WIAT-III (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test®-Third Edition )

What is the WIAT?

The WIAT Test (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test) is an individually administered achievement test that takes about 30 to 90 minutes. Specifically the WIAT is used to measure the strengths and weaknesses of your child, so that the school may determine need for special support or notice stand-out skills in specific areas for gifted and talented programs, especially for children who are twice exceptional (refers to intellectually gifted children who have some form of disability). It is used for ages 4 years and up.

There are 16 subtests to measure the 8 areas of achievement specified by US federal legislation (IDEA) to identify and classify learning disabilities. These include language, reading, written expressions, and mathematics. The detailed breakdown of how each of the 16 subtests make up the 8 different scores can be seen in the image below.

Looking for more on The WIAT Test? TestingMom has 2,500+ practice questions to help prepare for The WIAT Test, plus parent success resources and so much more! To get started preparing for these 16 subtests, check out our 100 free questions.

WIAT Subtests

Here is a list of the subtests found on the WIAT-III test. 

• Listening Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Early Reading Skills
• Word Reading
• *Pseudo word Decoding
• Reading Comprehension
• Oral Reading Fluency
• Alphabet Writing Fluency, Spelling
• Sentence Composition
• Essay Composition
• Math Problem Solving
• Numerical Operations
• Math Fluency – Addition
• Math Fluency – Subtraction
• Math Fluency – Multiplication

Here is a list of the composites found on the WIAT-III test.

• Oral Language Total Reading
• Basic Reading
• Reading Comprehension
• Fluency
• Written Expression
• Mathematics
• Math Fluency
• Total Achievement

*Pseudo word decoding is reading a variety of nonsense words, where the your child must apply his or her phonetic knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words. This subtest is a good indication of reading problems such as dyslexia.

Tell us about your experiences

9 Responses

deborah

What is the age cap for the WIAT-111? Is it appropriate for 18-22 year olds?

TestingMom.com

Hi Deborah –

The age cap for the WIAT III is 50 years, 11 months.

All the best,

Marcus

Laura

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My grandson,S autism counsellor found this awesome recipie when she was not retired and using your site !!!!
It was the best !!!!
I,d love to make it with him !!!

Many thanks,
Laura

Necole Blackwell

What is the accepted score for gifted services based on the WIAT-III?
85 or higher?
90 or higher?

TestingMom.com

Hi Necole –

The scores for gifted admission vary from school district to school district. Please check your school districts website or reach out to the districts Gifted Department for your districts specific requirements.

All the best,

Marcus

E

Hi Necole, Just to follow up with your comment: Like “Testing Mom” shared, scores for Gifted and Talented will vary based on school district. But understand that a SS of 100 is average. A SS of 85 is a SD below the mean, and is in the low average range of a student’s expected performance.

A SD above the mean would be 115. That is a standard score that is much more likely to be captured within a district’s requirement for Gifted and Talented.

Cole

How is the wechsler intelligence scale for children III results determined from the verbal subtests and what are the result options for each result?

TestingMom.com

Hi Cole –

I do apologize; as we do not score the test, we are unable to answer specific questions such as this.

All the best,

Marcus

Helen

Is it possible for a pseudo word decoding score to be affected by previous phonics instruction? Could this score be improved by “overlearning?” I’m wondering if our past reading intervention has caused my son’s pseudo word decoding score to be higher than it would otherwise be. I had him tested after he had triumphed in the reading category (after years of diligent work learning to read) because I was still worried about his spelling and writing (at 10 years of age). He is still struggling with spelling and essay composition (three years post testing) despite 4 times a week one-on-one Orton Gillingham style spelling instruction. His essay composition is riddled with spelling and usage errors although the content and syntax are above average. The essays are always very short. Three years ago I was told that he had no learning disabilities at the time of testing. I was told all his problems were related to processing speed. However, he can’t spell no matter how long he takes and he has had plenty of instruction! Is it possible that I sabotaged the test with overlearning?

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