulhus Deception Scales
responses.
This self-report measure evaluate several personality patterns,
Personality Adjective Checklist primarily focusing on personality disorders
Repeatable Battery for the Designed as a brief, repeatable measure of cognitive decline or
Assessment of Neuropsychological stability over time, appropriate for trauma, disease, or stroke.
Status
This procedure evaluates the ability to learn word lists. It is the
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test forerunner of other tests of verbal learning using lists of words.
This drawing and visual memory test examines ability to construct a
complex figure and remember it for later recall. It measures memory
Rey Complex Figure Test
as well as visual-motor organization.
This test is used to evaluate potential for malingering in memory.
Rey 15-item Memory Test
Analyzes aspects of visuospatial ability and memory in all ages.
Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test
Evaluates impairments in everyday memory related to real life
Rivermead Behavioural Memory
Test situations.
This instrument is designed to assess the impairment of an individual
Rogers Criminal Responsibility
Scale at the time a crime was committed.
Rorschach Projective Technique This familiar inkblot test is used to evaluate complex psychological
dynamics. Persons with brain injury have been shown to produce
certain kinds of responses that can complement other tests and help to
understand personality changes associated with brain injury.
This visual procedure complements verbal fluency tests in assessing
Ruff Figural Fluency Test ability to think flexibly but using visual stimuli rather than words.
Various procedures include the assessment of tactile sensitivity to
various objects, the ability to recognize objects by touch, and the
ability to detect numbers written on the hands by touch alone. By
Sensory Screening Test
examining both sides of the body, inferences may be drawn regarding
possible lateral brain damage.
This checklist evaluates the individual's subjective complaints.
SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist 90)
Comparison of vocabulary knowledge and ability to figure out
abstract sequential patterns has been established as a sensitive
Shipley Institute of Living Scale
measure of general brain functioning.
This brief procedure examines attention, mental speed, and mental
Stroop Test control.
Screening test for children and adults to detect cognitive impairment.
Symbol Digit Modalities Test
Assesses speed of motor performance, tactile perception, spatial
Tactual Performance Test problem-solving, and spatial memory in all ages.
This test is used to evaluate potential for malingering in memory.
Test of Memory Malingering
This test for children and adolescents measures numerous aspects of
Test of Memory and Learning
(TOMAL) memory, assessing learning, attention, and recall.
For ages 16-84, this visual recognition test helps discriminate
Test of Memory Malingering malingered from true memory impairments.
This projective test is most commonly used to examine personality
characteristics that may aid in understanding psychological or
Thematic Apperception Test
emotional adjustment to brain injury.
A test for all ages, assessing higher-level problem-solving, valuable
Tower of London for examining executive functions and strategy planning.
Trail Making Tests A and B These tests measure attention, visual searching, mental processing
speed, and the ability to mentally control simultaneous stimulus
patterns. These tests are sensitive to global brain status but are not too
sensitive to minor brain injuries.
A complex, computer-analyzed test for evaluating effort and
Validity Indicator Profile motivation in test taking.
There are a variety of verbal fluency tests in use. Each is designed to
Verbal (Word) Fluency Tests measure the speed and flexibility of verbal thought processes. (e.g.,
(various) Controlled Oral Word Association Test; Thurstone Verbal Fluency)
This set of 13 separate "subtests" produces measures of memory,
knowledge, problem solving, calculation, abstract thinking, spatial
orientation, planning, and speed of mental processing. In addition to
summary measures of intelligence, performance on each subtest
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—
III yields implications for different neurofunctional domains. The set of
tests takes about an hour or more to administer. The WAIS-III is
often the foundation for a comprehensive neuropsychological
assessment.
Comparable to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, this procedure
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children—III contains subtests that measure similar domains in children.
This set of 18 separate "subtests" yields information about various
kinds of memory and learning processes. Summary memory indices
are provided in addition to the individual scores of the subtests. The
Wechsler Memory Scale—III whole set of tests takes about an hour to administer. The WMS-III
provides a comprehensive assessment of memory. It is co-normed
with the WAIS-III and is usually used in conjunction with it.
Provides estimate of pre-morbid intellectual functioning in persons
Wechsler Test of Adult Reading 18-89, normed with the WAIS-III and WMS-III.
Provides level of performance in reading, spelling, and written
arithmetic. The reading and spelling tests are often used in estimating
Wide Range Achievement Test
premorbid intellectual functioning.
Similar in concept to the Category Test, this procedure also measures
the ability to learn concepts. It is considered a good measure of
Wisconsin Card Sort Test
frontal lobe functioning.
This personnel test is not a neuropsychological instrument per se, but
is used to help evaluate vocational abilities and potential for
Wonderlic Personnel Test comparison with other neuropsychological tests in making practical
prognostic decisions.
A validity procedure designed to detect response bias that might
Word Memory Test indicate exaggeration of impairment or symptom feigning.
