Wechsler Test as a Measure of Genius

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - September 2nd, 2011

In 2002, a young boy by the name of Justin Chapman set a record with his IQ test scores, hitting 298 plus on the Stanford Binet at the age of six. When Justin was three years old, he took the Wechsler test and maxed out the scale. It’s interesting the length that Justin’s mother went through to supposedly game the system according to this article. We by no means condone this type of unethical behavior but want to get parents an extreme example of what a few parents will do.

 Now granted, some students are exceptional, a truly remarkable mind that sets them so far apart from the crowd that standard IQ assessment tools like the Stanford Binet and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Test, or WPPSI, are simply not enough to determine  a child’s incredible potential. That being said, most students are able to take the Wechsler test and have results that at least indicate where they currently stand in terms of intelligence level and potential for performance in a classroom setting.