Assessment
Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA™) is a scientifically validated, self-administered digital cognitive assessment designed for clinical, research, and personal use.
Complete in under 10 minutes, BoCA™ evaluates cognitive performance across eight domains using randomized, non-repeating tasks—minimizing practice effects and supporting reliable longitudinal tracking. As an online, automatically scored tool, BoCA™ is used by researchers for serial assessment of global cognition in clinical trials studying Alzheimer's, COVID fog, anesthesia, and cancer treatment.
What It Measures
BoCA™ evaluates eight key cognitive domains using scientifically validated tasks.
Memory
Immediate and delayed recall of verbal and visual information
Attention
Sustained, selective, and divided attention tasks
Language
Naming, comprehension, and verbal fluency
Executive Function
Planning, set-shifting, and problem-solving
Mental Math
Arithmetic reasoning and calculation
Visuospatial Skills
Spatial perception and constructional praxis
Orientation
Temporal and spatial orientation
Recall
Delayed retrieval of previously presented information
How BoCA™ Compares
BoCA™ offers significant advantages over traditional pen and paper cognitive testing tools, providing comprehensive assessment with modern digital capabilities.
| MMSE, Mini-Cog | BoCA™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Brief, under 10 minutes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost Effective | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clinically Validated | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reimbursable* | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self-administered by Patient | ✗ | ✓ |
| Longitudinal Results | ✗ | ✓ |
| Provides normal ranges for age & sex | ✗ | ✓ |
| Randomized to avoid learning effect | ✗ | ✓ |
| Evaluates 8 domains of cognitive function | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-language support | ✗ | ✓ |
*Restrictions apply. Visit Boston Cognitive Platform Help Center for more information.
Validation
The BoCA™ has been validated in several key peer-reviewed studies that establish its reliability and correlation with "gold standard" cognitive assessments like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
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Title: "Boston cognitive assessment (BOCA) — a comprehensive self-administered smartphone- and computer-based at-home test for longitudinal tracking of cognitive performance."
Journal: BMC Neurology (2022)
Authors: Vyshedskiy, A., et al.
Key Findings: This is the primary validation paper. It demonstrated that BoCA has strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Most importantly, it showed a strong correlation (R = 0.90) with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), indicating it is a valid tool for assessing cognitive status. The study also confirmed that practice effects were insignificant over 10 consecutive days of testing.
View Study → -
Title: "Validation and convergent validity of the Boston cognitive assessment (BOCA) in an Italian population: a comparative study with the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) in Alzheimer's disease spectrum."
Journal: Neurological Sciences (2024)
Authors: Padovani A, Caratozzolo S, Galli A, Crosani L, Zampini S, Cosseddu M, Turrone R, Zancanaro A, Gumina B, Vicini-Chilovi B, Benussi A, Vyshedskiy A, Pilotto A.
Key Findings: This study validated BoCA in an Italian population, demonstrating strong convergent validity with MoCA across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum. The research confirmed BoCA's ability to differentiate between cognitive impairment levels and its reliability in international settings.
View Study → -
Title: "Feasibility and Acceptability of Digital Cognitive Screening Approaches for Older Adults in Primary Care."
Journal: Alzheimer's & Dementia (2025)
Authors: Thompson, L.I., et al.
Key Findings: This study demonstrated that BoCA is feasible and well-accepted by older adults in primary care settings. The research showed that digital cognitive screening tools like BoCA can be successfully implemented in real-world clinical environments with high patient acceptability.
View Study → -
Title: "The Boston cognitive assessment: Psychometric foundations of a self-administered measure of global cognition."
Journal: The Clinical Neuropsychologist (2021)
Authors: Gold, D., et al.
Key Findings: This study established the psychometric foundations of BoCA, demonstrating its validity as a self-administered measure of global cognition. The research validated BoCA's internal structure and confirmed its reliability for use in diverse populations without direct supervision.
View Study → -
Title: "Preliminary Analysis of the Influence of Age and Education on the Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA)."
Journal: Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology (2022)
Authors: Ferguson, H., et al.
Key Findings: This study analyzed how age and education levels influence BoCA performance, providing important normative data for interpretation of scores across different demographic groups. The findings help clinicians understand expected performance variations based on patient characteristics.
View Study → -
Title: "Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of the Boston Cognitive Assessment (BOCA) on an Acute Rehabilitation Unit."
Journal: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2025)
Authors: Wertheimer, J., et al.
Key Findings: This study examined BoCA's psychometric properties and clinical utility in acute rehabilitation settings. The research demonstrated that BoCA is a reliable tool for assessing cognitive function in patients undergoing acute rehabilitation, supporting its use across diverse clinical environments.
View Study → -
Title: "Significance of the Boston Cognitive Assessment in patients with chronic post-stroke cognitive impairment."
Journal: Frontiers in Neurology (2025)
Authors: Yin, X., Zhu, H., Ji, P., Zhang, Y., Wu, B.
Key Findings: This study validated BoCA's effectiveness in assessing cognitive function in patients with chronic post-stroke cognitive impairment. The research demonstrated that BoCA is a valuable tool for evaluating and monitoring cognitive deficits in stroke survivors, expanding its clinical utility to neurological rehabilitation settings.
View Study →
Read more about our evidence-based approach to brain health on the Boston Cognitive validation page.
Who Can Use BoCA
Healthcare Providers
Smarter Tools for Cognitive Care
BoCA™ is designed to support healthcare providers in delivering efficient, scalable, and evidence-informed cognitive care. From early detection to ongoing monitoring, BoCA™ enables self-administered testing in clinical or remote settings—with results mapped to key cognitive domains like memory, attention, and executive function. It fits seamlessly into CPT-aligned workflows, supporting reimbursable care delivery without requiring extra time or staffing.
Built for Integration
- Digital-first and fully self-administered
- Optimized for both in-person and remote visits
- Longitudinal tracking across patient populations
- Provider dashboard, export tools, and flexible deployment options
Discover how BoCA integrates with Boston Cognitive's care planning, analytics, and patient engagement tools.
Researchers
Longitudinal monitoring is essential for testing novel interventions designed to reduce or reverse cognitive aging. BoCA™ is an invaluable tool for long-term cognitive monitoring. As an online instrument, BoCA™ evaluates global cognition through tasks spanning eight domains commonly included in other familiar screening instruments (e.g., wordlist learning and delayed recall, repeating numerical sequences forward and backward, executive functioning, mental arithmetic, visuospatial reasoning, language, and orientation).
BoCA™ uses randomly generated, non-repeating stimuli when assessing each domain, enhancing its utility for serial assessment and long-term monitoring of cognitive status. It is automatically scored and designed to reduce the risks of practice effects, making it especially beneficial for research projects requiring cognitive tracking.
BoCA™ is currently utilized in dozens of clinical trials studying the effects of cognitive interventions, pharmaceutical treatments for Alzheimer's disease, COVID fog, anesthesia and preoperative treatment, long-term effects of cancer drugs, and other interventional studies of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Interested in the science behind our tools? Visit our research resources page to explore peer-reviewed publications on dementia prevention, cognitive assessment validation, and lifestyle interventions.
Individuals
Take Charge of Your Cognitive Health
BoCA™ lets you check in on your cognitive function—anytime, from anywhere. This 10-minute, self-guided test helps you understand how your brain is working across key areas like memory, attention, and executive function.
Whether you're proactively monitoring your brain health or simply curious, BoCA gives you fast, research-based insight you can trust.
What You'll Get
- A digital, self-administered cognitive test
- Instant feedback on your results
- Secure, private tracking over time
- The same tool used by doctors and researchers
Complete your first assessment to create a free personal account and track your cognitive health over time.
Prefer using an app?
What Experts Say
Contact Us
Get in touch with our team for questions about BoCA™, enterprise solutions, or technical support.
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Disclaimer: Boston Cognitive tools are designed to support cognitive health monitoring and lifestyle modification. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Our assessments and programs do not provide medical advice, therapy, or clinical diagnosis. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider.