When you’re looking for a job, applying for a loan or aiming to get your child into the best school, it helps to have a good IQ score on a hand. In South Africa, there are several ways to measure your IQ and find out how smart you really are. Here are some of the most common tests used in this country:
IQ Tests Used in South Africa
The SSAIS-R is a psychometric test that was developed to measure intelligence in children. They revised it in 1991, making it the most widely used intelligence test in South Africa.
The test measures seven different factors of a child’s mental ability: verbal comprehension, quantitative mechanics, spatial visualization, memory recall and learning speed. Based on these results, you can determine whether your child has strengths or weaknesses in any of these areas and how she compares to other children her age using norms provided by the creators of the test (the National Institute for Psychometric Research).
SAQI – South African Quality of Life Inventory
SAQI is a questionnaire that measures quality of life, physical and mental health, happiness and children’s quality of life.
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition (WISC-III).
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition (WISC-III) is a standardized test that measures intelligence in children aged 6 to 16 years. It is a comprehensive test that measures both verbal and performance abilities, so it does not just focus on one aspect of your child’s thinking abilities. The WISC-III uses the same norms for all age groups, so there is no need to re-test if your child gets older.
Ravens Progressive Matrices Standard Version and Coloured Progressive Matrices.
A standard version of the test, called the Raven’s Progressive Matrices Standard Version, is most often used in South Africa. The Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) is also widely used in South Africa and other countries.
The standard version uses black-and-white illustrations while the coloured version uses colouring to make them more visually appealing and to make it easier for children with visual impairments to use them. Both versions measure intelligence level by assessing pattern recognition abilities that are strongly related to general intelligence or IQ and may also diagnose learning disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
These are four tests used to measure and grade IQ in South Africa
In measuring, grading and assessing IQ in South Africa, there are four tests that you need to know about. These include:
- Ravens Progressive Matrices Standard Version and Coloured Progressive Matrices (this is a nonverbal measure of intelligence that is used by psychologists worldwide)
- SAQI – South African Quality of Life Inventory (a survey designed to assess the quality of life)
- The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition (WISC-III).
Conclusion
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition (WISC-III) is the most commonly used IQ test in South Africa.
