WAIS Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On the WAIS Similarities subtest, an examiner asks 'How are a poem and a novel alike?' The best response would be:
- Both use words to express ideas or tell stories (Correct answer)
- Both are exactly the same length
- Both are always fiction
- Both are read silently
Correct answer: Both use words to express ideas or tell stories
Similarities responses earn full credit when they identify an abstract, superordinate category shared by both items (e.g., literary forms using language).
Question 2: Which WAIS-IV subtest requires an examinee to define words presented orally and in print?
- Vocabulary (Correct answer)
- Information
- Comprehension
- Similarities
Correct answer: Vocabulary
The Vocabulary subtest asks examinees to define words, tapping word knowledge, verbal concept formation, and long-term memory.
Question 3: A clinician notes an examinee scores significantly lower on Vocabulary than on Information. What might this pattern suggest?
- Better rote factual knowledge than expressive word knowledge (Correct answer)
- Better abstract reasoning than verbal ability
- Stronger working memory than language skills
- Superior processing speed
Correct answer: Better rote factual knowledge than expressive word knowledge
Higher Information relative to Vocabulary may reflect strong factual/general knowledge with weaker expressive vocabulary or word retrieval.
Question 4: The VCI is considered relatively resistant to neurological insult primarily because:
- It relies on crystallized, long-acquired knowledge less affected by acute brain changes (Correct answer)
- It measures only fluid reasoning
- It requires no language processing
- It is timed and rewards processing speed
Correct answer: It relies on crystallized, long-acquired knowledge less affected by acute brain changes
Crystallized abilities tapped by VCI subtests are built over years and tend to be preserved even after brain injury.
Question 5: On the Comprehension subtest, a question asks 'Why do we shake hands when we meet someone?' A 2-point answer would:
- Provide two plausible social or cultural reasons (Correct answer)
- Simply say 'it is polite'
- Reference a historical origin only
- Refuse to answer
Correct answer: Provide two plausible social or cultural reasons
Two-point Comprehension responses typically provide two distinct, conceptually different reasons or a more complete explanation.
Question 6: Which score is NOT part of the four primary index scores on the WAIS-IV?
- General Ability Index (GAI) (Correct answer)
- Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI)
- Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI)
- Working Memory Index (WMI)
Correct answer: General Ability Index (GAI)
The GAI is a supplemental composite, not one of the four primary index scores; VCI, PRI, WMI, and PSI are the four primary indexes.
Question 7: An examinee's VCI score of 130 falls at approximately which percentile?
- 98th (Correct answer)
- 84th
- 75th
- 91st
Correct answer: 98th
A VCI of 130 is two standard deviations above the mean of 100 (SD=15), placing it at the 98th percentile.
WAIS Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) 2
On the WAIS Similarities subtest, an examiner asks 'How are a poem and a novel alike?' The best response would be: