WAIS-Style IQ Test
Nine original tasks in the structure of the Wechsler adult intelligence scales: five index scores and a full-scale IQ estimate, with practice items before every task.
Table of Contents
WAIS-Style IQ Test
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is the most widely used individually administered intelligence test for adults. Its current edition, the WAIS-5 (2024), reports a full-scale IQ and five index scores: verbal comprehension, visual spatial, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
Our battery follows that structure with original tasks you take online. Each task starts easy, gets harder and stops by itself when the items get too hard, the way a psychologist runs the real test. It is an alternative modeled on the Wechsler scales, not the official WAIS.
Key Insight
The WAIS uses deviation IQ scoring with a mean of 100 and SD of 15. Index scores provide more specific information than FSIQ alone — for example, a person may have superior verbal skills but average processing speed.
What Makes This Test Different
Pictures for the visual tasks, spoken digits for working memory, real 120-second speed tasks and practice items with feedback before every task. The items are generated for your session, so no two people get the same test.
The five index scores
Each index comes from its own tasks, so you see where your strengths lie
Verbal Comprehension (VCI)
Similarities and Vocabulary: reasoning with words and word knowledge
Visual Spatial (VSI)
Visual Puzzles: building a shape from pieces in your mind
Fluid Reasoning (FRI)
Matrix Reasoning and Figure Weights: finding rules and quantitative relations
Working Memory (WMI)
Digit Sequencing and Running Digits: holding and reordering what you hear
Processing Speed (PSI)
Coding and Symbol Search: simple tasks done fast and without mistakes
Four Simple Steps
Choose about 12, 20–25 or 45–60 minutes, in one sitting
Choose your gender
It does not change your score. You give your age group at the start
Choose a version and do the tasks
Each starts with practice items and stops by itself when the items get too hard
See where you stand
Your score range appears right after the last task
Unlock the full report
Exact full-scale IQ, index scores, percentile and certificate with one payment
How the WAIS-Style IQ Test Is Scored
Each task gives a raw score. As in the Wechsler scales, raw scores become scaled scores (mean 10, standard deviation 3), the scaled scores of each domain become an index score, and seven core tasks together give the full-scale IQ (mean 100, standard deviation 15).
Start points and stop rules keep the test short where it would be too easy or too hard: every task starts at an easy item, goes back if you miss an early one, and stops after three wrong answers in a row.
Our comparison values are provisional while we collect results per age group, so your scores are well-founded estimates, not a clinical assessment.
For comparison, try the Stanford-Binet IQ test which uses 5 cognitive factors, or our CHC assessment with 6 broad abilities. Our standard free IQ test offers a quicker 20-minute option, while the MoCA screening focuses specifically on cognitive health indicators.
IQ Score Ranges
Scores follow a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15
Who Should Take the WAIS-Style IQ Test
The WAIS-style battery is our most thorough assessment: nine tasks and five index scores, close to how a psychologist tests an adult.
This assessment is ideal for:
- Serious test takers who want separate scores for verbal comprehension, visual spatial ability, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed
- Psychology students who want to experience the structure of the Wechsler scales, with practice items, start points and stop rules
- Career planners who want to see whether their strength lies in reasoning with words, with pictures or with speed
- Test enthusiasts who have already taken our standard IQ test or Mensa-style test and want the most complete assessment we offer
Short on time? Choose the Quick version (about 12 minutes), or take our standard free IQ test, which takes about 20 minutes. For the broadest map of cognitive abilities, the CHC Cognitive Assessment covers 6 broad abilities based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll framework.
Choose Your Assessment
Each test offers a unique perspective on cognitive ability
Free IQ Test
Take the Free IQ Test →Fast & Accurate IQ Test
Try the Fast & Accurate IQ Test →Mensa-Style Test
Take the Mensa-Style IQ Test →Stanford-Binet
Try the Stanford-Binet IQ Test →CHC Assessment
Try the CHC Cognitive Assessment →MoCA Screening
Take the MoCA Screening →WAIS Test
Current TestFrequently Asked Questions
The battery follows the structure of the Wechsler adult scales: nine tasks, five index scores and a full-scale IQ estimate, with the start points and stop rules a psychologist uses. The items are our own, and our comparison values are provisional while results per age group come in, so treat your score as a well-founded estimate, not a clinical diagnosis.
Choose a version: Quick takes about 12 minutes (three tasks, one IQ estimate), Normal 20–25 minutes (five tasks, an IQ estimate and your ability profile) and Full 45–60 minutes (all nine tasks, five index scores). Every task stops by itself when the items get too hard, so stronger test takers see more items and take a little longer. Do it in one sitting, in a quiet place.
No registration is needed and the test is free to take: you see where you stand (your score range) right after the last question. Your exact score, percentile, full report and certificate are one optional payment, with no subscription and no hidden fees.
Right after the last question you see where you stand: your score range on the IQ scale and your index areas ranked from strongest to weakest. Your exact score, percentile and full report are one payment, no subscription.
Yes, you can retake any test. We recommend waiting at least 1-2 weeks between attempts to ensure reliable results and minimize practice effects from question familiarity.
Related reading & comparisons
WAIS compared to other tests
What every IQ score actually means
References
- Neisser, U., Boodoo, G., Bouchard, T. J., Jr., et al. (1996). Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns. American Psychologist, 51(2), 77–101. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.51.2.77
- McGrew, K. S. (2009). CHC theory and the human cognitive abilities project: Standing on the shoulders of the giants of psychometric intelligence research. Intelligence, 37(1), 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2008.08.004