MoCA Blind has a 22-point total because it omits visual tasks, while the Standard MoCA includes those tasks and totals 30 points. The eight-point difference reflects the test format, not automatically worse cognition, according to MoCA Test Inc.'s test information. MoCA Blind, also called the Telephone MoCA or MoCA-22 in research, uses auditory items. It is intended for people with visual impairment and can be given by voice over the telephone.
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Table of Contents
- Which standard tasks are missing?
- Can a Blind score be converted to 30 points?
- Does the usual cutoff of 26 apply?
- What does research suggest for MoCA-22?
- How should you compare or report results?
Which standard tasks are missing?
The Standard moca includes items that require visual abilities. Removing its two groups of visual items subtracts eight possible points, producing the 22-point MoCA Blind score.
This changes both the numerator and denominator. A result of 19/22 should not be read as 19/30 or compared with a 30-point result without accounting for the different versions.
Can a Blind score be converted to 30 points?
MoCA Test Inc. describes this mathematical conversion: For example, 19 × 30 ÷ 22 equals 25.9, which rounds to 26/30. However, MoCA Test Inc.
explicitly states that this conversion has not been validated. A converted number may help explain the scale difference, but it should not be treated as equivalent to an actual Standard MoCA result. keep the original score and test version visible: 19/22 contains more useful information than "26/30 converted.".
- Multiply the raw MoCA Blind score by 30.
- Divide the result by 22.
- Round to the nearest whole number.
Does the usual cutoff of 26 apply?
The commonly cited Standard MoCA cutoff of 26 came from a 2005 validation study involving 94 people with mild cognitive impairment, 93 with mild Alzheimer's disease, and 90 controls. Because that study evaluated the 30-point format, its cutoff should not simply be transferred to the 22-point version.
This is especially important near a threshold. A mathematically converted 26 does not establish that the person achieved a validated 26 on the Standard MoCA.
What does research suggest for MoCA-22?
A 2024 study of 11,284 Alzheimer Disease Research Center participants found that a score below 18 best distinguished mild cognitive impairment from normal cognition. Its area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.79, a measure of how well scores separated the groups. The same study found that a score below 13 best distinguished mild-to-moderate dementia from mild cognitive impairment, with an area under the curve of 0.85.
These are group-level research thresholds, not stand-alone diagnoses. The sample was 92.4% non-Hispanic White and averaged 15.9 years of education. Those characteristics limit how confidently the MoCA-22 findings can be generalized to every population.
How should you compare or report results?
First confirm which version was administered. Then preserve the score exactly as recorded, including its denominator.
If results from different visits appear inconsistent, check the version before assuming cognition changed. An eight-point difference in the maximum score can arise entirely from omitted visual tasks.
- Write "Standard MoCA: 24/30" or "MoCA Blind: 18/22."
- Note whether a 30-point figure was mathematically converted.
- Do not compare raw scores from different versions as though they share one scale.
- Avoid applying the Standard MoCA cutoff of 26 directly to a MoCA Blind result.
- Interpret any threshold alongside the test version and the limits of the supporting study.
