IQ differential

IQ tests can have a 15 point deviation in either direction.

I am very surprised that a psychologist would test IQ using the WISC two years in a row; the second results are probable not valid. Testing every 2-3 yrs is OK. Otherwise another IQ test should be used…please talk to both the evaluators and discuss the validity of the results.

(SAR, they used a WISC-3 the first time and a WISC-4 the second time.)

It is common for the WISC-4 to score lower than the 3. Fifteen points is greater than the expected variation, though. But they are two different tests. You need to understand what the subtests test and you can probably learn why the score is lower. I would not recommend any LD child be retested for IQ now if they were originally tested with the WISC-III because it might result in them losing services.

Janis

IQ tests may be useless to you - but they can be very useful to people who know how to use the information they give.

Different tests, even different versions of the same test, are (surprise!!!) different.

IQ is not some fixed-in-stone, always-the-same “ability level.”

Different tests measure how well a person performs a whole bunch of different tasks. So, even though the *other* conditions were the same, the fact that the test was different means there was something different, so it should not be surprising that the scores are.

Even if the same person does score differently two different times, there are still things that can be learned from the performance (unless the test was invalid for other reasons). I’ve seen students who scored high-performance low-verbal one tme, then three years later reversed the pattern! And working with ‘em (both of ‘em :-)) they did tend to be in one or the other mindset and didn’t shift gears well.

IT can also be useful to look at patterns in the subtest scores, and, if it was the same tester especially, to figure out if the differences in the different versions of the test had anything to do with the change in scores. If time were more important in one, and the score was lower., say…

Again, they may be useless to you — and they are certainly misused by some. I just hope that others with the information do know how to use it.

My son has been tested 4 times in his life: Stanford Binet at age 4, an abbreviated WISC or WPPSI at age 6, a comprehensive WISC III at 7, and WISC iV at age 10. Different testers looking for different things each time.

Each set of results showed a similar pattern of strengths and weaknesses. The most recent results showed , I think, improvements in areas we have focused on while still validating that he has a particular neurological profile.

I think there is validity to the testing, but that you can’t get stuck on one number. You have to look at the whole profile.

What question were you hoping would be answered with each testing? I assume that you did not get the answer you were expecting the first time, thus the second test. And yes, the WISC should not be given two years in a row without a very good reason(ie first testing was invalid, child did not finish, cooperate, etc). Even results in “the normal range” can give insight into a child’s difficulties if the examiner discusses the subtest results with you. Half of all children score between the 25th and 75th percentiles, which is the “average range” and is represented by an IQ score of 90-110, and subtest scores between 12-8. The IQ test is a picture of the child at that moment, it is not a permanent statement.