What are the three words for Medicare Wellness exam?

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The three-word memory test used during a Medicare wellness visit often features common words like “banana, sunrise, and chair,” though doctors can choose different unrelated words.

How the Test Works

  • Word Recall: Your doctor tells you three unrelated words and asks you to repeat them.
  • Distraction: You talk about other health topics or complete a short task, like drawing a clock.
  • Final Recall: Your doctor asks you to remember and say the three words again to check short-term memory.

What is the 3 words memory test for Medicare?

The 3-word memory test used during some Medicare Annual Wellness exams is a brief short-term recall screening, often part of a tool called the Mini-Cog.

How the Test Works

  • Word Presentation: The clinician says three unrelated words aloud and asks you to repeat them immediately to ensure you heard them.
  • Distraction Task: You are usually asked to perform a simple distraction task, such as drawing a clock face and setting the hands to a specific time.
  • Delayed Recall: After the distraction, the clinician asks you to name the original three words again.

Is There a Single Official Set of Words?

No. There is no single official set of three words required for every Medicare exam. Clinicians choose from several validated word lists (such as banana, sunrise, chair or apple, penny, table) to prevent patients from memorizing answers ahead of time.

What the Results Mean

  • Not a Diagnosis: Forgetting one or more words does not mean you have dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
  • Next Steps: A low score simply signals a potential short-term memory change that prompts your doctor to investigate further with a more comprehensive evaluation. Stress, fatigue, or medications can also affect your score.

What are the three words to remember for the Medicare Wellness exam 2026?

There is no single official set of three words required for every Medicare wellness exam, but the common example used in the cognitive recall portion of the screening is “banana, sunrise, chair.”

Understanding the Three-Word Test

  • The Mini-Cog Test: Doctors often use a quick tool called the Mini-Cog during your Yearly Wellness Visit to check short-term memory.
  • How it Works: The doctor names three unrelated words (like banana, sunrise, and chair) and asks you to repeat them.
  • The Distraction: The doctor will then have you do a short task, such as drawing the hands on a clock.
  • Final Recall: After the distraction, the doctor asks you to say the three words again.
  • Varying Lists: Because Medicare requires cognitive checks but does not mandate a specific word list, your specific clinic might use a different set of words (such as apple, penny, table).

What happens if you fail the 3 word memory test?

Failing a 3-word memory test does not mean you have dementia or Alzheimer's disease. It only signals a short-term memory issue that needs a doctor's check.

What a Failed Test Means

  • Not a diagnosis: Brief screening tools like the Mini-Cog only spot who might need a closer look.
  • Temporary causes: Poor sleep, stress, depression, or side effects from medicine can lower your score.
  • Other health factors: Thyroid problems or vitamin shortages can also affect memory.

Next Steps After a Low Score

  • Full evaluation: Your doctor will look at your overall health, daily habits, and medical history.
  • More testing: You may take longer exams like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to check brain function.
  • Treating root causes: Fixing sleep issues or changing medications often brings memory back to normal.

What are the three words to remember for a cognitive test?

There is no single universal set of three words; instead, cognitive screening tests like the Mini-Cog use different word lists—such as banana, sunrise, chair or apple, penny, table—so people cannot cheat or memorize them beforehand.

Common Word Lists Used

  • List A: Banana, Sunrise, Chair
  • List B: Apple, Penny, Table
  • List C: Leader, Season, Table
  • List D: Village, River, Captain

How the Test Works

  1. The Administrator says three unrelated words out loud.
  2. You repeat them immediately to prove you heard and registered them.
  3. You do a distraction task, such as drawing a clock face and setting the hands to a specific time.
  4. You recall the words after completing the distraction task.

Three word recall test

9 related questions found

What are the 30 questions in the cognitive test?

A 30-question (or 30-point) cognitive test typically refers to either the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), both of which use a 30-point scoring scale to screen for memory loss, attention issues, and cognitive decline.

Common Tasks and Questions

Instead of a rigid list of trivia questions, these screening exams use interactive mental exercises divided into specific brain function categories:

  • Orientation: Asking for the current date, year, month, day of the week, season, and your current location (such as the city, state, or building).
  • Short-Term Memory: Reading a list of three unrelated words (like ball, cat, boat) and asking the person to repeat them immediately and recall them later.
  • Attention and Calculation: Asking the person to count backward from 100 by sevens (100, 93, 86...) or spell the word "WORLD" backward.
  • Language Skills: Pointing to common everyday objects like a pen or a watch and asking the person to name them, or repeating a complex sentence.
  • Visual-Spatial and Executive Function: Drawing a clock face showing a specific time, copying a 3D cube, or connecting dots in alternating numerical and alphabetical order (1-A-2-B).

Understanding the Scores

  • MMSE Scoring: A score of 25 or higher is typically considered normal. Scores between 21 and 24 suggest mild impairment, 10 to 20 suggest moderate impairment, and below 10 indicates severe impairment.
  • MoCA Scoring: A score of 26 or higher is considered normal. Lower scores may indicate mild cognitive impairment that requires a professional medical evaluation.

What is the 5 word memory test for Alzheimer's?

The 5-Word Memory Test is a brief, 5-minute screening tool used to evaluate short-term recall and episodic memory.

How the Test Works

  • Word Presentation: Read five unrelated words (for example: apple, chair, river, book, dog) out loud.
  • Immediate Recall: Ask the person to repeat all five words right away.
  • Distraction Task: Engage the person in a brief distraction, like counting backward or naming the days of the week, for 2 to 5 minutes.
  • Delayed Recall: Ask the person to name the five words again without giving hints.

How to Score the Results

  • 5 out of 5 words: Normal short-term memory function.
  • 3 to 4 words: Mild memory impairment that may warrant watching or a professional check.
  • 2 or fewer words: Significant memory concern that requires a formal medical evaluation.

Note: This screening is not a formal diagnosis for Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Stress, depression, fatigue, and normal aging can also impact scores.

What questions are asked during the Medicare Wellness exam?

During a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, you complete a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) questionnaire that includes questions about your medical history, daily habits, and safety.

According to guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the questions and screening topics generally cover:

Daily Function and Mobility

  • Activities of daily living: Can you dress, feed, and bathe yourself independently?
  • Fall risk: Have you fallen in the past year, or do you feel unsteady when standing or walking?
  • Assistive devices: Do you use a cane, walker, or wheelchair?

Mental and Cognitive Health

  • Memory and cognition: Do you or your family have concerns about your memory? (Providers often use a short cognitive test like the Mini-Cog).
  • Depression: Over the past two weeks, have you felt down, depressed, hopeless, or had little interest in doing things?

Lifestyle and Habits

  • Physical activity: How many days and minutes per week do you exercise or engage in moderate physical activity?
  • Diet and nutrition: What are your typical eating habits regarding fiber, grains, and fruits or vegetables?
  • Substance use: Do you smoke or use tobacco, and how often do you drink alcohol?

Home Safety

  • Environment: Do you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors?
  • Fall hazards: Are there secure handrails on your stairs, and do you have grab bars or non-slip surfaces in your bathroom?

Medical History & Care Coordination

  • Providers and prescriptions: What medications, vitamins, or supplements do you take, and which medical specialists do you see?
  • End-of-life planning: Do you want to discuss or set up advance directives, such as a living will or medical power of attorney?

Can you refuse the Medicare cognitive test?

Yes, you can refuse a cognitive test or opt out of the cognitive screening portion during a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.

Your Rights Regarding the Test

  • Voluntary Participation: Medicare preventive services and annual wellness visits are entirely optional. You will not lose your Medicare benefits, face financial penalties, or experience changes to your coverage if you decline.
  • Declining Specific Parts: While checking for cognitive impairment is a standard element included in the Annual Wellness Visit guidelines, you have the right to talk to your doctor, ask questions about the screening, and decline or skip that specific portion of the conversation.
  • Skipping the Entire Visit: You can choose not to schedule or attend an Annual Wellness Visit at all without any negative administrative consequences.

What diagnosis code to use for Medicare annual wellness visit?

Medicare does not require a single specific diagnosis code for an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), so you can report any ICD-10-CM diagnosis code that is consistent with the patient's examination and findings.

Common Diagnosis Codes

Providers frequently use general adult examination codes depending on the encounter results:

  • Z00.00: Encounter for general adult medical examination without abnormal findings (used when chronic conditions are stable or normal).
  • Z00.01: Encounter for general adult medical examination with abnormal findings.
  • Additional Codes: Report any existing, stable, or newly addressed chronic conditions (such as hypertension or diabetes) or specific screening results as secondary diagnoses if they are part of the evaluation.

Core HCPCS Billing Codes

Remember that Medicare uses HCPCS/CPT codes—not standard preventive visit codes—to designate the type of wellness service:

  • G0438: Initial Annual Wellness Visit (available after the first 12 months of Part B enrollment).
  • G0439: Subsequent Annual Wellness Visit (available yearly, at least 11 full months after the previous AWV).
  • G0402: Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE / "Welcome to Medicare" visit, used only in the first 12 months).

For full regulatory definitions and updates, check the official guidelines from CMS Annual Wellness Visit.