SUMMARYA simple drawing test was given to 135 patients two weeks following a stroke. There were abnormalities of the structure of the pictures drawn by 68 of these patients and this was associated with a higher incidence of mortality, poor mobility and functional recovery, confusion, depression, hemianopia, incontinence of urine or faeces, and pressure sores. This simple test is of value in screening stroke patients for perceptual abnormalities which are likely to be barriers to recovery.