RAVLT

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a neuropsychological assessment used to evaluate verbal learning and memory. It assesses encoding, immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition, providing information about a person’s learning capacity and memory functioning. The test is commonly used in clinical and research settings to aid in the differential diagnosis of memory disorders and in the assessment of brain injury, dementia, and other neurological or psychiatric conditions.

In standard administration, a list of 15 semantically neutral words (List A) is read aloud to the examinee on five consecutive trials (A1 through A5). After each presentation, the examinee provides a free recall of the words just heard, yielding immediate recall scores for each trial. After the fifth trial, an interference list (List B) is given, and the examinee is asked to recall the original List A words again (A6). After a delay period, typically about 20 to 30 minutes, the examinee performs a delayed free recall of List A (A7). A recognition trial follows, in which a larger set of items—containing the original 15 words and distractors—are presented, and the examinee identifies which items were on List A.

Key outcome measures include Total Learning (sum of A1–A5), Immediate Recall across trials, Learning Slope, Delayed Recall (A7), and Recognition accuracy (discriminability and false alarms). These indices help characterize encoding efficiency, memory consolidation, and retrieval abilities, and can be influenced by age, education, and neurological status. Variants and normative data exist, with interpretations guided by standardized age- and education-adjusted norms.