Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment What are the ceilings on the WPPSI-III?

I am just wondering what the ceilings are on the WPPSI-III and whether they vary by age.

I have just received DDs report, 4yrs8mths at the time of testing.

VIQ 142
PIQ 136
FSIQ 138

Scaled Sub Test Scores:
Block Design: 17
Information: 17
Matrix Reasoning: Incomplete (psych notes: child seemed tired)
Vocabulary: 17
Picture Concepts: 13
Word Reasoning: 16
Coding: 10
Picture Completion: 13
Object assembly: 17

Note: on the Coding test she did enough to demonstrate understanding and then stopped. If she had understood the test to be how many she could do not just HOW to do it she may have kept going, but it clearly seemed pointless to her after a point.

What I am wondering if those 17s are likely to be ceilings? I have a feeling that I have read the ceilings can vary, or be difficult to reach, based on age but I could be dreaming?

Also does anyone know if "object assembly" is the puzzle test? If so she completed every puzzle and the tester said out loud "I've never seen that before" so I am assuming that has to be the ceiling or it was a timed test that she got scaled down on?

Word Reasoning at least one of the questions it would not have been possible for her to answer and the "wrong" the answer she gave was the "right" answer from her experience. A question for which I knew the answer was newspaper she answered book for example. We don't buy newspapers, EVER, that's what a computer is for in our house :-).

I know my DS at a young age 5 had a 16 in block design that was a ceiling score because the test ran out of questions before he had hit the termination criterion for that test, or so the tester told us.

As for if those 17s are likely to be ceilings, can you ask the person who administered the test? 17s certainly can be ceiling scores but they are not necessarily. Perhaps Dottie will have more insight.

Hi MumofThree!

My DS was tested yesterday at 4yrs6mos, and I was wondering the same thing. Earlier today I read a similar topic on this message board that explains it pretty well. The link is http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/28142/1.html. I only discovered this forum yesterday -- I needed some place to help me digest my son's scores, and I happily found it.

The testing psychologist mentioned something similar for him on the block design, saying that he easily could have kept going with harder structures. It's a bit frustrating, but I understand the limitations of a test that has to work for a wide variety of abilities.

Out of curiosity, how is your DD with holding a pencil? DS is weak (can't remember how to hold it and struggles to control it), and the psychologist explained that it likely reduced his Symbol Search and Coding scores.

I will be very interested to hear what others might have to say about how experience could change answers, and I wonder how that affects scoring.

I hope to "see" you around!

Thanks for the link to that thread, I had found a couple of threads on here re the WPPSI, but not that one.

I found Dottie's list of various ways to ceiling very interesting.

I am pretty sure that in some cases my DDs scores reflected getting 1 of a possible 2 for some questions, often easier ones. For example the first question she answered "Something for your feet" and the amused response from the tester lead her to try to get into a silly pattern with the answers for the next few questions - her next response was "Something for your ear" (looking rather smug). There were a few questions where her answer indicated she knew but she was being a bit vague and the tester prompted for a more thorough answer, so I presume they would also score 1 of a possible 2 points?

She definitely didn't know the answer to the last two questions in the information section and I seem to recall she missed at least one at the end of the vocab too, but in both of those tests I don't recall her missing 3 or more so I am thinking she got to the end of the questions but not necessarily with full points for every correct answer. The same for the word reasoning, I think she got to the end but I know there was at least the newspaper question that she would have gotten wrong and I think there was another along the way where I could see where she got her answer but doubted it would be "correct". Where as the various tests involving pictures in a book she did terminate through enough wrong or vague answers.

Incidentally my 9 yr old didn't know the answers to the last two questions in the information section either, so we are obviously remiss in our general conversation/interest in that area!

Welcome Mumto3
I've left you a PM "private message" - click on the blinking envelope.
I asked you to edit your posts so as not to include actual test questions. I'm surprised your tester didn't warn you. ((shrug))

Adorable stories though! I'm sure your dd has a ton. Check out our ultimate brag thread!
Love and More Love,
Grinity

Thanks Grinity, I have edited my posts, hopefully enough? I wasn't warned, sorry!

Just a little update, the psychologist returned my call. Object assembly was a hard ceiling, she had the maximum raw score and was scaled to 17. Information and Vocab she reached the last questions without reaching the termination critera but without earning the maximum score along the way. Block design she did well but did get stumped when they stepped up a level of difficulty and terminated the test.

Dottie - explain again all this ceiling business!!!!! DS had 17's in all non-verbals, but was led to believe that they were NOT ceilings....

AHHH, age is a factor... i think i get it now.

Luke the psychologist did not want to acknowledge that any of those 17s were ceilings at first but did look at the raw scores and agree that there was no way DD could have scored higher on the object assembly AND that she could have kept going and may have had more correct answers if she had not run out of questions on the other two tests I mentioned (but was very focused on the fact that she had made mistakes earlier on)...

I am pretty sure we will be getting her retested on the SB-V by someone who sees more than the occasional gifted child. Particularly if school are still not inclined to co-operate.