Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders
Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 33

Cognistat (Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination)

This test is designed to assess intellectual functioning in five areas in adults 18 years of age and older. Administration of the test takes about 10 minutes for cognitively intact individuals and from 20 to 30 minutes for those who are cognitively impaired. Cognistat is available from:

Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
P.O. Box 998
Odessa, FL 33556
1-800-331-TEST

Brief Neuropsychological Cognitive Examination (BNCE)

This test is designed to evaluate the cognitive status of clients with psychiatric disorders or psychiatric manifestations of neurological disease. The reading level required for the test is minimal, and it is recommended for assessing mood disorders and substance use disorders. Both adolescents and adults can be tested in about 30 minutes. The BNCE is available from:

Western Psychological Services
12031 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025-1251
1-800-648-8857

Backward Digital Span

This test is simply saying numbers at the rate of one per second and asking the client to repeat them backwards. For example, you might say "3, 8, 6" and would expect a response of "6, 8, 3." The examiner starts with three digits and goes up to nine digits. Three different number strings are presented at each level. If the client misses all three at a particular level, then the test is stopped. This test takes about 5 minutes to administer. It is a test of working memory capacity.

FAS Test of Verbal Fluency

The client is asked to say as many words (excluding proper names) that start with the letter F as she can in 1 minute. This is then repeated with the letter A, and again with the letter S.

Digit Symbol Subtest of the WAIS-R

This test taps the same thing as the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (i.e., the ability to manipulate simple information and pay attention). It is part of the revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R) and can be obtained from:

The Psychological Corporation
Harcourt Brace & Co.
15 East 26th Street
15th Floor
New York, NY 10010-1505
1-800-211-8378

Trail Making Test, Parts A and B

This test is very sensitive to brain function, is essentially connecting the dots, and takes about 5 minutes for both parts. The citation for the test is as follows:

Reitan, R.M. Validity of the trail making test as an indication of organic brain damage. Perceptual and Motor Skills 8:271-276, 1958.

Stroop Color Word Interference Test

Many versions of this test exist. It taps selective attention and the ability to ignore irrelevant information. A version can be obtained from either of the testing companies listed above.

Shipley-Hartford Tests of Vocabulary And Abstract Thinking

This is a short-form IQ test that takes a maximum of 20 minutes to administer. It is old but still widely used--particularly in the aging literature. The citation for the test is as follows:

Shipley, W.C. A self-administering scale for measuring intellectual impairment and deterioration. Journal of Psychology 9:371-377, 1940.

Repeated Memory Test (RMT)

The RMT, which was developed by Sara L. Simon, Ph.D., has five different versions, each equivalent in word frequency and length. Because the test is so simple, giving it multiple times does not seem to involve a learning curve. Each test consists of 25 words each printed 3/4 inches high on a 3-inch x 5-inch card.

The client is first told that she will be shown some words and that she will be asked to remember them. Then the words are presented to the subject, one at a time for 1 second each. When the client has seen all of the cards, there is an approximately 10-minute interval filled with distracter tasks. During this interval, other tests--such as the Digit Symbol, Trail Making A, and Trail Making B tests--may be administered.

The client is then given the recall test and told to write down any words that she remembers. The client is allowed as much time as she needs to complete the test. However, if 2 minutes have gone by without the client responding, suggest that she stop because no one remembers them all.

Next the client is given the recognition test and asked to circle the words that she remembers being shown.

A copy of the test follows, but for further information on the RMT, contact

Sara L. Simon, Ph.D.
Los Angeles Addiction Treatment Consortium
1001 W. Carson St., Suite U.
Torrance, CA 90502
310-224-4670
310-782-9140 (fax)