Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) include postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and postoperative delirium (POD), which are currently assessed mostly based on scales, without golden standards. This review summarizes traditional paper‑pencil assessment scales and recent computer‑based assessment scales, in order to provide evidence for choosing appropriate scales in clinical and scientific research practice. At present, traditional paper‑pencil assessment scales are still widely used, while computer‑based assessment methods have been more widely accepted. It is of importance to choose several scales for different patient population, so as to achieve high specificity and sensitivity.