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For trained staff and clinicians

RUDAS scoring aid

The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is a 30-point memory and thinking test given in person. It was designed to be fairer to people from different cultures and languages, and works well with an interpreter. Give the test on the official paper form, then use this page to add up the scores and print a summary for the person’s doctor.

Not a diagnosis. This page does not give the test and cannot diagnose dementia — it only adds up the item scores you enter. Only a doctor can diagnose dementia, after a full history, examination and other tests. Use the official RUDAS scoring sheet and follow the Administration and Scoring Guide. This page is not meant for people to test themselves or a relative at home. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere; it disappears when you close the page.

RUDAS scoring summary

Good practice

  • Test in a quiet, well-lit room, sitting opposite the person. Check hearing aids and glasses first.
  • If you are not fluent in the person’s preferred language, use a professional interpreter (not a family member) and brief them first: interpret exactly, add nothing, and note any cultural issues.
  • Record the person’s full answer to each item, and circle any part of the judgment answer that was prompted.
  • Low scores can come from delirium, depression, medicines, poor sleep or a physical disability, not only dementia. Interpret a total below 22 with caution for people with a physical disability.
  • Training helps: watch the RUDAS training video (South Western Sydney Local Health District).

About the RUDAS

The RUDAS was developed in Sydney, Australia, under the NSW Dementia Action Plan (NSW Health). It covers memory, body orientation, praxis, drawing, judgment and language, and its results are little affected by education or first language. A total of 22 or less is the published cut-off for possible cognitive impairment. The form and guide are freely available from Dementia Australia, which advised that no permission is needed to use it. Source: Storey JE, Rowland JTJ, Basic D, Conforti DA, Dickson HG. The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS): a multicultural cognitive assessment scale. Int Psychogeriatr. 2004;16(1):13–31.

Worried about a family member’s memory? Start with the Memory Changes Notebook and read memory and thinking tests.

Helpful next steps

Try next

Memory Changes NotebookFor the family: write down memory and thinking changes, medicines and questions for the doctor.Open the notebook →SLUMS scoring aidAnother 30-point staff test, with cut-offs by education level.Open SLUMS →Care CircleShare the caregiving across the family in one link: who drives, who handles medicines.Build a Care Circle →

More: the dementia guide · memory and thinking tests · diagnosis and treatment

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