The neurological examination is divided into five parts:

You will be asked questions designed to assess your level of alertness, orientation, mood, and cognition. The simplest form of this test requires that the patient state their name, where they are, and the month, year, and date. Patients may also be asked to follow commands (e.g. 'Touch your right ear with your left index finger.'), solve simple arithmetic problems, repeat a phrase, name an object and what it is used for, or write their name.

These are the nerves that are responsible for strength and sensation in the head. Special senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste) are part of these tests. A light is shone in the patients' eyes to assess pupil reactivity. Patients' peripheral vision or 'visual fields' as well as visual acuity are assessed. Eye movements are assessed by having the patient follow the examiner's moving finger without turning their head. Facial muscles are tested by having the patient close their eyes tightly, raise their eyebrows, and smile widely. Patients are also asked to stick out their tongue, shrug their shoulders, and turn their head from side to side as part of the cranial nerves test.

This portion of the examination tests muscle strength. Individual muscles in both the upper and lower extremities on both sides are tested. Motor assessment will often start with the 'Drift' test. You will be asked to place your arms outstretched in front of you with your palms facing upward. You will then be told to close your eyes and count to ten out loud without moving your outstretched arms. This test can often detect subtle weakness on one side of the body. The remainder of motor function testing is completed by having the patient bend or straighten a joint (e.g. the elbow) against resistance provided by the examiner. For example, in order to test the triceps muscle in the back of the arm, the patient will be told to keep their arm straight at the elbow while the examiner attempts to bend it.

This portion of the examination tests the patient's sense of touch. You will be told to keep your eyes closed while the examiner lightly touches your skin with a safety pin. You will be required to state whether the sharp or dull end of the pin touched your skin. Lesions in the spinal cord can result in a 'sensory level'. Below this level it can be difficult for patients to discern the difference between the sharp and dull sides of the pin. Another important part of the sensory exam is assessment of proprioception. Again with your eyes closed, your toe or your finger will be moved either up or down. You will then state which direction your finger was moved in. This ability to determine the relative position of body parts (without looking) can be compromised by certain neurological conditions.

A small rubber hammer is used to check reflexes at the knee, elbow, wrist, and ankle. These reflexes may be exaggerated or absent in certain pathological conditions. Additionally, the bottom of the foot or the fingernail of the middle finger may be stroked to elicit certain abnormal reflexes.

Depending on the suspected neurological condition, the examiner may do other tests as well. For example, the examiner may wish to observe the patient walking or have the patient slide the heel of one foot up and down the shin of the opposite leg.