A simple test that can be used as a part of a neurological examination or as a screening tool for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The person undergoing testing is asked to draw a clock, put in all the numbers, and set the hands at ten past eleven. The clock drawing test can provide information about general cognitive and adaptive functioning, such as memory and the ability to process information and vision.
One of the mental status tests that assesses a person’s ability to draw a complex, but frequently used, object. Persons with normal cognitive function and a normal sense of time can draw a clock face, place the hours 1 through 12 in appropriate positions, and insert the hands of the clock to demonstrate a particular time of day (e.g., “10:25”). Demented patients make several characteristic errors: the clock face may be poorly drawn; the hours may be spaced unevenly; and the hour and minute hands misplaced or left off the clock face entirely.