Dementia Test
A confidential screen you answer about someone you know well, such as a parent, partner, or close friend, comparing how they are now with 10 years ago. It is informed by the validated short IQCODE, the informant questionnaire doctors themselves use. Get an instant, plain-language result and a professional PDF you can bring to their doctor. This is not a diagnosis, and many causes of cognitive change are treatable.
Dementia Test is a free, confidential 16-question self-assessment, informed by the validated short IQCODE. It takes about 5 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus a downloadable PDF report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
What this screen looks at, through your eyes
Research shows that the people closest to someone are often the first to notice real cognitive change, sometimes years before a test in a clinic picks it up. This screen turns what you have observed into a structured picture across three areas.
Memory over time
Remembering recent events and conversations, important details about family and friends, the day and date, and where things are kept. The heart of the IQCODE.
Learning new things
Whether they can still pick up new skills: working a new gadget or appliance, learning new information, adapting to anything unfamiliar. Learning is often affected early.
Everyday judgment
Following a story, making everyday decisions, handling money and finances, working out everyday sums, and reasoning things through. The skills independence rests on.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Informed by a validated instrument (IQCODE) | Rarely | Yes, adapted faithfully |
| Asks the person who knows them best | No | Yes, informant-style, like clinicians do |
| Compares now with 10 years ago | No | Yes, change is what matters |
| Covers reversible causes clearly | No | Yes (thyroid, B12, mood, meds, hearing) |
| Strong, clear doctor referral | Often vague | Yes, the central message |
| PDF to bring to the appointment | No | Yes, branded & shareable |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–64 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–36 | No clear decline signal | Your answers do not show the pattern of change this screen is designed to flag. That is reassuring. The context below is still worth a read. |
| 37–39 | Borderline, worth a check-up | Your answers sit right at the edge of the range researchers use to flag possible decline. A calm, unhurried check-up is the sensible next step. |
| 40–64 | Signs consistent with cognitive decline, see a doctor | You have observed meaningful change across several areas. Please help this person see a doctor soon. This is not a diagnosis, and many causes are treatable. |
Methodology & sources
This screen reproduces the 16 items of the short-form IQCODE, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly developed by Jorm and Jacomb (1989) and shortened by Jorm (1994). The IQCODE is one of the best-studied informant tools for detecting possible dementia: instead of testing the person directly, it asks someone who knows them well to rate how their memory and everyday thinking have changed compared with 10 years earlier. Because it measures change from the person's own baseline, it works across education levels and backgrounds, and a 2021 Cochrane review supports its use as a first-step screen in healthcare settings. Items are worded to stay faithful to the validated instrument while being easy to read.
About the scoring: the published IQCODE rates each item from 1 (much improved) to 5 (much worse) and uses the average, with a short-form cutoff of roughly 3.3 to 3.4 suggesting possible cognitive decline. Our engine scores each item from 0 to 4 and sums them, giving a range of 0 to 64, where answering 'Not much change' on every item gives 32. The two are directly convertible: a published average of 3.31 equals a sum of about 37 here, and an average of 3.5, a stronger signal, equals about 40. Our bands honestly mirror those validated cutoffs. This is an educational screen for deciding whether an evaluation is worthwhile, not a diagnostic test. Only a doctor can evaluate cognitive decline, and many causes of decline are treatable or reversible.
References
- Jorm AF, Jacomb PA. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): socio-demographic correlates, reliability, validity and some norms. Psychol Med. 1989;19(4):1015–1022. doi.org/10.1017/s0033291700005742
- Jorm AF. A short form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): development and cross-validation. Psychol Med. 1994;24(1):145–153. doi.org/10.1017/s003329170002691x
- Burton JK, Fearon P, Noel-Storr AH, et al. Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) for the early detection of dementia across a variety of healthcare settings. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;(7):CD011333. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011333.pub3
- Jorm AF. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): a review. Int Psychogeriatr. 2004;16(3):275–293. doi.org/10.1017/s1041610204000390
Dementia Test FAQ
Is this dementia test a diagnosis?
No. This is a screening tool for education and decision-making, not a diagnosis. Only a doctor can evaluate cognitive decline, usually with an interview, cognitive testing, blood work, and sometimes brain imaging. A higher result here means one thing: a medical evaluation is worthwhile. It does not mean the person has dementia.
What is the difference between normal aging and dementia?
Normal aging brings slower recall and the occasional lost word or misplaced key, but the person still manages their own life: they learn, decide, handle money, and follow conversations. Dementia is different in kind, not just degree. It is a progressive decline that starts to interfere with everyday function, such as repeating questions within minutes, getting lost in familiar places, or no longer managing bills that used to be routine. This screen focuses on change over 10 years for exactly that reason: change from the person's own baseline is the meaningful signal, not the odd forgetful moment.
How is this different from your memory screen?
This test is answered about someone else. You rate how a person you know well has changed over 10 years, in the style of the IQCODE, the informant questionnaire clinicians use because family members often notice real change first. Our memory screen is the mirror image: you answer about yourself, informed by the AD8. If you are worried about your own memory, start there. If you are worried about a parent, partner, or friend, this is the right test.
The score is concerning. What should I do?
The single most important step is a medical appointment. Encourage the person to see their primary-care doctor, a geriatrician, or a neurologist, and ask specifically for a memory and cognition evaluation. Download the PDF and bring it along, because your observations are exactly the kind of information clinicians want from family. If you can, go with them to the appointment. Try not to jump to conclusions in the meantime: an elevated result flags that something has changed, not what has caused it, and many causes are treatable.
Can dementia-like symptoms be reversible?
Yes, and this is why an evaluation matters so much. Thyroid problems, vitamin B12 deficiency, depression, medication side effects and interactions, sleep disorders, infections, alcohol, and untreated hearing loss can all produce changes that look like cognitive decline, and many improve or fully resolve once treated. Depression in older adults in particular can mimic dementia closely. No score on any questionnaire can tell these causes apart. A doctor can.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server, never stored, and never linked to you or the person you are answering about. No account is needed, and the optional PDF is generated on your own device for you to keep or bring to a doctor.
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