What happens at my assessment?

Perhaps you have been feeling not quite right recently, or things that were once easy have become more difficult? Maybe others have mentioned that they have noticed some changes too. It’s completely understandable that you might be concerned about this, especially if it’s having an effect on your emotions, cognition, or behaviour. Either way, you stumbled across the London Neurocognitive Clinic and decided to get yourself booked in for an assessment.

What we typically mean as an assessment is a neuropsychological assessment, which assesses how your brain is functioning in regards to certain areas of thinking, for example how your memory is working. By completing an assessment, our team of neuropsychologists can understand where you demonstrate strengths, but also where you may need some extra help. However, you may be wondering exactly what happens when you arrive for an assessment, and that is perfectly understandable, so read on to find out!

Typically, the assessment will begin by getting to know you a bit better. If you are comfortable discussing this, it may include learning about your background, the symptoms or difficulties you are experiencing and how long these have been occurring for, and also providing you with the opportunity to ask any questions you have. The questions we ask can give us an overview of you as an individual and provide a base for what may be most beneficial for you. During this initial process, we may wish to speak to close family or friends of yours, because sometimes they’re able to provide an external perspective on what has been going on and provide any extra background information that might be helpful.

Following this, we would begin the main part of the assessment, where we conduct a range of tests that assess your cognitive abilities in day-to-day life. The tasks you complete will be selected on an individual basis, so they are most relevant to your situation and the concerns that you or your close friends or family have. Some of the tests may be pen and paper tests, while others may include puzzle solving. You may feel like there is a very large number of tests, and that not all seem necessary, however they will have been selected for you to build a complete picture of your abilities. The whole assessment process will last around 4 hours; however, this may vary with different individuals. You will also be offered breaks throughout the assessment if you do wish to rest at any point.

It is important to remember that these tests are not about passing or failing. Different people will find different tests easier or harder to do, and we will compare your scores to people of similar age, gender, and background to you, therefore it is not about simply how highly you score on a specific test, but more about uncovering an overall picture.

Hopefully this has answered some questions you may have about your assessment, and as a final point, most people do find these assessments quite interesting as they are able to learn more about themselves!