How hard is it to ace Trump's cognitive test? | About That

Okay, pop quiz.Can you name this animal?How about this one?Okay, one more.Name this.If you answered horse, tiger, duck, congratulations.

This, according to Donald Trump, is a possible early sign of extreme intelligence.Trump just had one of his regular physicals.And part of that whole routine for him has been to take a cognitive test.This is Trump's fourth, which, in the past, he has bragged about acing.

As the doctor will tell you, I aced it.Right, Susie?I aced.I got every question right.

And he's done it again.A high -difficulty cognitive test.I scored a perfect 30 out of 30, considered extreme intelligence.Here's another classic question from the test.The administrator would tell you to draw a line going from a number to a letter in ascending order, starting here with one, then going to A, then to two, and so on.And you have to finish here.

Could you do it?Well, if you can, then that's one more point out of 30 that you've just scored.Points on this test are awarded in all sorts of ways.If you can tell me the current year, that's another point.out of 30.If you can tell me the full date, Monday, June 1st, for example, that's three more points.

Knowing what city you're currently in is worth another point out of 30, as is being able to say what's similar about a hammer and a screwdriver.Can you draw a clock that shows 5 past 10?That's another three points.But some of the questions get harder.For example, repeat after me. 2, 4, 8, 1, 5.Did you get them all?

2, 4, 8, 1, 5.That's another point.Out of 30.How about, say these numbers back to me in the reverse order in which I give them to you.4, 2, 7.Did you get 7, 2, 4?

Great.

Another point.But the hardest question is probably where they give you five words.In one test, those words are, and listen carefully, leg, cotton, school, tomato, white.Say them back.I'll give you a moment.Okay.

But now, you have to remember them.Trump brags that acing this testfour years in a row is a sign of how intelligent he is.But that's not the case at all.It takes about 10 minutes to complete, and the researchers who helped design this test, called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, it's testing for cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer's in the elderly.It's a test of attention span, working memory, language comprehension, executive function.

A score of 26 out of 30 is considered just fine.Trump got 30, which is even better.And you can start to guess at whether you'd match him if you can recall those five words I gave you just a moment ago.