Request the Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (Vaughan, Roberts, Neal, Perry, & Coetzer, 2005)
What is the Brain Injury Cognitive Screen?
The Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (BICS) is a brief neuropsychological screen designed for the initial assessment of post acute brain injury patients entering rehabilitation. The assessment focuses primarily on memory, attention & information processing, and executive function. The 9 tests included in the main version of the BICS yielded significantly lower composite scores in samples of TBI and focal lesion patients compared to matched healthy control participants (Vaughan, Neal, Mulla, Edwards, & Coetzer, in press).
The main version of the Brain Injury Cognitive Screen contains subtests that are sensitive to TBI impairments. A second version on the BICS ('BICS+ Supplementary test') contains four additional tests whic appear to be more sensitive to cognitive impairments in patients with focal brain injuries, including stroke.
The BICS materials are presented on a computer screen as a Powerpoint slideshow. The test materials include photographs, line drawings, and audio recordings, as well as written instructions and test items. The assessment is scored manually.
Who is the BICS available to?
In general, we plan to make the BICS available to qualified (in their country of origin) clinicians working in neuropsychological and brain injury assessment, rehabilitation and research settings.
If you are not a clinician working in the field, please tell us what you would like to use the BICS for and why.
Downloading the BICS and related files
To access the document downloads, please complete and submit the form below. A username, password and link will then be emailed to you to enable you to download the documents.
In exchange for accessing the BICS free of charge, we would like to know where it is being used, and to ask users to provide occasional feedback on the BICS. We would also provide updates by email on new research and norms, revised versions and any other changes.
You are free to use the BICS in research and clinical settings on the understanding the test will be correctly referenced (Vaughan, Roberts, Neal, Perry & Coetzer, 2005, Unpublished test, Bangor University and North Wales Brain Injury Service)
Document downloads (list)
- The Brain Injury Cognitive Screen (Powerpoint document, 5.7 MB)
- The BICS+ Supplementary Tests (Powerpoint document, 10.5 MB)
- BICS Response Inhibition (Powerpoint document, 6.2 MB)
- The Brain Injury Cognitive Screen Manual (PDF)
- The BICS Scoring Booklet (Word)
- The BICS Scoring Booklet (PDF)
- The BICS + Supplementary Tests Scoring Booklet (Word)
- The BICS + Supplementary Tests Scoring Booklet (PDF)