A RAPID drawing test can predict whether you are at risk of developing dementia.

It’s normal to become forgetful as you get older, but the 30-second test at home can reveal whether you need to worry about your memory.

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Trying to draw a clock from memory can be a quick way to assess someone’s risk of the brain robbing the disease.

Although it sounds deceptively simple test actually assesses a number of different cognitive abilities at once – such as memory, visual-spatial ability, comprehension, motor skills and concentration.

The skills needed to complete the test are the very skills that can begin to deteriorate if a person has dementia.

According to Dr. Jesus Ramirez-Bermudez, a Mexican neurologist who researches cognitive decline, the clock drawing test is an accessible and effective way to detect dementia risk.

Posting a picture of different clock designs to Xhe said “it remains one of the easiest and cheapest ways to identify patients” with neurological conditions such as dementia.

Drawing a crooked circle or incorrectly placing numbers on the clock can indicate early signs of the condition.

But if someone manages to draw a clock correctly, it virtually “rules out” dementia because the task requires a wide range of cognitive skills, according to NHS – who have been using the screening method for decades.

It is estimated that almost one million Britons suffer from the brain-robbing condition.

The number is expected to rise to 1.4 million in 2040.

Alzheimer’s disease is by far the most common form and accounts for approximately 60 to 70 percent of cases.

It is important to note that the test is often used in conjunction with other screening methods, so poor scores do not confirm that you will develop dementia.

But it can serve as a prompt to talk to yours GP about your memory.

The UK Dementia Directory recommends that you encourage loved ones who you suspect may be suffering from memory loss to take the 30-second dementia test.

The test “can help them recognize they may have a problem” and encourage them to visit a GP about their symptoms, it said.

The catalog cited the clock drawing task as “probably the best and most widely used at-home dementia test”.

It added: “The clock drawing test is also widely used by GPs and dementia specialists.

“They can be used to provide a quick and easy early diagnosis that there may be a problem that warrants further investigation into the individual’s memory.”

How to take the test

All you need is a blank piece of paper and a drawing tool.

Ask your loved one to:

• Draw a clock
• Put all the numbers on the dial
• Draw the hands on the clock and give them a specific time to enter

Now it’s time to score the drawing.

Use the following markers to assess it:

• How well did the person draw the bell circle
• Have they included all numbers 1-12?
• Are all the numbers drawn in the correct order on the dial and in the correct place?
• Did the two draw hands on the clock?
• Do the hands on the clock tell the correct time when you asked them to draw?

Give one point for each correct answer.

“A normal score for the test is four or five points,” according to the Dementia Directory.

“Anything less than four points should be a concern.”

Ask your loved one to see a doctor if you have any questions about their results.

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Although there is currently no cure for dementia, being diagnosed early means that the disease can be slowed with treatment.

The dementia catalog also recommends doing a simple word association test.

Ask the person you are worried about to name all the animals they can think of in one minute.

You can also ask them to name all the types of fruit they can remember in one minute.

“Research has found that a healthy individual should score between 20 to 25 words in the specified time, while a person who may have memory problems usually scores between 10 to 15,” the directory noted.