The 16-question IQCODE (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly) is a short screening tool used by family members or friends to assess changes in a person’s cognitive function over a 10-year period.
The IQCODE is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A raised score is a reason to have a conversation with a clinician; it does not identify which condition is present, and it cannot on its own rule anything in or out.
Instrument: Jorm AF. A short form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): development and cross-validation. Psychological Medicine 1994;24(1):145–153. Reproduced in full, unaltered.
More: the three scored areas, the band table, the change rule and the full reference list are on the Science page.
Sources:
Australian National University (instrument home) ·
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab ·
International Psychogeriatrics
Looking for how the assessments actually work? The instruments, the scales, the score bands and the published validation studies for both the IQCODE and the M3 Checklist are all on the Science page — along with the evidence behind taking them together, quarterly.
The assessment is offered at no cost to Original Medicare members, including follow-up care. Medicare Advantage members should ask their plan provider whether the assessment is covered, or may use an HSA/FSA to pay the $11 fee. Coverage specifics depend on your plan; please confirm with your plan or provider.
Health screenings and assessments may qualify as eligible medical-care expenses under IRS Code §213(d), which covers amounts paid for the identification, screening, mitigation, or prevention of symptoms. The M3 assessment is offered for $11 for non-Medicare users, payable by credit card, HSA, or FSA, and we email you an itemized receipt you can submit to your plan administrator. Eligibility is ultimately determined by your specific HSA/FSA plan administrator, so we recommend confirming with them and retaining your receipt.
Adults age 18 and older. It is designed for people who want to check in on their mental well-being, monitor symptom severity over time, and bring a clear summary to a conversation with a healthcare provider.
No. The M3 Score is a screening and self-assessment tool. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. A positive or high score is not a diagnosis — it's a signal to discuss your results with a qualified healthcare professional. To find Medicare-approved providers, visit medicare.gov/care-compare or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
The M3 is a self-administered screening and self-assessment questionnaire that reports symptom severity and encourages users to seek professional care. It does not diagnose or treat symptoms and does not direct medical treatment. Self-rated screening tools of this type are generally treated as low-risk wellness/screening tools rather than regulated medical devices. The M3 is informational only and is not intended to replace evaluation by a licensed clinician.
Your responses are used to generate your personal report and to let you log back in to view your history — no password required. We do not sell your personal health information. Health data is protected with industry-standard safeguards, including encryption. Full details are in our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
The M3 is a digital service — there is nothing to ship. As soon as you complete the check-in, your personal report is generated instantly and shown on screen, and you can print it or save it as a PDF. It is intended for adults 18 and older as an informational screening and self-assessment to support your own awareness and your conversation with a healthcare professional; it is not a diagnosis or treatment.
Most people complete the check-in in under 5 minutes. You can return any time to take a new check-in and see how your score is trending.
A private, easy-to-read report with your overall M3 Score, per-area severity ranges (depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar spectrum), an optional DVPRS pain score, and guidance to discuss results with a professional. You can print or save it as a PDF. See a sample report.
Call 800.272.3900. The Alzheimer’s Association Helpline is free, answered by a person, and open every hour of every day including holidays. Help is available in more than 200 languages through bilingual staff or an interpreter. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, dial 711 first to reach a telecommunications relay service.
The people who answer include master’s-level dementia specialists, and what they give is a care consultation — your situation worked through, not a leaflet.
Rather not phone? Live chat usually runs Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central, at alz.org/…/helpline. Your local chapter — one in all fifty states — is at alz.org/chapter-search.
If you would rather act than worry: their free Brain Health Habit Builder checks the habits you have now and builds a plan from there. Four of its ten habits — blood pressure, diabetes, moving and sleep — are things this review already asks you about.
The Helpline is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. If anyone is thinking of harming themselves, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
M3 Information is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. We point you to them because they are the best-resourced source of free help of this kind in the United States, not because of any relationship between us. Nothing you enter here is shared with them. More on what they can actually do.
For general questions, email our support team. (Please note: not every email can be answered individually.) Returning users can sign in with a 6-digit code sent by email or text — no payment or Medicare information is needed to view your history.