What is HVLT?
Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT-R) is one of the most widely used neuropsychological tests for assessing verbal episodic memory. Developed in 1991 by Brandt & Benedict, it is highly sensitive for detecting early mnesic decline — declining 2–3 years before a clinical dementia diagnosis.
Our simplified version follows the classic structure: 12 words divided into 3 semantic categories (animals, fruits, furniture), 3 immediate trials (testing learning), then a distractor pause (serial subtraction prevents mental rehearsal), followed by delayed recall — the key measure for medium-term memory consolidation.
Key indicators
- Learning curve — trials should produce increasing scores (T1 < T2 < T3). Lack of progress may suggest encoding difficulties.
- Delayed recall — the primary measure. Below 50% of what you recalled at T3 = poor retention.
- Semantic clustering — do you group words by category or say them randomly? Clustering is an efficient strategy, more common in healthy adults.