MINI-MENTAL STATE EXAMINATION (MMSE) AND THE MODIFIED MMSE (3MS) - A PSYCHOMETRIC COMPARISON AND NORMATIVE DATA

The Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE; M. F. Folstein, S. E. Folstein , & P. R. McHugh, 1975) and the Modified MMSE (E. L. Teng & H. C. Chui , 1981) were compared psychometrically. In this study, 525 community-d welling participants, aged 65-89, were divided into 2 groups: no cogni tive impairment (NCI; n = 406) and Alzheimer's disease (n = 119). Both tests yielded comparable reliability estimates. Fewer years of educat ion decreased specificity and increased sensitivity, whereas increasin g age primarily decreased specificity. It is concluded that although t he 2 tests produce comparable effects, the inclusion of a verbal fluen cy test would increase the sensitivity of the MMSE. Normative data for the NCI group, stratified for 2 age levels (65-79 and 80-89) and 2 ed ucational levels (0-8 and 9+ years),are presented.