Objective To screen mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Xi?an military retired cadres by using Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA) scale. Methods A random sample of military retired cadres was selected from 9 Xi?an sanatoria by cluster sampling. Their personal information and MCI prevalence were collected and recorded. MOCA scale, Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale, Activities of daily living (ADL) scale, Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scale were used to survey these selected cadres. Results There were 304 retired cadres sampled in this study. Among them, there were 64.8% having MCI, with the incidence significantly higher in those at age over 80 than those over 70 (P＜0.05). Those educated for less than 6 years had significantly higher incidence of MCI than those for 7 to 12 years education and those for over 12 years education (P＜0.05). The MCI incidence of those never taking exercise was significantly higher than that in those taking regular exercise (P＜0.01). So was that for those with brain stroke than those without (P＜0.05). The scores of MOCA had a positive correlation with those of MMSE (r＝0.81), and a negative correlation with those of ADL and CES-D, but had no correlation with those of PSQI. Conclusion The score of MOCA is correlated with those of related neuropsychiatry scales. The scale is easy and feasible to operate, and can be used to screen MCI for military retired cadres.