Wechsler Scoring and Normative Data Questions and Answers

Question 1

An 11-year-old child obtains a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) of 115 on the WISC-V. How should this score be interpreted in relation to the normative sample?

Accepted Answer

The child's performance is one standard deviation above the mean.

Answer

Wechsler index scores (like the FSIQ) are standardized to a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. A score of 115 is exactly 15 points, or one standard deviation, above the mean of 100.

Question 2

What are the mean and standard deviation, respectively, for individual subtest scaled scores on the Wechsler intelligence scales (e.g., WISC-V, WAIS-IV)?

Accepted Answer

Mean = 10, Standard Deviation = 3

Answer

Individual subtest scores are converted to a common metric called a scaled score to allow for comparison across subtests. This scale is set to have a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of using age-based normative data when scoring the Wechsler scales?

Accepted Answer

To evaluate an individual's raw score in the context of the performance of a representative sample of their same-age peers.

Answer

Normative data is fundamental to standardized testing. It allows an examiner to convert a raw score into a standard score, which indicates how the individual performed relative to a large, representative sample of people in their specific age group.

Question 4

An adolescent obtains a Visual Spatial Index (VSI) score of 85 on the WISC-V. This score corresponds to which approximate percentile rank?

Accepted Answer

16th percentile

Answer

A standard score of 85 is one standard deviation below the mean of 100. In a normal distribution, approximately 16% of the population scores at or below one standard deviation from the mean. Therefore, a score of 85 falls at the 16th percentile.

Question 5

When an examiner reports a Full Scale IQ score, they often include a 95% confidence interval. What does this interval represent?

Accepted Answer

The range of scores within which we can be 95% confident the examinee's true score lies.

Answer

A confidence interval accounts for measurement error inherent in any test. A 95% confidence interval provides a range of scores where there is a 95% probability that the examinee's 'true score'—the hypothetical score they would achieve if the test were perfectly reliable—is located.

Wechsler Test Practice Test

Wechsler Test Practice Test

Wechsler Scoring and Normative Data Questions and Answers