Which screen to use, when, and what to do with the result. RACGP Red Book–aligned. Reference for health professionals, not advice.
Choose the best fit for the patient in front of you.
| Tool | Time | Strength | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPCOG | ~6 min | AU-developed first-line. Patient + informant components — informant section adds predictive value. | Free · interactive on AskMyGP |
| Mini-Cog | ~3 min | Fastest brief screen. 3-item recall plus clock drawing. Good rule-out when time is short. | Public domain · mini-cog.com |
| RUDAS | ~10 min | Cross-culturally validated for CALD populations and lower-literacy patients. AU-developed (Storey et al). | Free · Dementia Australia |
| KICA-Screen / KICA-Cog | ~5–20 min | Designed and validated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients (LoGiudice et al). KICA-Screen for primary care; KICA-Cog for fuller assessment. | Free · WA Centre for Health and Ageing |
| MoCA | ~10–15 min | More sensitive for mild cognitive impairment than older brief screens. Multi-domain. | Free certification required · mocacognition.com |
| MMSE | ~10 min | Historical reference. Widely studied. No longer first-line in AU primary care. | Copyrighted (PAR Inc) — licensed use only. |
Developed by Brodaty et al at UNSW for Australian general practice. Two-stage design: a 9-point patient cognitive section, then a 6-point informant interview if the patient score is intermediate. The informant component is a stronger predictor of cognitive impairment than patient-only items and is the main reason RACGP and Dementia Australia recommend GPCOG over the MMSE as first-line. Free, validated in AU primary care, available in multiple languages. Run the interactive GPCOG →
Published by Borson et al (2000). Three components: 3-word registration, clock drawing test (often used as a distractor), 3-word recall. Total time ~3 minutes. Public domain; instructions and scoring at mini-cog.com. Good rule-out when time is short; if abnormal, follow up with GPCOG or formal assessment. Less sensitive for mild cognitive impairment than longer tools.
Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale. Australian-developed; designed to be less affected by language, culture and education level than the MMSE. Six domains (memory, gnosis, judgement, body orientation, praxis, visuoconstructional). Validated for use in CALD populations. Available with translation guidance from Dementia Australia. Suitable when language or cultural factors make standard tools unreliable.
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment. Developed by LoGiudice et al with senior Aboriginal community members. KICA-Screen is the short version for primary care; KICA-Cog is the fuller cognitive assessment. Validated specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, including those in remote settings. Resources from the WA Centre for Health and Ageing.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment. More sensitive than older brief tools for detecting mild cognitive impairment. As of 2020, free training and certification is required to use it (online modules at mocacognition.com). Often used in memory clinics; not typically first-line for opportunistic GP screening, but useful when a patient’s presentation suggests MCI rather than overt dementia.
The Mini-Mental State Examination (Folstein et al, 1975) was the dominant brief cognitive screen in primary care for around three decades. Two things changed:
The RACGP Red Book and Dementia Australia recommend GPCOG (or RUDAS / KICA when culturally appropriate) as the first-line brief screen in AU primary care. The MMSE remains a benchmark in research and is sometimes used in specialist settings under licence.
A positive brief screen is not a diagnosis. Standard next steps in AU primary care:
For the interactive workflow with score interpretation, run GPCOG →
Cognitive screening is a standard component of the 75+ Health Assessment, which uses items 701–707 (time-tiered since July 2025):
There is no specific MBS item for cognitive screening on its own — it is incorporated within the health assessment or standard attendance. For dementia management, care plan items (GPCCMP) apply.
Reference information for healthcare professionals. Not a substitute for clinical judgement, comprehensive history-taking, or formal cognitive assessment by trained specialists.