One of the tools that a case manager might use to assess a client is the Mental Status Exam (MSE). The MSE has several domains, and today, we'll review what's included under the "Attention and Concentration" domain:

A. Concentration - to test the client's concentration, you might ask if he/or she can recite the days of the week backward; another test is the "serial sevens" - ask the client to start at 100 and count forward or backward in increments of seven.

B. Attention - an example is to read series of random letters and have the client tap his/or her finger or say yes every time he/or she hears chosen the letter.