How To Test Memory

While some people have better memories than other people do, we all tend to forget things sometimes, even when we are younger. The difference is that we do not worry as much about forgetting when we are in our thirties as we do once we reach our sixties. So how do we tell if forgetfulness is a sign of a more serious memory problem? There are some simple memory tests you can take to determine whether you should really be concerned.

Things You'll Need

• Index cards Study partner

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Instructions

• 1

  Name as many animals as you can in one minute. This tests verbal fluency and semantic memory. Your score is the number of animals you name within 60 seconds. If you name fewer than 12 animals, you may have a problem.

• 2

  Ask someone to read ten words to you out loud. Try to recall those words. Have the person read the words to you two more times, listing the words in a different order. See how many of the words you can remember each time. This tests how well you remember what you hear.

• 3

  Ask the person to write 20 words on separate index cards, including the ten words from the word list recall test. View the flashcards one at a time. Count how many of the first ten words you can recognize.

• 4

  Add up your scores from the two word tests. If you score below 30, you may have problems with short-term memory.

• 5

  Test long-term memory by reading a list of ten words. Go do something else for about 15 minutes, and then see how many of the words you can remember. If you can recall at least five of the words, you have an average memory. Unfortunately, you have a poor memory if you can only remember three or four of the words.

• 6

  See how many of the ten words from the previous step you can remember the following day. You should be able to remember at least half of them.