Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Help with understanding test results

I just want to make another comment about the verbal scores. The verbal subtests on the WPPSI emphasize knowledge as opposed to reasoning in contrast to the WISC verbal subtests, which emphasize reasoning as opposed to knowledge.

Vocabulary subtest: straightforward defining words
--What's "language"?
--What's "retain"?
--What's "lament"?

Information subtest: tests general, factual knowledge about the world, factual trivia questions
--What's the capital of France?
--What's the speed of light?
--Who wrote "Hamlet"?
--How many senators are in US Senate?

Word Reasoning: a child has to identify a concept/word based on verbal clues
--It uses a screen and a cathode ray tube and it conveys information.
Answer: television
(I know this last one was a bad example but you get the idea)

While "Word Reasoning" is a reasoning subtest, kids usually do worse on it than on "Similarities" and even "Comprehension"

On the WISC on the other hand, while the Vocabulary subtest is the same as on the WPPSI, the other two subtests: "Similarities" and "Comprehension" are more reasoning based.

Similarities: determining how two concepts are alike.
--How are "tea" and "coffee" alike?
--How are "hope" and "fear" alike?
--How are "happiness" and "sadness" alike?
--How are "poem" and "painting" alike?

Comprehension: open-ended verbal reasoning and social judgment questions
--What's the advantage of keeping money in a bank?
--Why do children go to school?
--Why do we cook food?
--Why do we have laws?
--What does "to kill two birds with one stone" mean?

So it's very likely that a smaller fund of knowledge lowered your DS's verbal index on the WPPSI, and the WISC scores should be higher because it relies more on reasoning than knowledge.