Interpreting the WAIS-III VERBAL SUBTESTS

Verbal Subtests
VOCABULARY
Student gives verbal
definition for words
presented in a list
and pronounced by
administrator

SIMILARITIES
Student tells how 2
items, presented
orally, are the same
(house and store
buildings)

ARITHMETIC
Progressively more
complex math word
problems are
presented orally.
Student calculates in
head and responds
orally.
TIMED TEST

Abilities Measured
Auditory perception understanding single words
Verbal comprehension and expression
Acquired knowledge
Degree of abstract thinking
Learning ability (Correlates most highly with academic success)
Long-term memory
Language development

Auditory perception understanding simple words in pairs

Verbal comprehension and expression
Fluid intelligence new problem solving abilities
Degree of abstract thinking
Distinguishing essential from nonessential details
Verbal reasoning
Categorical thinking
Intellectual flexibility ability to see new connections

Auditory perception of complex verbal items

Mental alertness Attention, focus, concentration
Working memory short-term auditory memory
Verbal comprehension
Acquired knowledge in math
Sequential processing
Processing speed working under time pressure
Ability to tolerate school activities

WAIS-III Interpretation-Verbal EDU.doc

Average Score = 10 in each subtest. Scores below 8 show significant deficits
J. Kirst based on Essentials of WAIS-III Assessment by Kaufman & Lichtenberger, 1999

Notes
Affected by cultural opportunities
Affected by English proficiency
Related to reading experience
Related to school learning
Low score indicates difficulty
understanding and/or defining
words; difficulty in settings
requiring verbal communication
Affected by overly concrete
thinking
Affected by limited language
experiences at home
Affected by English proficiency
Related to reading experience
Low score indicates difficulty
understanding relationships
between words or ideas

Affected by distractibility
Affected by test or math anxiety
Related to math experience
Low score indicates difficulty in
settings requiring student to listen
to and process detailed
information and/or difficulty with
basic math
3/5/07

Interpreting the WAIS-III VERBAL SUBTESTS

Verbal Subtests
INFORMATION
Student verbally
answers factual oral
questions (Who was
Charles Lindbergh?
On what continent is
Bolivia? How many
inches in a yard?)
COMPREHENSION
Student verbally
answers reasoning
questions presented
orally (Why should
some foods be
cooked? Why do
cities need garbage
collection? What
does the grass is
always greener on
the other side of the
fence mean?)
LETTER-NUMBER
SEQUENCING
Student hears lists
of letters & numbers,
reorders them, and
verbally repeats
(7-N-4-R becomes
4-7-N-R)

Abilities Measured
Auditory perception of complex verbal information
Verbal comprehension and expression
Acquired knowledge
Long-term memory
U.S. cultural knowledge
Range of general factual knowledge
Academic abilities
Alertness to environment Intellectual ambitiousness

Notes
Affected by cultural opportunities
Affected by English proficiency
Related to reading experience
Related to school learning
Affected by anxiety
Affected by acquired brain injuries
Low score indicates difficulty
recalling or expressing factual info

Auditory perception of complex verbal information

Verbal comprehension
Common sense
Understanding cause-effect
Acquired knowledge ability to evaluate & use past experience
Reasoning
Expression of thoughts and ideas
Social judgment social intelligence
Knowledge of conventional standards of behavior
Intellectual flexibility ability to verbalize reasons for common
events, ability to understand proverbs

Affected by cultural awareness

Shows development of
conscience or moral sense
Affected by overly concrete
thinking
Requires stable, emotionally
balanced attitude
Shows social-adaptive functioning
Low score indicates difficulty
understanding or responding
appropriately to everyday
situations requiring logic.

Auditory perception of simple words single letters & numbers

Working memory short-term auditory memory
Fluid intelligence ability to reorder information
Visualization
Sequential processing
Learning ability - Ability to develop new strategies on demand
Planning ability
Mental alertness Attention, focus, concentration
Frustration tolerance
Mental manipulation (reordering items before repeating)

Affected by distractibility
Affected by persistence giving
up
Affected by anxiety
Affected by acquired brain injuries
Low score indicates difficulty
attending to, processing, and/or
recalling isolated pieces of info
(i.e., taking orders in restaurant)

WAIS-III Interpretation-Verbal EDU.doc

Average Score = 10 in each subtest. Scores below 8 show significant deficits
J. Kirst based on Essentials of WAIS-III Assessment by Kaufman & Lichtenberger, 1999

3/5/07