Named tests
WAIS-IV: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition
In short
The WAIS-IV is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition, published by Pearson in 2008 for ages 16 to 90. A core battery of 10 subtests produces a Full Scale IQ and four index scores, and the core subtests take 60 to 90 minutes. Its newer edition, the WAIS-5, was published in 2024.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
What the WAIS-IV measures
Pearson lists the WAIS-IV publication date as 2008 and its age range as 16:0 to 90:11 (Pearson: WAIS-IV). It belongs to a line that goes back to the Wechsler-Bellevue scale of 1939, where David Wechsler introduced the deviation IQ (Wikipedia: WAIS).
The core battery has 10 subtests that together cover four areas (Pearson: WAIS-IV):
| Index area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Verbal comprehension | Reasoning with words and word knowledge |
| Perceptual reasoning | Solving visual and nonverbal problems |
| Working memory | Holding and reworking information in mind |
| Processing speed | Fast, accurate work on simple visual tasks |
The test reports a Full Scale IQ, index scores and subtest scaled scores, and it comes in paper-and-pencil or digital form (Pearson: WAIS-IV).
Format and timing
Pearson gives the administration time for the core subtests as 60 to 90 minutes, on paper or in digital form (Pearson: WAIS-IV). That range is for the test itself. A broader neuropsychological assessment often takes several hours and is given by a trained technician (a psychometrist) working under a neuropsychologist (Cleveland Clinic: neuropsychological testing).
How WAIS-IV scores work
Wechsler scales report deviation IQ scores. Each age group's average is set to 100 and one standard deviation to 15 points, so a score compares you with people your own age (Wikipedia: Intelligence quotient). The WAIS-IV attaches these labels to score ranges (Wikipedia: IQ classification):
| Score | WAIS-IV label |
|---|---|
| 130 and above | Very Superior |
| 120 to 129 | Superior |
| 110 to 119 | High Average |
| 90 to 109 | Average |
| 80 to 89 | Low Average |
| 70 to 79 | Borderline |
| 69 and below | Extremely Low |
The WAIS-IV technical manual reports a confidence interval rather than a single exact score, often around plus or minus 5 points at 95% (Wechsler, 2008). A measured 112 and a measured 108 can reflect the same underlying level. The classification guide covers each band in more detail.
WAIS-IV vs WAIS-5
The WAIS-5, published in 2024 (Wikipedia: WAIS), split the old perceptual domain into separate Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning index scores, so it reports five primary indexes instead of four. Its Full Scale IQ uses seven subtests and can be obtained about 20 minutes faster than with the WAIS-IV (Pearson: WAIS-5). To see how both adult editions relate to the children's tests, read WAIS vs WISC vs WPPSI.
Retaking the WAIS-IV
Scores rise on a second sitting. In a study of 54 adults retested on the WAIS-IV after 3 or 6 months, Full Scale IQ went up about 7 points, with similar gains at both intervals. The authors concluded the gains reflect practice effects, not real intellectual change, and could lead to errors in clinical judgment (Estevis et al., 2012). If you are comparing two reports, check how far apart the tests were.
For Mensa, American Mensa lists a Full Scale IQ of 130 on Wechsler tests as qualifying, given in full (American Mensa: qualifying scores).
Practicing the kinds of reasoning involved
WAIS-IV items are not public. Our free IQ test for adults and matrix puzzles let you try visual reasoning problems with original items. They are not WAIS-IV items, and an estimated IQ from IQ Octopus does not predict a WAIS-IV score.
IQ Octopus is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson. Test names are used only to identify and describe the tests. Our free practice tests are not copies of any published test, and no score on IQ Octopus predicts a score on another test.
Try one · Logical Reasoning
Which tile completes the second pair?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
The missing panel shows a large solid triangle pointing down on its own (option 2).
How to solve it
- Compare the first two panels and name exactly what changed.
- The whole figure turns a quarter turn clockwise.
- The large shape becomes solid.
- Nothing else changes.
- Apply the same changes to the third panel: a large hatched triangle pointing right on its own.
- So the missing panel shows a large solid triangle pointing down on its own.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
Sources
- Pearson. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), product page. 2008. www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Cognition-%26-Neuro/Wechsler-Adult-Intelligence-Scale-%7C-Fourth-Edition/p/100000392.html
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scale
- Intelligence quotient. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
- IQ classification. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_classification
- Wechsler, D. (2008). WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual. Pearson.
- 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
- Estevis, E., Basso, M. R., & Combs, D. (2012). Effects of practice on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV across 3- and 6-month intervals. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 26(2), 239-254. doi:10.1080/13854046.2012.659219 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22353021/
- American Mensa. Qualifying test scores. www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/qualifying-test-scores/
- Cleveland Clinic. Neuropsychological testing and assessment. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4893-neuropsychological-testing-and-assessment