For parents
What Parents Should Know Before an IQ Test for Kids
On this page
Yes, kids can take an IQ test. But an IQ test for kids should be built and normed for children, and given by a school or a psychologist. Adult online tests do not fit children. This guide explains which tests professionals use, how school testing works, and when testing makes sense.
Can kids take an IQ test?
Yes, kids can take an IQ test if it was built and normed for their age. Norms are the comparison group. A child’s score only makes sense next to other children of the same age.
That is why children’s tests are separate products. They have their own questions, their own norms and their own trained examiners. A score from one of them shows where a child stands among peers. It comes with a range.
Which IQ tests are used for children, and from what age?
Which IQ tests are used for children?
Each IQ test for kids falls into one of two groups. Some are intelligence tests given by a psychologist or trained examiner. Others are ability tests given at school. Here are the main ones, described by what their publishers say.
| Test | Ages or grades | What the publisher says it is |
|---|---|---|
| WISC-V | 6:0 to 16:11 | An intelligence test for children |
| WPPSI-IV | 2:6 to 7:7 | An intelligence test for young children |
| Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition (SB5) | 2 to 85+ | An intelligence test for children and adults |
| Raven’s 2 | 4 to 85 | A nonverbal reasoning test |
| CogAT | kindergarten to grade 12 | A school test of verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning |
| OLSAT 8 | kindergarten to grade 12 | A school test of verbal, nonverbal and quantitative abilities |
WISC-V. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children is used with children aged 6:0 to 16:11. Its full-scale score runs from 40 to 1601.
WPPSI-IV. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence covers ages 2:6 to 7:7, in two age bands3.
Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition. It covers ages 2 to 85+, with 10 subtests. Its main scores have reliabilities of .95 to .984.
CogAT and OLSAT. These are school ability tests. The CogAT measures verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning5. The OLSAT 8 assesses verbal, nonverbal and quantitative abilities6.
Raven’s 2 and the NNAT3. Raven’s 2 is a nonverbal reasoning test for ages 4 to 857. The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT3) is published by Pearson. We have not read its manual, so we do not describe it further.
The names of these tests are trademarks of their owners. We describe them only from their publishers’ materials.
At what age can a child take an IQ test?
A child can take an IQ test from a very young age, if the test is made for that age. The WPPSI-IV covers ages 2:6 to 7:7. The Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition covers ages 2 to 85+. The WISC-V takes over at school age, from 6:0 to 16:11.
Very early scores are still estimates for a small child on one day. A professional chooses the test to fit the child’s age and the question being asked.
Are school ability tests the same as IQ tests?
School ability tests are close cousins of IQ tests, but they are not the same thing. The CogAT and the OLSAT measure reasoning with verbal, quantitative and nonverbal questions. They cover kindergarten to grade 12. A full intelligence test such as the WISC-V is a separate test.
Both kinds report standard scores with an average of 100. Mensa, for example, accepts both. It lists a composite of 132 on the CogAT or OLSAT, and a full-scale 130 on a Wechsler test13. The different numbers reflect how each test spreads its scores.
Why don’t adult online tests work for children?
Adult online tests do not work for children because their questions and norms were not made for them. A score compares a person with a norming group. If the group is adults, a child’s score means little.
Mensa International makes a similar point: many tests are not valid for children under 1611. That is also why our own test is not designed for children. If someone says they are under 13, our test still runs, but nothing is stored.
How do you get an IQ test for a child?
You get an IQ test for a child through the school or through a psychologist. Both routes are described below.
Through the school. In the United States, a parent can ask the public school to evaluate a child who may have a disability. The school must then evaluate within 60 days of consent. A state may set its own time limit instead9. Ask the school in writing, and ask what the evaluation will include.
Through a psychologist. A private assessment can be booked directly. In the US, the American Psychological Association runs a Psychologist Locator that lists licensed members. Ask whether the psychologist works with children and which test they use.
For gifted programs. Schools set their own rules for gifted testing. Ask the school for its written criteria and which tests it uses.
For fees and timing, see how much an IQ test costs.
When should a child have an IQ test?
A child should have an IQ test when the result will help a real decision. Examples are school support, a gifted program or a question about development. Testing out of curiosity alone gives a number with little use.
For example, testing can help when a child struggles at school or seems far ahead. It can also help when a teacher or doctor raises a question. In each case, the test is one part of a wider picture.
If a low score is part of the picture, remember that a score alone is never a diagnosis. Intellectual disability, for example, needs limits in both reasoning and everyday skills, starting before age 2210. Everyday skills here mean conceptual, social and practical skills, such as language, self-care and safety. A professional looks at all of it.
What should a child’s IQ report include?
A child’s IQ report should include the full-scale score and the scores for its parts. Each score should have a label and a range. Publisher sample reports show all of these.
The range matters most. It shows how precise each score is. In one publisher’s adult sample report, a full-scale score of 111 has a 95% range of 106 to 116. A child’s report should show ranges the same way.
Ask the examiner to walk you through the report. You should leave knowing what the scores mean for the decision you face.
Should a child practice for an IQ test?
A child does not need to practice for an IQ test. Heavy practice can make a score less useful. Retaking tests raises scores a little, and that gain comes from retaking, not from higher ability. A score after coaching can then overstate what a child can do.
It is fine to tell a child what to expect: some puzzles and some questions. That is enough.
What does a child’s IQ score mean?
A child’s IQ score means the same as an adult’s: a rank among people of the same age. The average is 100 at every age. So a 115 at age 10 means one standard deviation above other 10-year-olds.
On the WISC-V, a 130 and above is called Extremely High, and 90 to 109 is called Average1. The IQ scale shows every band. The average IQ page explains why the middle is always 100.
A report should also show a range around each score. Children’s scores are estimates, like adults’ scores. The page are IQ tests accurate explains measurement error.
What counts as gifted for a child?
What counts as gifted depends on the school or program, because there is no single definition. The National Association for Gifted Children describes giftedness as high performance or capability. It is judged against others of the same age, experience and environment8.
Many programs use the top 10 percent as a guide, compared with national or local norms. On an SD 15 test, the top 10 percent starts at about 119.2. Some programs use higher lines, and many look at more than one test.
There is no single count of gifted children. So a child can qualify in one district and not in another. Our page on what IQ is considered genius explains why “gifted” and “genius” are different ideas.
What is a good IQ score for a 10-year-old or a 13-year-old?
The scale reads the same at every age, because children are compared with their own age group: 90 to 109 is the average band, and 110 or more is above the middle. It does not grade a child. A score describes one set of tasks on one day, and what matters is what the report says the child needs.
For example, a 13-year-old with a score of 120 is at the 90.88th percentile among 13-year-olds. See what a 130 IQ means for the top band.
How should you talk to a child about an IQ score?
You do not have to share an IQ number with a child. The score is mainly information for the adults making a decision, such as a school placement.
If you do talk about it, keep it simple. Explain that it describes how the child did on one test, on one day. It is not a grade and not a label for the child as a person.
Can a child join Mensa?
A child can join Mensa with a qualifying score from an accepted test. In the United States, the Mensa admission test itself is not offered under age 14. Younger children apply with a qualifying school or clinical score. The Mensa IQ test page lists the accepted tests.
Does this site test children?
No. Our test is for adults and older teens, not for children. We never publish children’s scores, and we store nothing for anyone who says they are under 13. In the United States, the children’s privacy law COPPA covers sites aimed at children under 13 that collect personal information. It also covers general sites that know they collect it from such children12.
If you are an adult curious about your own estimate, you can take the free test. For practice questions, see our IQ test questions.
FAQ
What is the best IQ test for kids?
The best IQ test for kids is one given by a trained professional and normed for the child’s age. Examples are the WISC-V and the Stanford-Binet. The right choice depends on the child’s age and the question being asked.
Can I test my child’s IQ at home?
Not in a meaningful way. Home and online tests are not normed for children. A proper IQ test for kids needs a trained examiner, so start with the school or a psychologist.
What is the average IQ for a 10-year-old?
The average IQ for a 10-year-old is 100, the same as for every age. Children are compared with others of their own age.
How long does a child’s IQ test take?
It depends on the test. The Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition, for example, has 10 subtests of about 5 minutes each. Ask the examiner how long the whole session will take.
Is the WISC-V an IQ test?
Yes. The WISC-V is an individual intelligence test for children aged 6:0 to 16:11. It reports a full-scale IQ and scores for several parts.
Can a child’s IQ score change?
A child’s score can change between testings, partly because every score has error. That is why reports show a range, and why one score should not decide everything.