US4 min(s) read
Published 10:38 02 Jun 2026 GMT
A man who decided to take the same cognitive assessment that Donald Trump has repeatedly praised admitted he was left shocked by his initial score.
Before taking the test, Jack Hobbs, a journalist at The Mirror US, acknowledged that exams had never been his strong suit, explaining: "Even in all my years of schooling, I have never been good at taking tests, and that taking a memory test while being filmed was not an optimal way to take one."
Despite that, he approached the challenge with confidence. He admitted he was "feeling a bit overconfident" and reasoned that if Trump had managed to supposedly pass the assessment, then he should be able to do the same.
The test in question was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a screening tool used by healthcare professionals to evaluate cognitive function and identify signs of mild cognitive impairment.
At first, things seemed to be going well. Jack said he felt confident as he completed the opening section of the assessment, a questionnaire focused on daily habits including diet, exercise and social interaction. He scored 90 out of 100, which the assessment described as a strong result, noting: "The higher the score, the better your cognitive health."
However, the confidence didn't last long once he reached the memory-based section of the exam.
Describing the second phase, he explained that participants are required to memorize and recreate patterns involving animals of different sizes and colours. He admitted this is where "everything went sideways" for him.
The writer said he has always struggled with tests, especially when working under time pressure. During the exercise, he had to memorise arrangements of elephants, zebras, and peacocks before accurately reproducing them from memory.
After completing the tasks, he was stunned when his final score appeared.
His initial result was just 36 out of 100.
Reflecting on the outcome, he joked: "I can almost hear the gasps of all the readers as well as the murmured worries of 'oh my god, he's only 30.'"
He emphasized that the score may have been affected by several factors, including the fact that he was being filmed and only had two minutes to complete each section. He also noted that he required accommodations in school because of dyslexia.
To see whether those circumstances had impacted his performance, he later retook the test without cameras present. This time, he scored 90 out of 100.
Even though his result fell within the expected range, he noted that the assessment still advised him to continue monitoring his performance.
The results stated: "We recommend that you continue monitoring your performance by repeating this test once a month."
The assessment also advised: "If this result does not reflect your perception about your performance and/or if you are concerned about it, you should consult your health care professional."
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a brief, 30-point screening tool designed to help identify mild cognitive impairment and early symptoms of dementia. Most people complete the test in around 10 minutes.
According to its official website, the assessment was developed by Dr. Ziad Nasreddine in 1992 and completed in 2005.
The organisation describes it as: "MoCA is the most sensitive test available for detecting Alzheimer's, measuring executive functions and multiple cognitive domains which are important components not measured by the MMSE."
Today, the test is used worldwide in more than 100 languages and dialects and has been referenced in thousands of medical studies.
The writer's decision to take the MoCA came after President Donald Trump repeatedly highlighted his own cognitive test results since returning to office in January 2025.
Trump has stated on multiple occasions that he successfully completed cognitive assessments, often describing his performance as having "aced" them.
Questions surrounding the president's health have continued to attract attention, particularly after he posted an identical lengthy statement about the Iran conflict on two separate occasions.
In the post, Trump wrote: "If Iran surrenders, admits to their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us... The Democrats and the media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!! President DJT."
The repeated statement prompted renewed discussion among critics and supporters alike about the president's health and cognitive abilities.
