Background/Purpose: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory, chronic and multisystemic disease, which can be related with a long range of neuropsychiatric manifestations, including cognitive impairment. Cognitive evaluations based on screening tests in SLE, might identify early cognitive alterations. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare the efficacy of three screening test for cognitive impairment, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Cognitive Symptom Inventory (CSI) against the gold standard (neuropsychological battery), and identify the most efficient screening test, in a group of patients with SLE. Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study that recruited 44 patients from august to December 2017, diagnosed with SLE according to Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria 2012, without medical or psychiatric comorbidities, evaluated by MoCA, MMSE, CSI and the gold standard. These evaluations were performed to detect the presence and degree of cognitive impairment. Statistics were done using SPSS software.  Results: The MoCA test showed the highest correspondence (AUC = 99.4% p < 0.001), sensitivity (84%) and specificity (100%) with the gold standard. Followed by MMSE (AUC =92.6%, p < 0.001) sensitivity (54.8%), specificity (100%), and finally, CSI (AUC = 30.6%, p < 0.05) had the lowest sensitivity (54.8%) and specificity (30.76%). Conclusion: The MoCA is a brief, easily applicable screening test, highly effective for detecting cognitive impairment in SLE patients. It could be useful in the clinical follow-up as a tool for early detection of cognitive alterations, and could facilitate a timely diagnosis.