Trump Says He 'Aced' a Cognition Test. What Does That Tell Us?

[Zorro]

If the president wants to impress us with his intellect, he should take the SAT.

President Trump said on Thursday that he “aced” a cognitive test administered at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Neither he nor the White House, however, would elaborate on any details about the test, leaving the public in the dark on how to evaluate his claim. But it’s a fair guess that he was given a routine cognitive screening test that doctors use all the time to check for dementia.

If that’s the case, let me give you an idea of what “acing” such a cognitive test might mean. One commonly used screen is the Mini-Mental Status Exam or MMSE. Ready to try it?

OK, tell me today’s date.

Now, spell “WORLD” backward.

Next, here’s a piece of paper. Write a simple sentence. It must have a subject and verb and make sense, like “Hey, this is not a very difficult exam to pass.” (The maximum score for this test is 30; a score below 20 usually indicates cognitive impairment.)

You get the idea. These cognitive tests are basic and, unless you have dementia or some other medical or psychiatric problem that would impair your cognition, you, too, will likely “ace” any of these tests. If Mr. Trump wants to impress the public with his cognitive prowess, perhaps he should take the SAT.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/opinion/trump-cognitive-test.html

[Captain Zero]

1. It tells us Joe Shapiro took it for him !!

NT

[Karadeniz]

2. What sort of test would they use if they suspected a stroke? Stroke seems to be the scare that

Drove him to Walter Reed.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. The more important question is why he was given a cognition test in the first place.

They're not going to do that if you show up with symptoms not relating to your mental state. I've never been given one, and I'm no spring chicken either, but when I've seen a doctor lately it's been for a sprained knee, broken toe, bronchitis and a general checkup. Since there was no reason to give me the MMSE or the one where you have to be able to draw a clock and tell a camel from a lion, I didn't get one - but if I'd acted confused or showed symptoms of something like a stroke, I would have. Trump went to Walter Reed a few months ago all of a sudden on a Saturday and they tried to pass it off as a routine part of his annual physical. But that's where they gave him the cognition test that he allegedly "aced." Why did they give him that test? They wouldn't have done it at all unless they had a reason to, related to his mental functioning at that time.

[leftieNanner]

6. Good Point

Mr. Nanner and I had to take a rather complex test like that when we applied for Long Term Care insurance a few years ago.

This is not that kind of circumstance. He clearly had some kind of a medical issue that caused them to check his cognition. But they didn't need to do that. We could have told them that he's already crossed that particular bridge.

[Raven123]

7. I 'm not so sure. Screening for cognitive impairment can be a part of a wellness exam in the elderly

Trump would qualify. What’s bizarre, but perfectly consistent with Trump’s delusion of grandeur, is his assertion that his performance on the test was exceptionally good.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. But Trump didn't go to Walter Reed for just a wellness exam.

He went suddenly, on a Saturday, and under curious circumstances. If he suddenly went to the hospital, considering that the White House has its own clinic that can handle almost anything other than serious emergencies, and was given a cognition test when he got there, that test wasn't because he sprained his ankle or was getting a routine wellness checkup. It had to have been because whatever was ailing him was something that could affect that lump of overcooked oatmeal that passes for a brain. I'm old, too, and I've never been given a cognition test as part of a wellness checkup.

[unc70]

11. If on Medicare should be part of annual checkup

I ace mine every year, but then I was 99 percentile on my SAT, and I took it myself.

[keithbvadu2]

15. Too cheap to hire someone, eh?

Too cheap to hire someone, eh?

(Sarcasm thingie goes here.)

[Hoyt]

9. It's part of the Medicare wellness programs and assessments.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Huh. Maybe I just didn't notice it.

Which probably means I'm senile, too.

[Hoyt]

13. A lot of offices don't do it, but they are supposed to.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. Every time Trumps steps in it...

his next move is to lie about it and then accuse someone of doing the same thing.

It means nothing.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Clearly he is a 'lier'

Dumbass has lost his brain.

[yellowcanine]

10. I don't think letter grades are given for cognition tests. But hey, good for you Donny!

[Sneederbunk]

14. Trump obviously pulled an all-nighter.

[keithbvadu2]

16. Can you recognize a limo?

Can you recognize a limo?

Confused old man in his dotage loses his way to his limo until a kind man shows him where it is.

&feature=emb_logo

[GeorgeGist]

17. It means ... drumroll please ...

that he FLUNKED.