Measures

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (WAIS-5)

A standardized adult cognitive battery with edition-specific indexes and age-referenced scores.

Test battery The format describes how observations are obtained, not an evidence rating.

What it measures

Multiple cognitive abilities summarized through subtest, five primary index scales (Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory and Processing Speed) and composite scores.

What people do

The US WAIS-5 is individually administered with standardized materials and instructions. Pearson lists ages 16:0–90:11 and professional qualification level C.

What the scores mean

Raw performance is converted using the edition’s age-referenced norms into subtest scaled scores (mean 10, standard deviation 3) and composite/index standard scores (mean 100, standard deviation 15), including the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and the five primary indexes. A composite summarizes several tasks and has uncertainty; it is neither a percentage correct nor a fixed measure of personal worth.

This explains the logic of a score. It does not supply a test form, individual result or administration manual.

Development and versions

David Wechsler founded the assessment lineage. The US fifth edition was published in 2024; its five-index organization separates Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning and must not be substituted with the older four-index WAIS-IV structure.

Evidence: (Pearson: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition, n.d.); (Pearson: WAIS-IV and WAIS-5 Comparison, n.d.); (Spielman et al., 2020)

Reliability and validity evidence

Publisher materials establish edition, subtests and intended use. The technical manual and independent validation evidence were not inspected here, so this profile makes no new coefficient or diagnostic-accuracy claim.

Evidence belongs to a version, sample and interpretation. Read the source notes for what was actually inspected.

Evidence: (Pearson: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition, n.d.); (Pearson: WAIS-IV and WAIS-5 Comparison, n.d.); (Spielman et al., 2020)

Where it is used

Qualified cognitive assessment within a broader referral question, considering language, education, accessibility and context.

Limits and common misreadings

  • Edition and country-specific norms matter.
  • Subtest differences require evidence rather than casual interpretation.
  • A cognitive battery alone does not establish every diagnosis or educational need.

Read an example

Original teaching example

A fictional report contains an age-referenced composite and an uncertainty interval. The reader asks which edition and reference population were used before comparing the result with a score from another test. No invented WAIS norms are supplied.

Constructed for learning; this is not a result from the instrument’s validation study.

Access and permission

Proprietary, qualification-controlled Pearson materials. No test items, normative tables or conversion algorithms are reproduced.

Read the source for Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition (WAIS-5)

Textbook connection

Direct coveragePsychology 2e: 7.5 Measures of Intelligence

The section discusses this measure or instrument family.

Related measures

Read a measure critically · Explore score examples · Review research methods

Sources and inspection notes

Checked October 22, 2026. An inspection date is not a publication date. Publisher information is not presented as independent validation; abstract-only and indexed-excerpt access are identified below.

  1. Pearson: WAIS-IV and WAIS-5 comparison. (n.d.). https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/content/dam/school/global/clinical/uk-clinical/assets/wais-5-us-version/wais-5-comparison-flyer.pdfPublisher document: indexed comparison text

    Edition-specific five-index structure, subtest changes and 2024 US version inspected through the indexed text. No test items, scoring tables or normative conversions reproduced.

  2. Pearson: Wechsler adult intelligence scale, fifth edition. (n.d.). https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/en/usd/p/P100071002.htmlPublisher description and edition information

    US WAIS-5 publication year 2024, intended ages and qualification level inspected. Technical manual and independent validation studies were not accessed.

  3. Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/7-5-measures-of-intelligenceTextbook: direct discussion

    The section discusses this measure or instrument family.