WAIS Cheat Sheet

1. Block Design
Item Tri Verbal instructions
al
Sample 1 See these blocks? They are all alike. On some sides, they are all red [👉]; on some sides, all white [👉]; and on some
sides, half red and half white [👉].

Watch me put these blocks together to look like this picture [👉].

[👉] Now you make the blocks look just like the picture. Work as fast as you can and tell me when you have finished.
Go ahead.

Let’s try some more.

Sample 2 Watch me again.

[👉] Now you try it again and make the blocks look just like the picture. Go ahead.

Let’s try some more.

1-4 1 Watch me put these blocks together to look like this [👉].

[👉] Now you make the blocks look just like this picture. Work as fast as you can and tell me when you have finished.
Go ahead.
1-4 2 Watch me again.

[👉] Now you make the blocks look just like the picture. Work as fast as you can and tell me when you have finished.
Go ahead.
5 - 14 - Now make the blocks look just like this [👉]. Work as fast as you can and tell me when you have finished. Go ahead.

[Instructions shortened or omitted once examinee understands the task]

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2. Similarities
Item Tri Verbal instructions
al
Sample - Now I am going to say two words and ask you how they are alike. In what way are TWO and SEVEN alike? How are they
the same?

 That’s right. Two and seven are both numbers. Let’s try another one.
  Two and seven are both numbers.

1 - 18 - In what way are a [X] and a [Y] alike?

[OR]

In what way are [X] and [Y] alike?

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3. Digit Span
Item Tri Verbal instructions
al
Forwards
All - Now I am going to say some numbers. Listen carefully, I can only say them one time. When I have finished, I want you
to say them back to me in the same order. Just say what I say.
Backwards
Sample 1 Now I am going to say some more numbers, but this time when I stop, I want you to say the numbers backwards. If I
say 7 – 1, what would you say?

 That’s right. [Items].

  That’s not quite right. I said 7 – 1, so to say them backwards, you should say 1 – 7. [Trial 2].

Sample 2 Let’s try another one. Remember to say them backwards. 3 – 4.

 That’s right. Let’s try some more. [Items].

  That’s not quite right. I said 3 – 4, so to say them backwards, you should say 4 – 3. Let’s try some more.
[Items].
Sequencing
Sample 1 Now I am going to say some more numbers. After I say them, I want you to tell me the numbers in order, starting with
the lowest number. If I say 2 – 3 – 1, what would you say?

 That’s right. [Items].

  That’s not quite right. I said 2 – 3 – 1, so to say them in order from lowest to highest, you should say 1 – 2 – 3.
[Trial 2]

Sample 2 Let’s try another one. 5 – 2 – 2.

 That’s right. Let’s try some more. [Items].

  That’s not quite right. I said 5 – 2 - 2, so to say them in order from lowest to highest, you should say 2 – 2 – 5.
WAIS Cheat Sheet
Let’s try some more. [Items].

4. Matrix Reasoning
Item Verbal instructions
Sample Look at this picture. You will choose which one of these [👉] goes here [👉]. The right answer will work going across [👉] and
A going down [👉]. You should only look across and down to find the answer. Do not look diagonally [👉]. Which one here [👉]
goes here [👉]?

 That’s right. When you go across the top row [👉], the blue star changes to a yellow circle. This means that when
you go across the bottom row [👉], the blue star should change to a yellow circle too.
When you go down the first column [👉], the boxes have the same shape in the same colour – blue stars. This
means that when you go down the second column [👉], the boxes should also have the same shape in the same colour –
yellow circles.
You get the same answer [👉] going across [👉] and going down [👉]. [Sample B].

  Let’s look again. To get the right answer going across, look at the boxes in the top row [👉]. When you go across the
top row [👉], the blue star changes to a yellow circle. This means that when you go across the bottom row [👉], the blue star
should change to a yellow circle too.
To get the right answer going down, look at the boxes in this column [👉]. When you go down the first column [👉],
the boxes have the same shape in the same colour – blue stars. This means that when you go down the second column
[👉], the boxes should also have the same shape in the same colour – yellow circles.
You get the same answer [👉] going across and going down [👉]. [Sample B].

Sample This is another kind of problem. The boxes are in order going across [👉]. The right answer will follow the order you see
B across the other boxes. Which one here goes here [👉]?

 That’s right. When you look across the boxes, you see that they go in this order: [👉] large circle, small circle, large
circle, small circle, large circle. The small circle [👉] goes here [👉] because it would go next. [Items].

  Let’s look again. When you look across the boxes, you see that they go in this order: [👉] large circle, small circle,
large circle, small circle, large circle. The small circle [👉] goes here [👉] because it would go next. A small circle comes
after a large circle as you go in order across the boxes. [Items].

1 - 26 Which one here goes here?

WAIS Cheat Sheet

[🕒 approx. 30 seconds]  Do you have an answer?

5. Vocabulary
Item Tri Verbal instructions
al
1-3 - [👉] What is this?

4 - 30 - [1st item] I am going to say some words. Listen carefully and tell me what each word means.
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6. Arithmetic
Item Verbal instructions
Sample Now I am going to read you some problems. Listen carefully, you can only ask me to reach each problem one more
time.

Lou has six footballs. He loses three. How many footballs does he have left?

 That’s right. Let’s try some more. Remember, you can ask me to read each problem one more time.
  That’s not quite right. To solve this problem, you start with six footballs and take away three footballs. This
leaves three footballs. Let’s try some more. Remember, you can ask me to read each problem one more time.

1 [👉] Count these flowers with your finger. Count them out loud so I can hear you.

  There are three flowers.

2 [👉] Count these apples with your finger. Count them out loud so I can hear you.

  There are 10 apples.

3 [👉] How many bats [👉]and balls [👉]are there all together?
4 [👉] How many birds [👉] and cats [👉] are there all together?
5 [👉] How many leads [👉] will be left if each dog [👉] wears one?
6 Lee has four blankets. He buys four more. How many blankets does he have all together?
7 Scott has 9 pens. He gives 4 to Jean. How many pens does Scott have left?
8 Bill has 4 children and 20 toys. If each child gets an equal number of toys, how many should each child get?
9 Sue is 35 years old. Rob is 18 years old. How many years older is Sue than Rob?
10 John has 28 books. He sells half of them to a used bookshop and gives 9 more away. How many books does he have
left?
11 James has 51 tickets. He gives 6 people 8 tickets each. How many tickets does he have left?
12 There are 25 pieces of chewing gum in each pack. How many pieces are in 8 packs?
13 George gives 8 people 4 cards each. He has 6 cards left for tomorrow. How many cards did he have altogether?
14 Ying runs 22 minutes each day on Monday through Friday. She runs 30 minutes on Saturday. How many minutes does
she run altogether?
15 Beth stands in line behind 160 people. She lets 20 more people in line ahead of her. Six people get to the front of the
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line each minute. How many minutes until Beth gets to the front of the line?
6. Arithmetic Cont’d…
16 You can bake 2 cakes in 31 minutes. How long does it take to bake 12 cakes?
17 Dave sells two-thirds the number of maps that Kim sold. Dave sells 400 maps. How many did Kim sell?
18 Frank worked 188 hours in 4 weeks. If he worked an equal number of hours each week, how many hours did he work
each week?
19 Chris has twice as many pies as Ron. Chris has 99 pies. How many pies does Ron have?
20 Pam usually riders her horse 60 laps around a track. She rides 15 percent fewer laps today. How many laps does she
ride today?
21 If 8 machines can finish a job in 6 days, how many machines are needed to finish the job in half a day?
22 A post office sorts 20,000 pieces of mail in October. In November, the pieces of mail sorted increase by 10 percent. In
December, the pieces of mail sorted increase by another 5 percent. How many pieces of mail are sorted in December
after both increases?
WAIS Cheat Sheet

7. Symbol Search
Item Verbal instructions
Demo. Look at these shapes [👉]. One of these shapes [👉] is the same as one of these shapes here [👉]. This shape [👉] is the
same as this shape here [👉], so I draw a line through it like this [👉].
[👉] Look at these shapes. This shape [👉] is the same as this shape here [👉], so I draw a line through it, like this [👉].
[👉] Now look at these shapes. In this case, neither one of these shapes here [👉] is the same as any of the shapes here [👉],
so I draw a line though the NO box, like this [👉].
If you see a shape over here [👉], that is the same as one of these shapes [👉], draw a line through the shape [👉].
If you do not see a shape over here [👉] that is the same as one of these shapes [👉], draw a line through the NO box [👉].

Sample [👉] Now you do these here. Go ahead.

 That’s right. Now you know how to do them.

  That’s not quite right. Look here [👉]. Here are the shapes. Now look over here [👉]…. [choose]:
…Here is the same shape [👉], so you should draw a line through it.
…None of these shapes are the same, so you should draw a line through the NO box.

Items When I say go, do these the same way. Start here [👉], go in order, and don’t miss any. Work as fast as you can without
making mistakes until I tell you to stop. When you finish the first page, go to the second page [👉] and the following pages
[👉]. Are you ready?

Go.
WAIS Cheat Sheet
8. Visual Puzzles
Item Verbal instructions
Demo. Imagine this picture is a puzzle [👉]. I am going to choose three of these pieces [👉] that go together to make the puzzle.
The three pieces should fit next to each other, and not on top of each other.
After I look at all of the pieces, I choose these three pieces [👉]. If I put them together in my mind, they would make
the puzzle [👉].
Even though I could put these two pieces together to look like the puzzle [👉], I would not choose them because I
have to make the puzzle from three pieces.
Even though I could put these three pieces together to look like the puzzle [👉], I would not choose them because I
would have to put this piece [👉] on top of this piece[👉], and then put both pieces on top of this piece [👉]. I cannot stack
the pieces to make them look like the puzzle.
These three pieces [👉] are the only ones that fit next to each other to look like the puzzle.

Sample Now you try one. You may have to turn a piece in your mind to make it fit. Which three of these pieces [👉] go together to
make this puzzle [👉].

 That’s right. If you put these three pieces together [👉], they will make this puzzle [👉]. You had to turn this one [👉] to
make it fit. Let’s try some more.

  Let’s look again. After you look at all of the pieces, you see that this piece [👉] should go here [👉], this piece [👉]
should go here [👉], and this piece [👉] should go here [👉]. You had to turn this one [👉] to make it fit. Let’s try some more.

1 - 26 Which three of these pieces [👉] go together to make this puzzle [👉]?

[🕒 approx. 10/20 seconds]  Do you have an answer?

WAIS Cheat Sheet
9. Information
Item Verbal instructions
1 What day comes after Monday?
2 What is the shape of most balls?
3 What is a thermometer used for?
4 How many seconds are there in one minute?
5 Who wrote Hamlet?
6 What is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into northern and southern halves?
7 On what continent is Brazil?
8 Who was Cleopatra?
9 Name a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War.
10 What is water made of?
11 On what continent is the Sahara Desert?
12 What is the capital of Italy?
13 In what country were the first Olympic games?
14 Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
15 Whose name is usually associated with the theory of relativity?
16 Who was Mahatma Gandhi?
17 At what temperature does water boil?
18 What was Marie Curie famous for?
19 Tell me the names of three types of blood vessel in the human body.
20 What language has the most native speakers?
21 What is the largest organ of the human body?
22 Who was Catherine the Great?
23 Who created the character Sherlock Holmes?
24 Who wrote Alice in Wonderland?
25 What is the circumference of the Earth at the equator?
26 How many minutes does it take for sunlight to reach the Earth?
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10. Coding
Item Verbal instructions
Demo. [👉] Look at these boxes. Each box has a number in the top part [👉] and a special mark in the bottom part [👉]. Each
number has its own mark [👉].
[👉] Down here, the boxes have numbers in the top parts but are empty in the bottom parts. You are to draw the
marks that belong in the empty boxes, like this.
[👉] Here is a 6. The 6 has this mark [👉], so I draw that mark in the box, like this [👉].
[👉] Here is an 8. The 8 has this mark [👉], so I draw that mark in the box [👉].
[👉] Here is a 3. The 3 has this mark [👉], so I draw that mark in the box [👉].

Sample Now you do these [👉]. Stop when you get to this line [👉].

 [Praise, e.g.] Yes. Right. Now you know how to do them.

  [Correct mistakes immediately, e.g.] You see, this is a 9. The 9 has this mark, so I draw that mark in the box.

Test When I say go, do these the same way. Start here [👉], go in order, and don’t skip any. Work as fast as you can without
making mistakes until I tell you to stop. Are you ready?

Go.