Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) 

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a neuropsychological measure of verbal learning and memory that presents a 15-word list across five learning trials, a distractor list, and short- and long-delay recall trials. It takes roughly 15–20 minutes with a delayed recall component, and is commonly used to evaluate memory function after concussion, TBI, or in broader cognitive workups.

What the RAVLT Measures

The RAVLT is a list-learning task built to isolate several distinct components of verbal episodic memory rather than producing a single score. Across its trials, the test captures:

• Learning curve (Trials I–V): the same 15-word list ("List A") is read aloud and freely recalled across five consecutive trials, showing how much a patient's recall improves with repeated exposure.
• Interference susceptibility (List B): a second, different 15-word list is introduced once, then the patient is asked to recall List A again immediately afterward — testing vulnerability to proactive/retroactive interference.
• Short-delay recall: recall of List A immediately after the List B interference trial, without re-exposure to the words.
• Long-delay (20–30 minute) recall: recall of List A after an unfilled or minimally filled delay, testing consolidation and retention over time.
• Recognition trial: a longer word list containing the original 15 target words mixed with distractors, where the patient identifies which words were on List A — this isolates retrieval failure from true encoding/storage failure.

Because it separates learning rate, interference effects, retention, and recognition, the RAVLT can help distinguish encoding problems from retrieval problems, which has practical value in differentiating concussion-related memory complaints from other causes of memory difficulty.

Administration Time

Total administration typically runs 15–20 minutes, but the delayed recall trial is usually given 20–30 minutes after the initial learning trials, so the RAVLT is often interleaved with other tests in a battery rather than administered as a stand-alone 20-minute block. Clinics commonly schedule other short instruments (e.g., Digit Span or a brief symptom scale) during that delay window rather than leaving it idle.

Scoring and Interpretation

RAVLT scoring produces multiple raw values rather than one composite: total learning across Trials I–V, the List B interference trial, short-delay recall, long-delay recall, and recognition performance (hits and false positives). These raw scores are converted to age- and education-normed z-scores or percentiles using a published normative dataset — the Schmidt (1996) manual is a commonly used reference, though other normative sets exist and are not interchangeable.

There is no single universal "pass/fail" cutoff for the RAVLT. A raw score only becomes clinically meaningful when compared against an appropriate normative sample matched for age and, in many datasets, education level. In most protocols, a patient's performance is described in relation to expected range (e.g., low average, below expected range) rather than as categorically "normal" or "abnormal" from the raw number alone. Clinicians should also weigh practice effects on repeat administration — because the RAVLT uses a fixed word list, retesting within a short interval can inflate scores independent of genuine recovery, which is a consideration in serial concussion monitoring.

Clinical Use Case

In concussion and TBI care, the RAVLT is most often used to characterize verbal memory complaints that don't resolve with initial symptom improvement, or to add objective memory data when a patient reports persistent "fogginess" or forgetfulness. It is also a standard component of general neuropsychological batteries used in dementia workup and other cognitive-change evaluations. Within Kavera's Concussion module, a memory measure like the RAVLT is typically indicated when self-reported symptom trend on the PCSS plateaus or when a referring physician wants to distinguish a concussion-related memory complaint from a mood-driven complaint — a distinction addressed more directly by screening for PHQ-9 or PCL-5 elevations before assuming a primary cognitive cause. It also complements the Memory domain more broadly and is frequently paired with other memory and processing-speed measures in a full battery.

CPT Code Coverage

The RAVLT is a formal neuropsychological performance test, not a brief self-report screen, so it is billed as part of the test administration and evaluation code family rather than as a stand-alone code:

• Administration and scoring: 96136 (first 30 minutes, physician/QHP) or 96138 (first 30 minutes, technician), with the corresponding add-on codes 96137 or 96139 for additional 30-minute increments when the RAVLT is administered alongside other instruments in a battery.
• Interpretation and report: 96132 (first hour) and its add-on 96133 (each additional 30 minutes) cover the neuropsychological testing evaluation — integrating RAVLT results with other battery components into a clinical interpretation and report.

Because the RAVLT is essentially never billed alone, correct coding depends on who administered it (physician/QHP vs. trained technician), how much total time the battery took, and how the interpretation and report were documented. See documenting medical necessity for neuropsych testing for the supporting-documentation side of this, and billing neurocognitive testing as a non-psychologist if the ordering clinician is a neurologist, sports medicine physician, or nurse practitioner rather than a psychologist.

Where It Sits in the Kavera Protocol

Within Kavera's assessment library, the RAVLT is positioned as a deeper verbal-memory instrument used when between-visit symptom and screening data (PCSS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, PSQI) suggest memory complaints warrant objective performance testing rather than self-report alone. It sits alongside other cognitive-domain instruments — Trail Making Test A and B, BVMT-R, and Digit Span — within the broader Cognitive Health module, and can be sequenced into a practice's return-to-play or return-to-learn decision workflow when persistent memory symptoms are a factor in clearance timing.

FAQ

How long does the RAVLT take to administer?

Initial learning trials and the interference/short-delay recall trials take about 15–20 minutes combined. A long-delay recall trial is added 20–30 minutes after the start, so total time in-session is typically closer to 30–40 minutes when the delay is included.

What does a "low" RAVLT score mean?

A raw score below the expected range for a patient's age and education, based on a normed comparison sample, suggests a verbal memory difficulty relative to peers — but the RAVLT alone does not establish a diagnosis. It should be interpreted alongside clinical history, other cognitive-domain testing, and mood/sleep screening, since anxiety, depression, and poor sleep can all suppress memory performance independent of a structural injury.

Can the RAVLT be repeated for serial monitoring?

It can, but because it uses a fixed word list, practice effects (score improvement simply from having taken the test before) are a known limitation on short-interval retesting. Some normative approaches and alternate-form strategies exist to reduce this, and interpretation of any repeat score should account for expected practice-related gain, not just raw improvement.

Who typically administers and scores the RAVLT?

It can be administered by a physician/QHP or by a trained technician under appropriate supervision, which is reflected in the CPT code split (96136 vs. 96138). See technician-administered testing supervision rules for the compliance requirements around technician administration.

Is the RAVLT the same as other word-list memory tests?

No — it is one of several list-learning paradigms in use (others include the California Verbal Learning Test and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test). These use different word lists, trial structures, and normative datasets, so scores and cutoffs are not directly interchangeable across instruments.

How Kavera Handles This

RAVLT is administered in the office and scored in Kavera across the five trials, delayed recall and recognition. The learning curve is stored against baseline so re-evaluation shows change, and the record supports 96132/96133 and 96136/96137 documentation. Self-Serve practices run this with their own staff. On Managed, Juliet Mott's team runs it and bills it under your credentials.