WISC-IV Strengths And Weaknesses

The WISC-IV has many strengths as well as weaknesses. Nevertheless, it’s extensive use in the field and the research data supporting this instrument make it an invaluable test. Some of the strengths include:
1) Good psychometric properties. The four major indices had good reliability and the Full Scale IQ was found to have excellent validity. These conclusions were supported by extensive factor analytic studies discussed in the manual.
2) Administration materials are well designed for children. The tests materials include stimulating activities and colorful pictures that can help the child stay engaged in the tasks presented. Having fun activities in the test is especially helpful for younger children who have shorter attention spans.
3) Provides diagnostic information. The WISC-IV scores provide useful diagnostic information for assessing the cognitive abilities of students in elementary through high school. The data provided can be
One of the potential misuses of the WISC-IV is assigning children to rigid categories of performance without periodic re-evaluation. This may become a self-fulfilling prophecy for children and may lead them to think that there is nothing they can do move beyond their current placement. I think it is important for the test administrator to also explain to children the areas where they performed well and encourage them to continue striving for high achievement. Another potential misuse is to rely solely on a score provided by the WISC-IV to make a diagnosis. Although a low score on an intelligence test is necessary for diagnosis of a cognitive disability, it is by no means sufficient to determine that a child is cognitively impaired. The test manual encourages professionals to use multiple sources of data, including home and school assessments, to determine a child’s level of