Clinical utility of the Trail Making Test practice time

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a widely utilized neuropsychological assessment tool.
• Standard administration involves practice trials to gauge performance on the full test.
• Predictive utility of TMT practice times for full test completion requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze TMT practice times for predicting success or failure on the full TMT.
• To establish criteria for administering or discontinuing the full TMT based on practice times.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of TMT practice times.
• Development of classification accuracy tables for various practice time cutoffs.
• Identification of optimal cutoffs for predicting successful completion of TMT Parts A and B.

Main Results:

• TMT practice times demonstrated utility in predicting successful completion of TMT Parts A and B.
• A 20-second practice time cutoff optimally predicted successful completion of TMT Part A (under 180 seconds).
• A 30-second practice time cutoff optimally predicted successful completion of TMT Part B (under 300 seconds).

Conclusions:

• TMT practice times serve as valuable heuristics for clinicians.
• These practice time cutoffs can guide decisions regarding TMT administration or discontinuation.
• Utilizing practice time cutoffs enhances the efficiency and clinical utility of the TMT.