IQ Tests
Mayfair Consultants offers IQ Tests for children, in addition to our broad offer of educational tutorials and interview guidance. One of the best-known intelligence tests for children, WISC-V is administered by our educational psychologists in our London office. WISC-V is also accepted for admission to high IQ societies such as Mensa and Intertel.
What are IQ & Intelligence Testing Assessments?
Intelligence Assessments have applications including identifying gifted adults and children, admissions to some schools and societies, testing for learning disorders and many others. Societies such as British Mensa and Intertel are open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ higher than 2% (Mensa) and 1% (Intertel) of the population.
Mensa Admission Test measures competence in verbal, numerical reasoning etc. Mensa is a society for like-minded people, aiming to identify and research human intelligence and provide a stimulating environment for its members. Mensa can also be joined using suitably high scores from other tests, including Stanford Binet and WISC-V.
For children from 6 to 16 years old, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is commonly used. The most recent version of the test is WISC-V. The assessment takes up to 65 minutes to administer and provides a scaled IQ score against the national averages. The test can be used to identify gifted children and learning disorders in reading, writing and mathematics. WISC is also helpful in highlighting possible disorders in children such as ADHD, receptive-expressive language disorders, Autism and Asperger’s syndrome.
What do the tests assess?
Mensa Admission Test: Candidates for Mensa supervised IQ test must be over the age of 10 and a half (for younger children, different tests are recommended). Mensa test consists of two test papers, diagrammatical and one that measures reasoning abilities. The full session takes approximately 2 ½ hours and consists of 2 tests. Results are issued by post 7-10 days after the test. You need a score in the top 2% (score of 132 on the Culture Fair test) to be invited to join Mensa. Mensa also accepts WISC-V with an FSIQ score of above 130 as valid high intelligence evidence.
Admission to Intertel High IQ society: There are multiple tests accepted by Intertel and no supervised test of intelligence is run by the society itself. A list of the tests currently accepted is available here. A score of 99th percentile in the Mensa Admission test or WISC with an FSIQ score of 135 will qualify you for the Intertel membership.
WISC-V: As stated by Weiss et. Al. (2019), “the Wechsler scales are the most wildly used measures of intelligence, and they have been translated, adapted and standardised in dozen of countries around the world”.
WISC-V delivers five primary scores, as summarized below:
| Index | Example task presented to the child |
| Verbal Comprehension Index | Describe how two words are similar |
| Visual Spatial Index | Put together blocks in a pattern according to a model you see |
| Fluid Reasoning Index | Select a picture that fits the grid of 5 pictures shown |
| Working Memory Index | Listen to a sequence of numbers and repeat them in order |
| Processing Speed Index | Find a target picture in a random arrangement of pictures |
The WISC-V assesses “key cognitive abilities that are linked to academic achievement and subtypes of learning disabilities” (Weiss et. Al, 2019). For instance, a WISC measure called the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) tests the general mental ability and is among the most established measures in psychology (Weiss et. Al., 2019). FSIQ was shown to be a good predicting measure of future school achievement and higher educational attainment. Notably, an FSIQ score of 135 or above, is accepted as an admission requirement by Intertel, a high IQ society.
Complementary indexes and subsets can provide examiners with further information on children “referred for specific learning disorders such as in reading and mathematics” (Weiss et. Al, 2019). Detecting learning difficulties and disabilities early is crucial as the affected children’s performance at school is likely to be below their intellectual potential. Implementing specific arrangements designed to help with the learning difficulties, will help the children to reach their full potential.
WISC-V results consist of a score for each index and an age percentile rank.
How to register for the test?
Mensa Admission Test: Mensa runs group supervised IQ tests weekly. The full session takes approximately 2 ½ hours and consists of 2 tests. Results are issued by post 7-10 days after the test. You can find out more about times and locations and register here.
WISC-V: WISC-V test needs to be administered by a certified psychologist. At Mayfair Consultants, we offer WISC-V tests in our central London office, run by our educational psychologists.
How should I prepare for the test?
– Mensa: There are multiple resources available on Mensa Website, including a Mensa Home Test (British Mensa) that can be sent back to the society for marking and Mensa online workout. Familiarity with how the test is structured and the type of questions asked will help you succeed at the actual test.
WISC-V: No practice is necessary (or allowed) for the test. Ensure your child sleeps well before the exam and remember about breakfast.
How is an IQ score used?
The Mensa and WISC scores can be used for school admissions and programs for talented children. WISC-V results are also suitable for access arrangements such as Extra Time or Language Modifier. WISC-V can be administered once per year only and the Mensa Admission test can be only done once in a lifetime.
WISC-V Experts in London
Mayfair Consultants offers IQ Tests such as the WISC-V tests in our central London office, administered by our educational psychologists in our London office.
Our team consists of exceptionally skilled specialists, with many holding postgraduate degrees, ready to support your child at each step of the way with the various intelligence testing options. If you would like to arrange the test or have any questions about our services please call us on tel: +44 (0) 207 665 6606 or you can send us an email via our contact form.
References:
Weiss, Lawrence G, Holdnack, James A, Saklofske, Donald H, Prifitera, Aurelio WISC-V Assessment and Interpretation: Clinical Use and Interpretation. Academic, 2019. Practical Resources for the Mental Health Professional. Web.
IQ Tests & Additional Resources:
Mensa and Intertel
– https://www.mensa.org.uk/iq-booking
– https://www.mensa.org.uk/what-is-an-iq-test
– https://www.mensa.org.uk/prior-evidence-application
– https://www.us.mensa.org/
– https://intertel-iq.org/join-us
– https://www.special-learning.com/article/what-is-full-scale-intelligence-quotient-fsiq
– http://www.brainy-child.com/experts/classification-of-WISC-V.shtml
General information & history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wechsler_Intelligence_Scale_for_Children
Assessments suitable for access arrangements applications:
https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/featured-topics/aa-and-the-dsa/suitable-assessments.html