Medical researchers from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Britain have developed an easy-to-use Alzheimer’s Disease test. This Test Your Memory (TYM) test is an Alzheimer’s Disease exam that differs somewhat from the SLUMS (download SLUMS exam) and Mini-Mental exams in that it can be self-administered.

The TYM test, while it can be self-performed should be used in consultation with health professionals who are familiar with aging-related cognitive issues and diseases. Any person seeking a true diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias must see a physician in order to rule out other potential reasons for cognitive impairments.

According to TYM Test officials:

The exam has several features which should help the diagnosis and management of patients with memory problems:

The patient fills in the test themselves. This saves time. The TYM test is a permanent self-written record of a patient’s achievement on a certain date and can be referred back to. The TYM tests 10 different cognitive domains including anterograde memory, semantic knowledge and visuospatial skills which are typically affected early in Alzheimer’s disease. There is a very clear distinction between the scores of normal controls (average 47/50) and patients with mild AD (average 33/50). A cut off of 42 has a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 86% in the diagnosis of AD in our study. It is powerful in detecting mild Alzheimer’s disease detecting 93% of cases in our study.

Anyone using this exam should also stay mindful that while results of the test’s accuracy appear promising, there are other tests also available for diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.

Download the TYM Test Your Memory test



Download the TYM Test Scoring Sheet

Anyone interested in more information about the test should visit www.tymtest.com. There it is noted that the site is intended for health professionals only, which underscores the importance of administering exams with qualified individuals.