The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is appropriate only for children within which age range?

• A. Under 3 years old
• B. Between 3 and 6 years old
• C. Between 6 and 16 years old
• D. Between 6 and 12 years old

Answer: (C)

Understanding who the WISC is built for helps you use it correctly. This test is standardized for children aged 6 through 16, with norms and item difficulty suited to development from early elementary through mid-adolescence. Because of that, interpretations are valid only within this range. Using the WISC with younger children wouldn’t be based on the appropriate normative data, and using it with someone older than sixteen would miss the proper norms and intent of the instrument, for which adult scales like the WAIS are designed. The other options describe ages outside the school-age window (younger than six, or ages outside six-to-sixteen), which is why they aren’t appropriate.