WAIS Administration Rules 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When administering the WAIS-IV, in what order must subtests be given?
- In any order the examiner chooses
- In the standardized order specified in the manual (Correct answer)
- Verbal subtests first, then Performance subtests
- Easiest to hardest based on examiner judgment
Correct answer: In the standardized order specified in the manual
The WAIS-IV must be administered in the standardized order specified in the manual to ensure valid, normative comparisons.
Question 2: What is the correct procedure when an examinee gives an ambiguous response that could be scored 0 or 1?
- Score it as 0 to be conservative
- Score it as 1 to avoid penalizing the examinee
- Query the response using a neutral prompt (Correct answer)
- Move on without recording the response
Correct answer: Query the response using a neutral prompt
Ambiguous responses should be queried using neutral prompts (e.g., 'Tell me more about that') to clarify the examinee's meaning without leading.
Question 3: How many Digit Span trials are administered for each span length on the WAIS-IV?
- One trial per span length
- Two trials per span length (Correct answer)
- Three trials per span length
- Four trials per span length
Correct answer: Two trials per span length
The WAIS-IV Digit Span subtest administers two trials at each span length, and the subtest is discontinued after failure on both trials at the same length.
Question 4: Which WAIS-IV subtest uses a time bonus to award additional points for quick, correct responses?
- Vocabulary
- Block Design (Correct answer)
- Digit Span
- Similarities
Correct answer: Block Design
Block Design awards time-bonus points when the examinee completes items within specified time limits, rewarding faster correct performance.
Question 5: If an examinee fails both sample items on a WAIS-IV subtest, what should the examiner do?
- Proceed to Item 1 regardless
- Discontinue the subtest immediately
- Teach the task using the sample items before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Skip to a later item
Correct answer: Teach the task using the sample items before proceeding
If an examinee fails both sample items, the examiner should teach the task using those samples to ensure the examinee understands the format before proceeding.
Question 6: On the WAIS-IV Matrix Reasoning subtest, what is the discontinuation rule?
- Discontinue after 3 consecutive errors
- Discontinue after 4 consecutive errors or 4 errors on 5 consecutive items (Correct answer)
- Discontinue after 5 consecutive errors
- Discontinue after 2 consecutive errors
Correct answer: Discontinue after 4 consecutive errors or 4 errors on 5 consecutive items
Matrix Reasoning is discontinued after 4 consecutive errors or after the examinee makes 4 errors on any 5 consecutive items.
Question 7: What must an examiner do if an examinee spontaneously corrects an initially incorrect response before the next item is presented?
- Score the first response given
- Score the corrected response (Correct answer)
- Record both responses and average the scores
- Query the examinee to determine intent
Correct answer: Score the corrected response
If an examinee spontaneously self-corrects before the examiner moves on, the corrected response is scored.
WAIS Administration Rules 2
When administering the WAIS-IV, in what order must subtests be given?