Sep 10, 2025·Taking an IQ Test

IQ Test for Kids

Discover how children’s IQ tests work, their role in schools and clinics, and leading options like WISC, Stanford-Binet, and Woodcock-Johnson assessments.

Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist

Tests like IQ test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are excellent measures of intelligence in adults. This naturally leads many people to wonder whether there are IQ tests designed for children. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” In fact, the first IQ tests were designed for children. It was only later that IQ tests were created for adults.

In many ways, IQ tests designed for children are similar to IQ tests designed for testing adults. Just like IQ tests for adults, IQ tests for children can be administered one-on-one or in groups and as paper-and-pencil assessments or with the assistance of technology. Both types of tests measure many of the same cognitive abilities, such as working memory, fluid reasoning, and verbal ability. Sometimes, IQ tests for adults and tests for children have the same subtests (though the subtests designed for children are simpler versions).

Testing IQ in Children

Usually, when children take an IQ test, it is in the school context. This may be for diagnostic purposes, such as when a child is being tested for a learning disability or for admission to a gifted program. Some children are also tested in a mental health setting. Whether it’s at school or a mental health clinic, usually IQ tests for children are part of a larger assessment process that can include other tests, surveys of parents and/or teachers, and educational tasks.

IQ Tests For Children

The most popular IQ tests for children are the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales. (Coincidentally, all of these tests are in their fifth edition.) These are all individually administered by a qualified clinician, either in person or through a video call. Some group tests are also popular, such as the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, both of which can be administered on a computer in a school setting with an approved proctor. Currently, there are no legitimate online IQ tests for children.