Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, better known as the WAIS, is a general test of cognitive ability, or simply put, an IQ test. The WAIS is designed for ages 16 and older and the test usually takes between 60 - 90 minutes to complete. Like other IQ tests, the Wechsler comes with a hefty price tag. Most psychologists usually charge $400.00 or more to administer and then interpret the test results.

WAIS Review

Most people disagree on preparing for any sort of psychological test citing that by preparing for the test, you will arrive at a score that does not capture your true ability or inabilities. I took the WAIS IQ Test last year and found that had I prepared for the test, I would have scored much higher; moreover, that score would have been actually closer to my real IQ than the actual IQ result. I do not have a really great memory and because of a poor memory, I scored lower on the WAIS IQ Test than I should have. There were many general knowledge questions that I missed such as, "how long does it take for sun light to reach the Earth?" and "how many miles in diameter is the Earth?" I should not have missed those questions because science was one of my favorite subjects in school and I received high marks in that class, but like I said, I have poor memory and forgot the the answers to such questions.

In my opinion, preparing for the WAIS IQ Test is in deed acceptable. Had I prepared for the WAIS, I would've scored higher which would have reflected my true IQ score. Some will argue that your true IQ will not be reflected, but let's face the issue, test preparation for the WAIS will not increase your knowledge. At best it will refresh your memory of the things that you actually know. The WAIS will present plenty of cognitive challenges and no amount of test preparation will enable anyone to have a sky high IQ.

Scoring The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

The WAIS consists of 11 subtests divided into two parts, verbal and performance. Scoring The WAIS: The WAIS consists of six verbal subtests and five performance subtests. The verbal tests are: Information, Comprehension, Arithmetic, Digit Span, Similarities, and Vocabulary.

The WAIS Performance Subtests

Picture Arrangement
Picture Completion
Block Design
Object Assembly
Digit Symbol

The scores derived from this test are a Verbal IQ (VIQ), a Performance IQ (PIQ), and a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). The FSIQ is a standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of approximately 15.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Reliability

Split-half reliability coefficients (corrected) of .97 for FSIQ, .96 for VIQ, and .93 for PIQ are reported by Wechsler. Test-retest coefficients from .84 to .90 for intervals of 0 to 520 weeks are also reported. Intercorrelations of the subtests and correlations of each subtest with FSIQ indicate both uniqueness and communality for the subtests.

WAIS Validity

Predictive validity of the WAIS yields correlations of .60 in high school and a little lower for college. Factor analytic studies and confirmed good construct validity generally showing three to five factors, and usually tow of these can be related to the VIQ and PIQ.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Norms

The standardization sample included 2,700 subjects intended to be representative of the general American population. The 1950 census was used to select a sample stratified by age, sex, occupation, geographical distribution, education, and urban-rural residence. About 10% of the sample were non-white.

Score: Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ.
Administration Time: 90 - 120 minutes.
Author: David Wechsler.
Publisher: The Psychological Corporation.