PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH BOARD
CERTIFICATION FINAL PAPER EXAM 2026
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS
◉ What are the 11 components of the MMSE? Answer: 1. Orientation
to time (date, month, year, day of week, season)
2. Orientation to place (current location, city, state, country)
3. Immediate recall (give 3 words to remember, ask to repeat later)
4. Attention (count backwards from 100 by 7, spell 'WORLD'
backwards)
5. Delayed verbal recall (recall previous 3 words)
6. Naming (show a pencil and paperclip and ask patient to identify
objects by name)
7. Repetition (ask patient to repeat a phrase "No ifs, ands, or buts")
8. 3-stage command ("take this piece of paper in your hand, fold it in
half, place it on the desk")
9. Reading (hold up a card that says "close your eyes" and ask pt. to
read and follow directions)
10. Writing (ask them to write any sentence they wish- must contain
a subject & verb and make sense)
11. Copying (have pt copy a specific design given to them- 2 plain
intersecting pentagons)
,◉ What MMSE score indicates mild cognitive impairment? Answer:
18-23 points
24-30: no cognitive impairment, 18-23: mild cognitive impairment,
0-17: significant cognitive impairment
◉ What are the 12 components of the Brief MSE? Answer: 1. General
appearance (neat or dirty; level of ADLs, grooming, odors,
disheveled, overly dressed/ inappropriate for season)
2. Mood (euthymic, bright, grandiose, suspicious, irritable,
expansive, labile, cheerful, etc.)
3. Affect (worried, fearful, flat, blunted, restricted)
4. Sleep (quality and quantity, use of any sleep aides, falling asleep
and staying asleep, number of times they wake up)
5. Speech (rate, tone, volume, impairments, monotone, slow, rapid,
slurred, pressured, etc.)
6. Perception (visual, auditory, command, olfactory, tactile
hallucinations)
7. Thought process (depersonalization, derealization, flight of ideas,
racing thoughts, thought blocking, tangential, circumstantiality,
poverty of thought, overabundance of thoughts, ideas of reference,
overly inclusive or irrelevant answers)
8. Thought content (delusions, paranoia, beliefs, obsessions,
perseverations, SI, HI)
,9. Cognition (intellectual capacity/impairment, memory, degree of
focus/distractibility)
10. Alertness (impulsivity, LOC, degree of logic, degree of
orientation, ability to control and manage impulses, etc.)
11. Judgment and insight (degree to which pt. is able to predict
consequences of choices and behaviors, understand their own role,
empathize with other's feelings and reactions)
12. Reliability of the content (content congruent, consistent
presentation)
◉ Name the 9 tips to Conduct a Successful Mental Health Interview
Answer: 1. Do not rush
2. Maintain clear boundaries: no social or private interactions
3. Maintain professionalism and remember this about the patient
4. Have a good understanding of cultural differences and how this
may impact the interview
5. Body language: communicate openness, confidence,
understanding, support, and calm demeanor
6. Monitor speech for speed, volume, and tone to decrease patient
excitability
7. If the patient doesn't understand a question, rephrase it
8. Know that patients might not be able to make it through an entire
interview; know their tolerance
9. If the patient declines to answer, ask again later once rapport has
been established
, ◉ What are the 8 elements to assess for that influence cognition?
Answer: 1. Level of education
2. Acuity of sight and hearing
3. Depression
4. Medication
5. Grief
6. Ability to maintain attention
7. History of trauma
8. History of TBI
◉ What are the 15 suicide risk factors? Answer: 1. Current thoughts
of wanting to die, not wake up, etc.
2. Feelings of desperation, hopelessness, helplessness, being trapped
3. Suffering from depression, bipolar, schizophrenia
4. Plan with high level of lethality and the means to carry it out
5. Plan with several of the details worked out
6. Feeling like they are a burden
7. Practicing the elements of their suicide plan
8. Desensitization to pain/suffering
9. Elderly, single, Caucasian men- high risk of attempts and
successful suicides
CERTIFICATION FINAL PAPER EXAM 2026
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS
◉ What are the 11 components of the MMSE? Answer: 1. Orientation
to time (date, month, year, day of week, season)
2. Orientation to place (current location, city, state, country)
3. Immediate recall (give 3 words to remember, ask to repeat later)
4. Attention (count backwards from 100 by 7, spell 'WORLD'
backwards)
5. Delayed verbal recall (recall previous 3 words)
6. Naming (show a pencil and paperclip and ask patient to identify
objects by name)
7. Repetition (ask patient to repeat a phrase "No ifs, ands, or buts")
8. 3-stage command ("take this piece of paper in your hand, fold it in
half, place it on the desk")
9. Reading (hold up a card that says "close your eyes" and ask pt. to
read and follow directions)
10. Writing (ask them to write any sentence they wish- must contain
a subject & verb and make sense)
11. Copying (have pt copy a specific design given to them- 2 plain
intersecting pentagons)
,◉ What MMSE score indicates mild cognitive impairment? Answer:
18-23 points
24-30: no cognitive impairment, 18-23: mild cognitive impairment,
0-17: significant cognitive impairment
◉ What are the 12 components of the Brief MSE? Answer: 1. General
appearance (neat or dirty; level of ADLs, grooming, odors,
disheveled, overly dressed/ inappropriate for season)
2. Mood (euthymic, bright, grandiose, suspicious, irritable,
expansive, labile, cheerful, etc.)
3. Affect (worried, fearful, flat, blunted, restricted)
4. Sleep (quality and quantity, use of any sleep aides, falling asleep
and staying asleep, number of times they wake up)
5. Speech (rate, tone, volume, impairments, monotone, slow, rapid,
slurred, pressured, etc.)
6. Perception (visual, auditory, command, olfactory, tactile
hallucinations)
7. Thought process (depersonalization, derealization, flight of ideas,
racing thoughts, thought blocking, tangential, circumstantiality,
poverty of thought, overabundance of thoughts, ideas of reference,
overly inclusive or irrelevant answers)
8. Thought content (delusions, paranoia, beliefs, obsessions,
perseverations, SI, HI)
,9. Cognition (intellectual capacity/impairment, memory, degree of
focus/distractibility)
10. Alertness (impulsivity, LOC, degree of logic, degree of
orientation, ability to control and manage impulses, etc.)
11. Judgment and insight (degree to which pt. is able to predict
consequences of choices and behaviors, understand their own role,
empathize with other's feelings and reactions)
12. Reliability of the content (content congruent, consistent
presentation)
◉ Name the 9 tips to Conduct a Successful Mental Health Interview
Answer: 1. Do not rush
2. Maintain clear boundaries: no social or private interactions
3. Maintain professionalism and remember this about the patient
4. Have a good understanding of cultural differences and how this
may impact the interview
5. Body language: communicate openness, confidence,
understanding, support, and calm demeanor
6. Monitor speech for speed, volume, and tone to decrease patient
excitability
7. If the patient doesn't understand a question, rephrase it
8. Know that patients might not be able to make it through an entire
interview; know their tolerance
9. If the patient declines to answer, ask again later once rapport has
been established
, ◉ What are the 8 elements to assess for that influence cognition?
Answer: 1. Level of education
2. Acuity of sight and hearing
3. Depression
4. Medication
5. Grief
6. Ability to maintain attention
7. History of trauma
8. History of TBI
◉ What are the 15 suicide risk factors? Answer: 1. Current thoughts
of wanting to die, not wake up, etc.
2. Feelings of desperation, hopelessness, helplessness, being trapped
3. Suffering from depression, bipolar, schizophrenia
4. Plan with high level of lethality and the means to carry it out
5. Plan with several of the details worked out
6. Feeling like they are a burden
7. Practicing the elements of their suicide plan
8. Desensitization to pain/suffering
9. Elderly, single, Caucasian men- high risk of attempts and
successful suicides
