The Mini-Oxford Cognitive Screen (Mini-OCS) is a brief, reliable, and stroke-specific cognitive screening tool developed to fit within the time constraints of community and primary care consultations. Developed by researchers at the University of Oxford, Newcastle University and University of Cambridge, the Mini-OCS combines tasks from the original Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS) and the OCS-Plus, offering a concise and sensitive assessment of both focal and domain-general cognitive impairments.

• Administration time: ~7–9 minutes
• Designed for: Chronic stroke survivors
• Population: Normed on neurologically healthy adults and validated in a clinical stroke population
• Available for: Publicly funded research and clinical use

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The Mini-OCS retains the domain-specific strengths of the OCS while increasing sensitivity to more subtle, domain-general deficits. It assesses:

• Language
• Memory (including immediate recall)
• Attention and executive function
• Praxis (motor planning)
• Numerical cognition

Each domain is reported individually, providing a cognitive profile highlighting both impairments and preserved abilities.

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• High convergent validity with standard neuropsychological tools
• Strong discriminant validity, especially for memory and executive function
• Good test-retest reliability across subtasks
• Unidimensional total score model for summary interpretation
• Able to distinguish between stroke and non-stroke populations even when controlling for education

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The Mini-OCS is uniquely suited to:

• Primary care settings, where consultation time is limited
• Stroke follow-up appointments, especially in the chronic phase
• Initial cognitive screening, guiding further referral to neuropsychological services if needed

Unlike dementia-focused tools, the Mini-OCS captures stroke-relevant impairments such as apraxia and spatial neglect, offering a nuanced view of cognitive health post-stroke.

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The Mini-OCS was developed through a rigorous, multi-stage process involving:

• Item Response Theory (IRT) modelling to shorten the OCS while retaining psychometric integrity
• Inclusion of OCS-Plus tasks to enhance detection of memory and executive dysfunction
• Extensive pilot testing, psychometric validation, and normative data collection in both healthy and stroke populations
• Adherence to COSMIN and STROBE standards for test development and reporting
• Normed against UK-based samples, with age-adjusted cutoffs and plans for future cross-cultural adaptations

For further information, please refer to the key references to find out more about the Mini-OC’s development and validation.

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Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS)
The OCS is a multi-domain, stroke-specific cognitive screening tool designed for use in acute clinical settings.  Humphreys, G. W., Bickerton, W. L., Samson, D., & Riddoch, M. J. (2012). The Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS): A short cognitive screening tool for stroke patients. Psychological Assessment, 24(3), 883–894. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025777.

OCS-Plus
A more in-depth cognitive screening tool focused on identifying subtle impairments in memory and executive function, suitable for subacute and chronic stages of stroke recovery. Demeyere, N., Riddoch, M. J., Slavkova, E. D., Jones, K., Reckless, I., Mathieson, P., & Humphreys, G. W. (2015). Domain-specific versus generalised cognitive screening in acute stroke. Journal of Neurology, 262(12), 2635–2642.

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