The validity of the Memory Alteration Test and the Test Your Memory test for community-based identification of amnestic mild cognitive impairment

INTRODUCTION This study investigated the validity of two brief cognitive tests (Memory Alteration Test [M@T] and Test Your Memory [TYM] test) for identifying people with aMCI in the community. METHODS Older people were invited to participate by their general practitioner practice. Eligible participants were assessed for aMCI using an operationalized approach to the Petersen criteria and the M@T and TYM. RESULTS Both tests demonstrated significant ability in discriminating between people with aMCI and controls (AUC = 0.91 for M@T and 0.80 for TYM [P < .001 for both]). M@T performed with higher sensitivity than TYM (85% vs. 63%) and similar specificity (84% vs. 87%). Both tests demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (κ = ∼0.5) and took <10 minutes to administer. DISCUSSION M@T and TYM are quick to administer. M@T demonstrated higher diagnostic test accuracy than TYM and could provide an efficient method for identifying aMCI in clinical and research settings.