An examination of a proposed scoring procedure for the clock drawing test: Reliability and predictive validity of the clock scoring system (CSS)

The clock drawing test (CDT) is usedfor a variety of diagnostic purposes, including screening for dementia. Individuals have relied on subjective judgments in distinguishing between normal and abnormal clocks. This studyproposesaformal, objective scoring procedure called the Clock Scoring System (CSS). The CDTwas administered to 23 dementia patients and 27 normal, elderly controls. The inter-rater reliability estimates of the CSS rangedfrom 82 to .98 across diagnostic groups. Scores discriminated between the patient and comparison groups, even after controlling for age and education. A discussion of the usefulness of this measure as well as ftture research directions is presented.