The 12 Cranial Nerves: Mnemonics, Functions, and How They're Tested
Cranial nerves are pure list-shaped knowledge — which makes them the perfect place for mnemonics. You need three things: the names in order, whether each is sensory/motor/both, and how each one is actually assessed. Here are all three.
Mnemonic 1: the names
"Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Very Good Velvet — Ah, Heaven"
Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, Vestibulocochlear, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Accessory, Hypoglossal.
Mnemonic 2: sensory, motor, or both
"Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More" — S = sensory, M = motor, B = both, in order I through XII.
All 12, with assessment
| # | Nerve | Type | Function & how you test it |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Olfactory | Sensory | Smell — identify a scent (coffee, alcohol swab) with eyes closed, one nostril at a time |
| II | Optic | Sensory | Vision — Snellen chart, visual fields by confrontation |
| III | Oculomotor | Motor | Pupil constriction, eyelid elevation, most EOMs — PERRLA, six cardinal gazes |
| IV | Trochlear | Motor | Superior oblique — eye looks down and in |
| V | Trigeminal | Both | Facial sensation (light touch, three branches) + mastication — clench jaw, corneal reflex |
| VI | Abducens | Motor | Lateral rectus — lateral eye movement |
| VII | Facial | Both | Facial expression, taste on anterior 2/3 of tongue — smile, puff cheeks, raise eyebrows |
| VIII | Vestibulocochlear | Sensory | Hearing and balance — whisper test, Rinne/Weber |
| IX | Glossopharyngeal | Both | Taste posterior 1/3, gag reflex, swallowing — tested with X |
| X | Vagus | Both | Gag, swallow, voice quality, parasympathetic to heart/gut — "say ahh," uvula midline |
| XI | Accessory | Motor | Sternocleidomastoid + trapezius — shoulder shrug and head turn against resistance |
| XII | Hypoglossal | Motor | Tongue movement — stick out tongue, check midline, push against cheek |
The exam patterns worth knowing
- III, IV, VI travel together. They're tested as one unit (extraocular movements). A "blown pupil" is a CN III finding — and a classic sign of rising intracranial pressure.
- IX and X travel together. Gag and swallow. Post-stroke, this pair is why the swallow screen happens before anything by mouth.
- VII vs. V: facial expression is VII; facial sensation is V. Bell's palsy is a VII problem.
- Forehead sparing distinguishes a central (stroke) facial droop from a peripheral (Bell's) one — a favorite exam discriminator.
Making it stick until the exam
The mnemonic gets the list into short-term memory; spaced exposure keeps it there. The NurseLingo Health Assessment deck includes all 12 cranial nerves with their functions, rotating on your lock screen alongside PERRLA, the head-to-toe sequence, and the rest of the assessment vocabulary — one glance at a time. There's more on the method in our guide to memorizing nursing terms.
NurseLingo — 400+ RN-written nursing terms on your iPhone lock screen, including the full cranial nerves set.
Learn more about NurseLingoEducational study aid. Assessment techniques follow standard health-assessment textbooks; follow your program's demonstrated technique for check-offs.