Objective: Dozens of brief screening tests (one-ten minutes) can be found to help discriminate cognitive changes of normal aging from those of MCI or dementia. None, to our knowledge, focuses primarily on motor skills and the impairment of motor skills associated with executive system dysfunction. The Clip Test, a brief, non-verbal, bedside test was devised to fill this gap. Background Same as above. Design/Methods: 84 men and 156 women were recruited from the Tanaka Clinic in Japan, and divided into 3 groups: Normal (n=91) aged 55-86 (mean 71.8), with no evidence of neurological impairment and no complaint of cognitive dysfunction; MCI (n=69) aged 66-91 (mean 77.6), and Alzheimer Disease (AD) (n=80) aged 61-90 (mean 80.1), with probable AD according to the criteria of McKhann et al., 1984. In front of the participant, the examiner takes 6 long paper clips and hooks them together into a paper clip chain, then takes the last clip, hooks it onto the second clip, and hands the clips, hooked together in a complex loop, to the participant. The task is to unhook all the paper clips, leaving 6 unhooked clips separated on the table. Score is response time in seconds, starting at the moment the participant begins to unhook the clips. Results: Neurologically intact participants had a mean response time (RT) of 105.03 seconds (SD= 37.38); the MCI group, 165.37 seconds (SD= 71.76); the AD group, 412.50 seconds (SD= 177.95). Differences in RT were statistically significant. Age, gender, and diagnosis explained 66% of the variation in response time. Mean response time for men was 202.80 seconds (SD= 159.42), women, 251.41 seconds (SD= 188.00). This difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: The Clip Test offers a simple method to distinguish normal aging from MCI, and MCI from Alzheimer disease, with regard to motor skills. * The Clip Test was devised by Monroe Richman, MD. Supported by: Veterans Administration Research Service; NIDCD; NIA. Disclosure: Dr. Tanaka has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ojo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Spiro III has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cahana-Amitay has nothing to disclose. Dr. Albert has nothing to disclose.