Compare
WAIS vs Stanford-Binet
The Wechsler scales and the Stanford-Binet are the two best-known individual IQ tests. Both are given one to one by a qualified examiner and both report scores on a scale with mean 100 and standard deviation 15. They differ in who they cover, how they divide up ability and how long they take.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Side by side
| WAIS-5 | Stanford-Binet 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Current edition | WAIS-5 (2024) | SB5 (2003, Gale Roid) |
| Ages | 16 to 90 (children take the WISC-V or WPPSI-IV) | 2 to 85 and older |
| Structure | 5 primary indexes: Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory, Processing Speed | 5 factors: Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative, Visual-Spatial, Working Memory, each in a verbal and a nonverbal domain |
| Subtests | 10 primary index subtests; 7 make the Full Scale IQ | 10 subtests |
| Testing time | About 45 minutes for the FSIQ, 60 for the primary indexes | About 5 minutes per subtest |
| Score scale | Mean 100, SD 15 | Mean 100, SD 15; composites range 40 to 160 |
| Norm sample | 2,020 examinees, norms collected 2023 to 2024 | 4,800 people aged 2 to 85 and older |
| Who sells it | Pearson (qualification level C) | PRO-ED |
Sources for the table: Pearson for the WAIS-5 (Pearson: WAIS-5) (Pearson: WAIS-5 overview) (Pearson: WAIS-5 by the numbers) and PRO-ED for the SB5 (PRO-ED: SB5).
One family of tests or one test for all ages
The biggest practical difference is coverage. The Wechsler approach uses separate tests by age: the WPPSI-IV for young children, the WISC-V for ages 6 to 16 and the WAIS-5 from 16 to 90 (Pearson: WAIS-5). The Stanford-Binet 5 covers ages 2 to 85 and older in a single instrument (PRO-ED: SB5), which makes it convenient when the same person may be retested across childhood and adulthood, or when a very young child or a very able one needs a test with a wide range. PRO-ED describes the SB5 as a major instrument for assessing intellectual giftedness (PRO-ED: SB5).
Try one · Spatial Reasoning
Which option is the same shape, only rotated?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
Option 1 is the original figure turned a quarter turn clockwise.
How to solve it
- Pick a landmark: the marked cell or the end of the longest arm.
- Turn the figure in your head and watch where that landmark goes, and which side the other cells end up on.
- Turning the figure a quarter turn clockwise gives option 1.
- Each of the other options is a mirror image: flipping it over would match, but no turn does.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
How each divides up ability
The WAIS-5 reports five primary indexes and builds its Full Scale IQ from seven subtests (Pearson: WAIS-5 overview) (Pearson: WAIS-5). The SB5 measures five factors and crosses them with two domains, verbal and nonverbal, so every factor can be assessed both with and without much language (PRO-ED: SB5). That design can help when language demands would otherwise distort a score. See verbal vs nonverbal intelligence.
What they share
- The deviation IQ. David Wechsler introduced it with the Wechsler-Bellevue scale in 1939 (Wikipedia: WAIS), and both tests now report composite scores with mean 100 and standard deviation 15 (PRO-ED: SB5) (Wikipedia: Intelligence quotient).
- One-to-one administration by a qualified examiner, which is why neither can be taken online.
- Measurement error. Clinical manuals report confidence intervals, often around plus or minus 5 points at 95% (Wechsler, 2008), so a few points of difference between the two is expected.
- Recognition by Mensa: American Mensa accepts 130 on the SB5 or a Wechsler Full Scale IQ of 130 (American Mensa: qualifying scores).
Which one will you take?
You rarely choose. The psychologist picks the test that fits your age and the question being asked. If you are curious about the content, read the full guides to the WAIS-5 and the Stanford-Binet 5, and for a child, the WAIS vs WISC vs WPPSI comparison. If you just want a quick, honest estimate, an online test is the low-cost option; see online vs clinical IQ tests.
Sources
- Pearson. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (WAIS-5), product page. 2024. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Adult-Intelligence-Scale-%7C-Fifth-Edition/p/P100071002.html
- Pearson. WAIS-5 overview brochure (C12396). 2025. www.pearsonassessments.com/content/dam/school/global/clinical/us/assets/wais-5/wais-5-overview-brochure.pdf
- Pearson. WAIS-5 "By the numbers" fact sheet. pearsonassessments.com/content/dam/school/global/clinical/us/assets/wais-5/wais-5-by-the-numbers.pdf
- Roid, G. H. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), PRO-ED product page. 2003. proedinc.com/products-13290.html
- Intelligence quotient. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scale
- American Mensa. Qualifying test scores. www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/qualifying-test-scores/
- Wechsler, D. (2008). WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual. Pearson.