Life Psychologists provide IQ testing and academic skill testing for adults, teens and children (over 7 years).
An IQ test or cognitive assessment evaluates intellectual potential ability and can help you identify:
- Giftedness
- Intellectual/cognitive ability
- Learning difficulties
- Memory functioning
- Attention and concentration
- Executive function
WHAT IS IQ TESTING?
An Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test is an assessment that measures a range of cognitive abilities and provides a score that is intended to serve as a measure of an individual’s intellectual abilities and potential.
An I.Q. score is essentially a standardised way of comparing intellectual ability with people of the same age.
IQ testing can be used for a wide range of purposes including:
- Assessing cognitive abilities including memory, speed, learning, and attention
- Measuring giftedness
- Educational assessment and placement
- Assessment and diagnosis of intellectual disability
- Cognitive research
- Job candidate evaluation
How can IQ testing help for children?
- To assess gifted children in order to provide appropriate and stimulating learning environments, e.g. opportunity class (OC), gifted and talented program (GAP), MENSA registration, and/or selective high school.
- To test for school readiness.
- To provide intervention programs for children with specialised needs.
- To screen for any cognitive deficits.
- To assess for eligibility for funding e.g. NDIS.
- To understand a child’s learning profile or preferred learning style.
- To assess for learning disorders (such as reading, mathematics or writing disorders, including dyslexia).
- To identify developmental delays and provide appropriate interventions for psychoeducational disorders or problems as early in a child’s life as possible.
- To understand uncharacteristic behaviours and/ or emotional issues that are presenting at either home or school.
Impact of IQ Testing Scores
Your IQ can have an impact on different areas of your life including school and work. High scores are often associated with higher achievement in school, while lower scores may be linked to some form of intellectual disability.
The following is a rough breakdown of various IQ score ranges. Some tests present scores differently and with differing interpretations of what those scores might mean.
IQ Classifications
| IQ Level | Descriptive Classification |
|---|---|
| 130+ | 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 & below | Intellectual Disability |
Intelligence test scores typically follow what is known as a normal distribution, a bell-shaped curve in which the majority of scores lie near or around the average score. For example, the majority of scores (about 68%) on the Wechsler series of intelligence tests tend to lie between plus 15 or minus 15 points from the average score of 100.
This means that approximately 68% of people who take this test will score somewhere between 85 and 115. As you look further toward the extreme ends of the distribution, scores tend to become less common.
WHAT TYPE OF IQ TESTING IS AVAILABLE?
Life Psychologists administer the gold-standard range of IQ tests including:
For Children & Teens:
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® Fifth Edition (WISC®-V)
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® Fifth Edition (WISC®-V) is the “gold standard” intelligence test that measures a child’s intellectual ability and 5 cognitive domains that impact performance.
It can be used among a battery of other tests to assess and identify learning disabilities, strengths and weaknesses as well as giftedness.
Life Psychologists uses the WISC-V A&NZ adaptation to evaluate a child between the ages of 6 to 16 years for cognitive functioning.
The WISC-V evaluates a child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, assesses for and identifies giftedness, intellectual disabilities, learning disorders and the impact of brain injuries.
Psychometric (IQ) tests measure the following cognitive abilities:
• Verbal comprehension
• Visual Spatial
• Fluid Reasoning
• Working Memory
• Processing Speed
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Auditory Working Memory
• Nonverbal
• General Ability
• Cognitive Proficiency
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Australian and New Zealand Standardised, Third Edition (WIAT®-III A&NZ)
Life Psychologists uses the WIAT-III to evaluate academic skills.
The WIAT-III identifies the academic strengths and weaknesses of an individual. The WIAT-III helps to inform parents/caretakers regarding eligibility for educational placement and services. Information obtained from the WIAT-III assist in planning interventions specific to a child’s needs.
Educational tests measure academic skills such as:
• Listening Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Early Reading Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Oral Reading Fluency
• Alphabet Writing Fluency
• Spelling
• Written expression
• Maths Problem Solving
• Receptive Vocabulary
• Academic fluency (speed of reading, writing, and calculating).
Benefits of the WIAT-III:
- Identify the academic strengths and weaknesses of a student
- Inform decisions regarding eligibility for educational services, educational placement, or diagnosis of a specific learning disability
- Design instructional objectives and plan interventions
Test age range: 6 -16 years
Structure: 3 sessions
Session 1 – Intake Interview 1-1.5 hours
Session 2 – Assessment – 2-3 hours
Session 3 – Report, Feedback & Recommendations – 2-3 hours
Fee WISC-V: $990 (incl. testing & report)
Fee WIAT-III: $990 (incl. testing & report)
Combined Assessment Fee: $1590 incl. WISC-V and WIAT-III testing and comprehensive report
This fee doesn’t include changes to the report.
For Adults:
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition Australian and New Zealand Language Adapted Edition (WAIS®-IV A&NZ Language Adapted Edition)
The WAIS®-IV is the “gold standard” in cognitive assessment and claims to measure intellectual performance.
The WAIS-IV measures intellectual performance as a multidimensional construct. The test contains numerous scales (Indices) assessing qualitatively different types of intellectual functioning. Current intelligence tests view intelligence not as specific abilities emanating from a “general” intellectual capacity, but as different types of intelligence, each being of equal importance.
Apart from providing IQ scores, the WAIS-IV integrates current conceptualisations and recent research to provide the most essential information about a testee’s strengths and areas of difficulty. When being revised, there is a lot of input from practitioners and experts in the field. Over time and after several reviews, the WAIS-IV is concluded to represent significant advances in the understanding of cognitive abilities.
The WAIS-IV contains 10 core subtests and 5 additional optional subtests. These are summed to four indexes:
- Verbal Comprehension Index,
- Perceptual Reasoning Index,
- Working Memory Index, and
- Processing Speed Index.
One Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) is also calculated. These scores range from the lowest (40) to the highest (160) points. Subtests are given for additional examination of processing abilities. The age range for the WISC-IV is 16 years to 90 years and 11 months.
Test age range: 16 – 89 years
Structure: 3 sessions
Session 1 – Pre-Intake Interview 1-1.5 hours (can be completed online)
Session 2 – Assessment – 2-3 hours
Session 3 – Report, Feedback & Recommendations – 2-3 hours
Fee: $990 (incl. testing & report)
Note: This fee doesn’t include changes to the report.