 [ Symptoms ] can an mri tell if you had a stroke [ Disease ] yes an mri is one of the best tests to determine if someone has had a stroke oftentimes if the doctor thinks the person may have recently had a stroke a ct scan is done first to determine the type of stroke and the location in the brain but an mri is an excellent test for identifying both an ischemic stroke from a clot in the brain or a hemorrhagic stroke bleeding in the brain yes