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Home/Historical IQ Tests/WISC-IV
FALL 2003 · THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION · 8 SOURCES

Goodbye, Verbal and PerformanceIQ.

The fourth children's Wechsler replaced the traditional Verbal/Performance split with four indexes based on neurocognitive models. The index scores that had been supplemental in the WISC-III became the main scores.2

Try the substitution rules →Cite this page
VCI30%
PRI30%
WMI20%
PSI20%
How the Full Scale IQ is weighted: ten core subtests, each counting equally4

Five in, three out, one demoted

NEW · 5
Picture ConceptsLetter-Number SequencingMatrix ReasoningWord ReasoningCancellation
Four were adapted from other Wechsler scales for school-age children; Cancellation was developed specifically for the WISC-IV.2
DROPPED · 3
Object AssemblyMazesPicture Arrangement
Eliminated from the WISC-III line-up.6
DEMOTED
Arithmetic
Formerly in Freedom from Distractibility, now supplemental, which greatly reduces the influence of maths skills on Working Memory.1

One course summary also lists Symbol Search among the new subtests. The publisher's report names Picture Concepts, Letter-Number Sequencing, Matrix Reasoning, Word Reasoning and Cancellation.8,2

EXPLORE · SUBSTITUTIONS

When a subtest is spoiled, what can stand in?

Supplemental subtests can replace a core subtest that was interrupted or spoiled, but only up to two substitutions per Full Scale IQ and one per index.4 Tap a supplemental subtest to swap it in for a core subtest in the same index.

VCI · Verbal Comprehension
SimilaritiesVocabularyComprehension
PRI · Perceptual Reasoning
Block DesignPicture ConceptsMatrix Reasoning
WMI · Working Memory
Digit SpanLetter-Number Sequencing
PSI · Processing Speed
CodingSymbol Search
No substitutions: all ten core subtests given.

Supplemental assignments follow a course summary of the WISC-IV.8,1 Which core subtest each substitute may replace isn't specified in our sources, so it's shown here as a swap for the first core subtest in its index.

2,200 children, 11 age groups

2,200children in 11 age groups of 200, split equally between boys and girls1
6–16:11age range; a UK sample of 780 followed, with a UK version in 20048
65–80 minto give the ten core and five supplemental subtests6
40–160range of the Full Scale IQ6
5 yearsof pilot, tryout and standardization phases2
−5 pointspossible FSIQ drop for a child retested on the WISC-IV after the WISC-III6
2014The WISC-V split Perceptual Reasoning into Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning, making five indexes in line with the CHC model. It has 21 subtests and 15 composite scores.6,3

References

  1. [1]Interpretation of the WISC-IV Working Memory Index (thesis). Marshall University Digital Scholar.mds.marshall.edu
  2. [2]WISC-IV Technical Report #1: theoretical model and test blueprint. Pearson (PDF).pearsonassessments.com
  3. [3]Wikipedia contributors. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (accessed 30 Sept 2026).en.wikipedia.org
  4. [4]WISC description: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Vision Mechanic (PDF).visionmechanic.net
  5. [5]WISC-V: age range, index scores and scoring. Cogn-IQ encyclopedia (2026).cogn-iq.org
  6. [6]WISC-IV: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition. Brainy-Child.brainy-child.com
  7. [7]WISC-IV intelligence test: subtests and indexes explained (course handout, EDS 711). Studylib.studylib.net
  8. [8]Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Arab Psychology scales database (2026).scales.arabpsychology.com
HOW TO CITE THIS PAGE
What's Your IQ. (2026). WISC-IV (2003): Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition. In Historical IQ Tests Archive. Retrieved September 30, 2026, from /en/historical-iq-tests/wisc-iv-2003
EDITORIAL RECORD
First published2026
Last reviewed30 September 2026
Sources8, from a search whose results couldn't be re-checked for this page
Open questionsWhether Symbol Search was new; which core subtest each supplemental may replace
Canonical URLwhats-your-iq.com/en/historical-iq-tests/wisc-iv-2003

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Part of the Historical IQ Tests Archive. Editorial content under CC BY-SA 4.0. WISC-IV is a registered mark of its publisher; no test items are reproduced.
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