---
title: "Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)"
url: https://mghmclean.org/residents/handbk/part2a/mse.htm
description: "source : Folstein, Folstein, McHugh (1975) J Psychiat Res 12:189-198."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
---

# Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)

Published 2026-08-10

PART 3 / CH 18

1. What is the: year _______ (1)

season _______ (1)

date _______ (1)

month _______ (1)

day _______ (1)

2. Where are we: state _______ (1)

country _______ (1)

town _______ (1)

hospital _______ (1)

floor _______ (1)

3. Name three objects _______ (3)

4. Serial 7’s, or spell “WORLD”

backwards _______ (5)

5. Recall of three objects _______ (3)

6. Name a pencil and a watch _______ (2)

7. Repeat “no ifs ands or buts” _______ (1)

8. Follow a 3-step command:

“Take this piece of paper

with your right hand, fold

it in half, and put it on the

floor” _______ (3)

9. Read and obey the following:

“Close your eyes.” _______ (1)

10. Write a sentence _______ (1)

11. Copy intersecting pentagons_______ (1)

**Score** _______ (30)

*source*: Folstein, Folstein, McHugh (1975) J Psychiat Res 12:189-198.

## Mental Status Examination

Christine Finn

| Category | Assess (examples) |
|---|---|
| General Appearance | hygiene/grooming(well-groomed, malodorous, disheveled) |
| Movement | tics, tremors, psychomotor agitation or slowing, posturing, mannerisms |
| Attitude | (cooperative, threatening) |
| Eye Contact |  |
| Speech | fluency, rate/volume/prosody |
| Mood | (in patient’s own words) |
| Affect | quality, range, appropriateness(flat, constricted, labile, …) |
| Though Process | linear -> tangential -> disorganized; ?thought blocking |
| Thought Content | delusions, obsessions/compulsions, phobias, preoccupations |
| Perception | hallucinations |
| Cognition | (see Folstein MMSE)abstraction, judgement, insight |

· Every patient should be asked about suicidal and homicidal

ideation.