Appendix E

WISC-IV Interpretive Worksheet

STEP 1. Report the Childs WISC-IV Standard Scores

(Full Scale IQ and Indexes) and Subtest Scaled Scores
For IQ and Indexes, report standard score, confidence interval, percentile rank, and
descriptive category. For subtests, report scaled scores and percentile ranks only. (See
Rapid Reference 4.1, Location of Information in WISC-IV Administration and Scoring
Manual and WISC-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual Needed for Score Conversions;
see Rapid Reference 4.4 for descriptive categories.)

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Index Subtest

Score

95% CI

Percentile
Rank

Descriptive Category

Verbal Comprehension
Similarities
Vocabulary
Comprehension
(Information)
( Word Reasoning)
Perceptual Reasoning
Block Design
Picture Concepts
Matrix Reasoning
(Picture Completion)
Working Memory
Digit Span
Letter-Number Sequencing
(Arithmetic)
Processing Speed
Coding
Symbol Search
(Cancellation)
Full Scale IQ
Note: Tests appearing in parentheses are supplemental measures. CI = Confidence Interval.

322

APPENDIX E 323

STEP 2. Determine the Best Way to Summarize

Overall Intellectual Ability
Step 2a. To determine whether the FSIQ is interpretable, subtract the lowest
Index from the highest Index.
Index names:
Index standard scores:

_______
(Highest)

_______
(Lowest)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the size of the difference less than 1.5 SDs (i.e., < 23 points)?

Yes

No

If YES, then the FSIQ may be interpreted as a reliable and valid estimate of a childs
overall intellectual ability.
If NO, then proceed to Step 2b.
See Rapid Reference 4.5 for an example of how to describe the FSIQ in a psychological
report.
Step 2b. To determine whether the General Ability Index (GAI) may be used to
summarize overall intellectual ability, calculate the difference between the VCI
and PRI.

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Index standard scores:

_______
( VCI)

______
(PRI)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the size of the difference less than 1.5 SDs (i.e., < 23 points)?

Yes

No

If YES, then the GAI can be calculated and interpreted as a reliable and valid estimate
of the childs overall intellectual ability.
If NO, then proceed to Step 3.
To calculate the GAI, sum the VCI and PRI standard scores and locate the GAI
that corresponds to this sum in Appendix F.
Index standard scores: _____ + _____ = ____________________ = _____
( VCI)
(PRI)
(Sum of Standard Scores)
(GAI)
See Rapid Reference 4.6 for an example of how to describe the GAI in a psychological
report. Proceed to Step 3.
STEP 3. Determine Whether Each of the Four Indexes
is Unitary and Thus Interpretable
Step 3a. Calculate the difference between the highest and lowest VCI subtest
scaled scores.
VCI subtest scaled scores: _______
(Highest)

_______
(Lowest)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the difference between the highest and lowest VCI subtest scaled scores < 5?
If YES, interpret the VCI as representing a unitary Index.
If NO, do not interpret the VCI as representing a unitary Index.
Proceed to Step 3b.

Yes

No

324 APPENDIX E

Step 3b. Calculate the difference between the highest and lowest PRI subtest
scaled scores.
PRI subtest scaled scores:

_______
(Highest)

_______
(Lowest)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the difference between the highest and lowest PRI subtest scaled scores < 5?

Yes

No

If YES, interpret the PRI as representing a unitary Index.

If NO, do not interpret the PRI as representing a unitary Index.
Proceed to Step 3c.
Step 3c. Calculate the difference between the WMI subtest scaled scores.
WMI subtest scaled scores: _______
(Highest)

_______
(Lowest)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the difference between the highest and lowest WMI subtest scaled scores < 5?

Yes

No

If YES, interpret the WMI as representing a unitary Index.

If NO, do not interpret the WMI as representing a unitary Index.
Proceed to Step 3d.

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Step 3d. Calculate the difference between the PSI subtest scaled scores.
PSI subtest scaled scores:

_______
(Highest)

_______
(Lowest)

= __________
(Difference)

Is the difference between the highest and lowest PSI subtest scaled scores < 5?

Yes

No

If YES, interpret the PSI as representing a unitary Index.

If NO, do not interpret the PSI as representing a unitary Index.
Proceed to Step 4. If all four Indexes are not interpretable, refer to pages 133, 135,
136, and Step 7 for additional interpretive options.
STEP 4. Determine Normative Strengths and
Normative Weaknesses in the Index Profile
Enter the name of each interpretable Index in the table below. Record the standard
score for each interpretable Index. Place a checkmark in the box corresponding to
the appropriate normative category for each Index.
Interpretable
Index

Standard
Score

Normative
Weakness < 85

Within Normal
Limits 85115

Normative
Strength > 115

APPENDIX E 325

STEP 5. Determine Personal Strengths and

Personal Weaknesses in the Index Profile
Step 5a. Compute the mean of the childs Indexes and round to the nearest
10th of a point. Note that all Indexes (interpretable and noninterpretable) are
included in the computation of the mean.
_____
( VCI)

____ + _____
(PRI)
( WMI)

____ = _____
(PSI)
(Sum)

4 = ___________
(Index Mean)

Step 5b. Fill in the table below as follows:

Record the name of each interpretable Index in Column (1).
Record each interpretable Index standard score in Column (2).
Record the rounded mean of all Indexes (from Step 5a) in Column (3).
Record the difference score (i.e., standard score minus mean) in Column (4).
Record the critical value needed for the difference score to be considered significant in Column (5) (these values are included in the Personal Strength/Weakness
Table for Ages 6 through 16).
If the difference score equals or exceeds the critical value, record a PS for a positive (+) difference score or a PW for a negative () difference score.

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Interpretable
Index
(1)

Personal
Strength or
Rounded
Critical Value
Personal
Standard Mean of Difference Needed for
Weakness
Score
All Indexes
Score
Significance (PS or PW)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
+/
+/
+/
+/

Personal Strength/ Weakness Table for Ages 6 through 16

6

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

VCI

7.9

7.7

7.3

7.1

7.1

6.9

6.1

6.6

6.2

6.2

6.2

PRI

7.9

7.7

7.1

10.9

10.9

6.9

6.8

6.9

7.2

7.2

7.5

WMI

7.6

8.2

7.6

7.7

7.7

7.2

6.8

7.5

6.9

7.2

6.9

PSI

9.8

10.3

8.4

8.5

8.2

7.8

8.0

8.1

8.0

7.7

8.0

Note: The critical values listed in this table are at the p < .05 level of significance. For critical values at
the p < .01 level of significance, see Table 4.3.

326 APPENDIX E

Are there any Personal Strengths or Weaknesses evident in the childs Index profile?

Yes

No

If YES, go to Step 5c.

If NO, proceed directly to Step 6.
Step 5c. Determine whether the Personal Strength/Weakness is uncommon
(base rate < 10%) in the general population.

Index

Difference
Score
(from Step 5b)

PS or PW
(from Step 5b)

Critical
Value

VCI

14

PRI

13.5

WMI

15

PSI

>17

Uncommon (U ) or
Not Uncommon (NU )

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Note: Difference scores are entered into this table only for unitary Indexes that were identified as Personal Strengths (PS) or Personal Weaknesses (PW ) in Step 5b. Difference scores that are equal to or
exceed the critical value listed in the fourth column of this table should be denoted Uncommon (U).
Difference scores that are less than the critical value should be denoted Not Uncommon (NU).

Are there any uncommon personal strengths or weaknesses evident in the

childs Index profile?

Yes

No

If YES, go to Step 5d.

If NO, proceed directly to Step 6.
Step 5d. Determine whether any of the Interpretable Indexes are Key Assets or
High-Priority Concerns.
Review your findings from Steps 4, 5b, and 5c. In the following table, for each relevant
Index place a checkmark in the column that accurately describes the findings for that
Index. An Index that is both a Normative Strength and an Uncommon Personal Strength
should be identified as a Key Asset. An Index that is both a Normative Weakness and
an Uncommon Personal Weakness should be identified as a High-Priority Concern.
HighNS
NW
PS
PW
Uncommon Key Priority
Index (Step 4) (Step 4) (Step 5b) (Step 5b)
(Step 5c)
Asset Concern
VCI
PRI
WMI
PSI
Note: NS = Normative Strength; NW = Normative Weakness; PS = Personal Strength; PW = Personal Weakness.

Proceed to Step 6.

APPENDIX E 327

STEP 6. Interpret Fluctuations in the Childs Index Profile

Use Rapid Reference 4.10 for definitions of the various terms used to classify Indexes
(e.g., High-Priority Concern, Key Asset, etc.). Include a paragraph in your report that
defines these terms for the reader.
See Rapid Reference 4.11 for descriptions of the 12 possible combinations that Steps 3
5 can yield.
Interpret each index in a separate paragraph. Begin with strengths (including Key Assets), followed by weaknesses (including High-Priority Concerns), and then describe
those Indexes that are neither strengths nor weaknesses, as well as those that are uninterpretable.

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

Note: You may find the summary sheet in Appendix G useful for recording all WISC-IV findings, including your clinical impressions and suggestions for clinical comparisons between the new WISC-IV
Clinical Clusters. If you administered any or all WISC-IV supplemental subtests for the purpose of making Planned Clinical Comparisons or if, in your clinical judgement, you believe Post Hoc Clinical comparisons based on the administration of supplemental subtests would yield useful information, then proceed to Step 7.

Step 7a. Determine whether each clinical cluster is unitary. Using the table below (at left), record the scaled score (SS) for
each relevant subtest. On the lines to the right of the table, subtract the lowest from the highest scaled scores to compute
the differences. If a difference equals or exceeds 5 points (i.e., 1.5 SDs), the related clinical cluster is not unitary and cannot
be used to conduct clinical comparisons. If a difference is less than 5 points, then the clinical cluster is unitary. Clinical
comparisons may be made only when both clusters that make up the comparison are unitary.
Fluid Reasoning (Gf ) Cluster
Subtest SS
Matrix Reasoning + Picture Concepts + Arithmetic
________ _______ = __________
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
MR
Visual Processing (Gv) Cluster
Block Design + Picture Completion
________ _______ = __________
PCn
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
Nonverbal Fluid Reasoning (Gf-nonverbal) Cluster
AR
Matrix Reasoning + Picture Concepts
________ _______ = __________
BD
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
Verbal Fluid Reasoning (Gf-verbal) Cluster
PCm
Similarities + Word Reasoning
________ _______ = __________
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
SI
Lexical Knowledge (Gc-VL) Cluster
Word Reasoning + Vocabulary
________ _______ = __________
WR
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
General Information (Gc-K0) Cluster
VO
Comprehension + Information
________ _______ = __________
CO
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
Long-Term Memory (Gc-LTM) Cluster
IN
Vocabulary + Information
________ _______ = __________
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)
LNS
Short-Term Memory (Gsm-WM) Cluster
Letter-Number Sequencing + Digit Span
________ _______ = __________
DS
(Highest)
(Lowest)
(Difference)

There are six possible clinical comparisons. Select which of the six (if any) make sense to compare based on either the referral question(s) or assessment results (see Rapid Reference 4.12).

STEP 7. (Optional) Conduct Select Clinical Comparisons

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

DS

Step 7b. For unitary clusters only, sum the scaled scores for the subtests that compose the cluster. Convert the sums of
scaled scores to clinical clusters (i.e., standard scores having a mean of 100 and SD of 15) using Appendix H.
____ + _____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gf Cluster
Subtest SS
(MR)
(PCn)
(AR)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
MR
+
=
_____
____
__________________ = ___ Gv Cluster
(BD)
(PCm)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
PCn
_____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gf-nonverbal Cluster
AR
(MR)
(PCn)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
BD
_____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gf-verbal Cluster
(SI)
( WR)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
PCm
_____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gc-VL Cluster
SI
( WR)
( VO)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
WR
_____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gc-K0 Cluster
(CO)
(IN)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
VO
+
=
= ___ Gc-LTM Cluster
_____
____
__________________
CO
( VO)
(IN)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
IN
_____ + ____ = __________________ = ___ Gsm-WM Cluster
(LNS)
(DS)
(Sum of Scaled Scores)
LNS

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709

 24
24
17
24
17

Gf-nonverbal versus Gv

Gf-nonverbal versus Gf-verbal

Gc-VL versus Gc-K0

Gc-LTM versus Gsm-WM

Gc-LTM versus Gf-verbal

Uncommon (U) or
NotUncommon(NU)

Regardless of the outcome of Step 7c, review Rapid Reference 4.13 to identify an example of an interpretive statement that most appropriately describes the results of the childs clinical cluster comparison. If the child demonstrated a Normative Weakness in any clinical cluster, refer to Rapid Reference 4.14 for hypotheses about the meaning of such findings. Rapid Reference 4.14 also provides suggestions for educational interventions and instructional strategies that may be useful for children who demonstrate uncommon
patterns of performance on the WISC-IV clinical clusters.

Step 7d. Describe results of Planned Clinical Comparisons.

Note: Difference scores that are equal to or exceed the critical values listed in the third column of this table should be
denoted Uncommon (U). Difference scores that are less than these critical values should be denoted Not Uncommon
(NU).

21

Critical
Value

Gf versus Gv

Clinical Comparison

Difference Score
(use values from Step 7b to
calculate difference scores)

Step 7c. Conduct Planned Clinical Comparisons.

Calculate the difference between the clusters in the comparison. If the size of the difference is equal to or greater than the value reported in the table below, then the difference is uncommon. If the size of the difference is less than the table value, then the difference is not uncommon.

Flanagan, Dawn P.; Kaufman, Alan S., Nov 11, 2004, Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment
Wiley, Hoboken, ISBN: 9780471703709