Trail Making Test
What It Measures
The Trail Making Test asks someone to connect a series of numbered dots as quickly as possible — first in simple numerical order, then alternating between numbers and letters. How long it takes, and where mistakes happen, gives clinicians a window into visual attention, processing speed, and mental flexibility.
The test has two parts: Part A mainly reflects visual scanning and motor speed, while Part B adds a demand to switch back and forth between two sequences, making it more sensitive to executive functioning. Occupational, speech, and mental health therapists use it with adolescents, adults, and older adults in inpatient and outpatient settings, often with people recovering from stroke or TBI, to screen for cognitive changes. The original test was developed as part of a 1944 U.S. Army testing battery and is in the public domain, though commercial editions, like the one linked here, package it with specific stimulus sheets, administration manuals, and normative data for a fee.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
$85 cost reflects a commercially packaged edition including Parts A & B, 100 tests, and test manual.
