by David Wechsler
Purpose: provides a reliable, brief measure of intelligence in clinical, educational and research settings
Age: 6 years to 90 years 11 months
Admin: Individual - Four Subtest Form = 30 minutes; Two Subtest Form = 15 minutes
Qualification Level: A
Approved for DSA Applications
The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI–II), a revision of the WASI, provides a brief, reliable measure of cognitive ability for use in clinical, educational and research settings. This revision maintains the format and structure of the WASI while offering new content and improvements to provide greater clinical utility and efficiency.
Users & Applications
Psychologists and researchers can use this quick and reliable measure when screening for learning difficulties or intellectual giftedness, or for other purposes:
- Screen to determine if in-depth intellectual assessment is needed
- Reassess after a comprehensive evaluation
- Estimate Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores in busy practice settings
- Assess cognitive functioning of individuals referred for psychiatric evaluations
- Provide FSIQ scores for vocational, rehabilitation, or research purposes
Content & Administration
The WASI–II builds on the strength of the WASI by providing updated versions of the WASI Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design and Matrix Reasoning subtests, flexible administration options (i.e., four- or two-subtest versions), and strengthened connections with the WISC®–V and WAIS-IV
Updated Subtests
The WASI-II subtests have been updated to provide a variety of improvements including shortened and streamlined instructions, better floors and ceilings, as well as item content that more closely mirrors that of the WISC-V and the WAIS-IV
Flexible Administration Options
The WASI–II provides flexible administration options. The four-subtest form can be administered in just 30 minutes and the two-subtest form can be given in about 15 minutes.
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Four-Subtest Form
(Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning) provides:
FSIQ–4 score: Estimate of general cognitive ability
VCI score: Measure of crystallised abilities
PRI score: Measure of nonverbal fluid abilities and visuomotor/co-ordination skills
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Two-Subtest Form
(Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning) provides:
FSIQ–2 score: Estimate of general cognitive ability
Strengthened Connections with the WISC-V and WAIS-IV
The strengthened connections between the WASI–II and the comprehensive Wechsler intelligence scales result in a stronger empirical foundation for using the instruments together, and offer practical benefits that help you save time. The WASI–II subtests and items have been revised to more closely parallel their counterparts in the WISC-V and WAIS-IV. Linking studies have been conducted with the WAIS-IV and the WISC-V to establish equivalency and to improve comparability with the comprehensive Wechsler scales’ composite scores. Taken together, these improvements enhance the joint use of the WASI–II and the comprehensive scales.
The WASI–II can be used in conjunction with the comprehensive Wechsler scales as a screening instrument to determine if in-depth intellectual assessment is necessary, or as a reevaluation tool to follow up on comprehensive testing.
If after screening, the WASI–II results indicate comprehensive intellectual assessment is needed, the WASI–II subtest scores can be substituted for the four corresponding subtest scores on the WISC–V or WAIS-IV, which makes administration of those four subtests from the WISC-V and WAIS-IV unnecessary.
That is, after administering the WASI–II, administering only six more subtests (rather than ten) from the comprehensive measure allows you to derive all WISC-V or WAIS-IV composite scores. If the WASI–II is used as a reevaluation tool, it provides comparable FSIQ, VCI, and PRI scores to ensure interpretation of change over time is clear and meaningful.
Features & Benefits
The WASI–II offers significant enhancements and retains features you’ve come to rely on:
- Updated normative sample
- Four- and two-subtest versions allow you to control the administration time and depth of assessment
- Parallel items and subtests and strengthened links to the WISC-V and the WAIS-IV maximise clinical utility and efficiency in cognitive assessment practice
- Simplified administration and scoring provide even more efficiency
Psychometric Information
- Updated norms: The standardisation of the WASI–II was conducted from January 2010 to May 2011 on a sample of approximately 2,300 individuals aged 6–90.
- Improved floors and ceilings
- Ability-Achievement discrepancy analysis with the Wechsler Fundamentals: Academic Skills and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test–Second Edition
- Linking studies with the WISC-V and the WAIS-IV to:
Provide prediction intervals from WASI–II FSIQ to the comprehensive FSIQ;
Provide supporting data and guidelines for substituting WASI–II subtests for parallel subtests in the comprehensive scales.
Ready for use in the United Kingdom
The link with the UK version of the WAIS-IV is straightforward. UK norms for the WAIS-IV are the same as in the US.
Therefore, the relationship between the WASI-II and the WAIS-IV will be equivalent in the UK
For the WISC-V, some minor differences were found in the younger ages for the UK sample in 2004. Therefore, although some caution is advised for children below the age of 7, overall, the relationship between the WASI-II and WISC-V will prove to be an invaluable in educational and clinical settings.