'It's supposed to be easy' says doctor behind cognitive test Trump boasted about having 'aced'

Trump claims he aced cognitive test in 2018

Donald Trump's boast that he "aced" a frequently-used cognitive test is not exactly an accomplishment worth bragging about, according to the test's designer.

Dr Ziad Nasreddine, who developed and copyrighted the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test (MoCA) in 1996, said anyone with functioning cognitive abilities should be able to pass the test.

Speaking with MarketWatch, the doctor explained that anyone not suffering from dementia should be able to pass the test without issue.

"This is not an IQ test or the level of how a person is extremely skilled or not," Mr Nasreddine told MarketWatch. "The test is supposed to help physicians detect early signs of Alzheimer's, and it became very popular because it was a short test, and very sensitive for early impairment."

The test is a 10-minute examination and includes questions that are meant to test different parts of the brain for cognitive function. Questions include identifying drawing of animals and asking subjects to draw a picture of an analog clock and draw the hands to a specific time.

Patients suffering cognitive decline with struggle with spatial awareness, memory or information retention related to the questions.

During Mr Trump's interview with Chris Wallace on Sunday, the Fox News reporter challenged the president on his boasts.

"I took the test too, when I heard you passed it. It's not the hardest test. It shows a picture and it says, 'what's that,' and it's an elephant," Mr Wallace said.

Mr Trump claimed Mr Wallace was misrepresenting the test and said the questions got harder as the test went on. He claimed doctors were surprised by his 2018 performance on the test, in which he said he scored a perfect 30 out of 30.

"They said, 'That's an unbelievable thing. Rarely does anybody do what you just did,' Mr Trump said.

Mr Nasreddine said that it should be easy if Mr Trump isn't suffering from cognitive decline.

"It is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment," he said.

The doctor said that poor performance on the test isn't necessarily evidence of cognitive decline, and that the results have to be reviewed and interpreted by doctors. Physicians administering the test have discussions with the patient following the test and may re-administer the test if they feel an additional round is necessary.

Mr Nasreddine said cognitive testing was relevant considering both Mr Trump and his presumed challenger, Joe Biden, are in their 70's. However, he warned that both sides of the political aisle are misrepresenting the point of the test in their efforts to paint their political opponents as cognitively impaired.

"The purpose is to detect impairment; it's not meant to determine if someone has extremely high levels of abilities," Mr Nasreddine said. "I think there's misinformation on both sides of the political divide."