The authors present a french version of the Katzman short orientation memory concentration test. The 6 items of the test include 3 orientation questions, 2 mental control items and an address memory phrase. Time for administration is less than 5 minutes. This french version of the test has been validated as a measure of cognitive impairment in a population of 200 subjects including 140 patients without cognitive impairment and 60 demented subjects. As defined by a 10/11 cut-off score, sensibility and specificity for the diagnosis of dementia were 91 p. 100 and 95 p. 100 respectively. Correlation of the scores with those obtained by the Mini mental state was highly significant. This fast, easy and reliable test seems particularly suitable for the detection of cognitive impairment in clinical practice.