The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), designed for children between six and 16 years and 11 months, is one of the most popular IQ tests for children. Created to test both verbal and performance abilities, the WISC is commonly used by schools for placing both gifted and developmentally disabled children into appropriate learning programs. Despite its popularity, the WISC test is not recommended for measuring intelligence at the extreme ends of the spectrum -- IQ scores below 40 or above 160.
The Stanford-Binet (SB) Intelligence Test is used for measuring intelligence and cognitive abilities in adults, as well as children as young as two years old. The SB Test is descended from the Binet-Simon scale, which became the first standardized intelligence test in 1905. The score is based on the child's performance in four key areas: verbal reasoning, abstract/visual reasoning, quantitative reasoning and short-term memory. The test typically lasts between 45 and 90 minutes but older children, who typically complete more subtests, may take as long as two hours and 30 minutes to complete the test.
The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RAIS), which only takes about 35 minutes to complete, is the shortest test that measures full intelligence. Also in contrast to most other IQ tests, the RAIS doesn't rely on the areas of motor coordination, visual-motor speed and reading skills when scoring the test. The test's four sections -- verbal intelligence index (VIX), nonverbal intelligence index (NIX), composite intelligence index (CIX) and composite memory index (CMX) -- are combined to deduce the total composite score. The RAIS can be given to children as young as three years old.
The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) is a quick way to estimate intelligence and is often used to help identify students who would benefit for being placed in a gifted program. The test measures verbal versus nonverbal intelligence and is especially effective in measuring the abilities of adolescents. The test is also used as part of large-scale screenings to help identify students who are at a high-risk of having a developmental disability.