Do you sometimes walk into a room and forget why, or lose a word in the middle of a sentence? Everyone does, and most of the time it means nothing. But when forgetfulness starts to feel different, or you wonder whether it could be one of the early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, it helps to know what doctors actually look for.
This free, private dementia and Alzheimer’s self-test takes about 10 minutes. It walks you through the kinds of memory and thinking tasks clinicians use, and then tells you plainly whether it might be worth bringing up with a doctor. It cannot diagnose dementia or any other condition, and your answers are not saved on our servers.
What this memory self-test looks at
- Remembering a few words and recalling them later
- Drawing a clock
- Knowing today’s date and day of the week
- Concentration: repeating digits and counting backward
- Everyday changes you may have noticed over the last few years
Early signs of dementia that doctors ask about
- Misplacing things and not being able to retrace your steps
- Getting confused about where you are, or lost in familiar places
- More trouble with routine tasks, such as a familiar recipe
- Trouble finding words or following a conversation
- Difficulty planning, or keeping up with bills
- Poor decisions that seem out of character, especially with money
- Pulling back from hobbies, work, or friends
- Changes in mood or personality
Having one of these once in a while is common and is rarely a cause for alarm. What matters is a change from how you used to be, or a pattern that keeps repeating.
This is a general self-test, not a medical test or a diagnosis. Read the full disclaimer.
Why a memory test is worth a few minutes
- Worldwide, about 57 million people were living with dementia in 2021, and nearly 10 million new cases occur every year, according to the World Health Organization.
- In the United States, an estimated 7.4 million people age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2026, and the Alzheimer’s Association projects nearly 13 million by 2050.
- Dementia is not only a condition of the very old: up to 9% of cases begin before age 65.
- Many things that make people forgetful, such as poor sleep, stress, depression, thyroid problems, low vitamin B12, or side effects of medicines, are treatable. Finding out early gives you and your doctor more options.
What to expect: about 10 minutes, a pen and a sheet of paper, no sign-up, and no email address.
This is a general self-test, not a medical test or a diagnosis. Read the full disclaimer.
