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Woodcock Johnson Tests
What is the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities?
The Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities are IQ tests devised by Woodcock and Johnson in the late 1970’s. The Woodcock Johnson Tests were revised most recently in 2014 and this latest version is commonly called the WJ IV test. The Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities can be given to children from the age of 2 through adulthood. The Woodcock Johnson tests cover a wide range of cognitive skills.
The Woodcock Johnson III and Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Achievement are 22-section achievement tests, which assess both academic achievement (what children have learned in school) and cognitive development. They are sometimes paired with an intelligence test to qualify children for gifted and talented programs.
The Woodcock Johnson IV test, or Woodcock Johnson Fourth Edition, was recently released as the newest and most recent version of the Woodcock Johnson test. The Fourth Edition serves to replace the Woodcock Johnson III, or Third Edition. This older version was used for some time until replaced by this newest version.
Historically, the Woodcock Johnson test has been used for a broad range of ages from young children to elderly individuals. For kids, the test is often used to determine whether they are eligible for entry into a gifted or advanced program. As a result, doing well on the test can be important for the child’s educational future.
The Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities contain the greatest breadth of cognitive abilities of any standardized body of tests. These tests help to identify learning problems. It helps to measure aspects of seven different broad CHC abilities (Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory, commonly abbreviated to CHC, is a prominent psychological theory on the structure of human cognitive abilities). Finally, it offers a new Gf-Gc Composite [This measures intellectual level (or intellectual development) from Fluid Reasoning (Gf) and Comprehension-Knowledge (Gc) tests alone] for comparison with other cognitive abilities, oral language, and achievement.
Understanding relative strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the Gf-Gc Composite can lead to individualized instruction designed to target identified learning needs. The examiners can use the Cognitive Abilities tests alone, but if combined with the Oral and Achievement tests, it will increase diagnostic capability and sensitivity, providing greater insight into your child’s abilities and needs.
When students are given the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, the examiner may administer the Standard Battery questions or the Extended Battery, depending on what the school district requires. Subtests in the Extended Battery are often given if the district wants to evaluate a child’s reading, math, writing, language or other skills. The test also contains new domain-specific scholastic aptitude CLUSTERS that allow for efficient and valid predictions of academic achievement, providing even more feedback for specific help that can be given for your child. The tests of achievement help compare your child’s levels of achievement to academic knowledge.
Prepare your child to tackle both the Standard and Extended Batteries of the Woodcock Johnson Tests with ease. TestingMom.com can help build your child’s confidence! We offer access to 3,000+ practice questions that cover the skills found on the 11 Standard Battery and 9 Extended Battery tests.
Plus, we offer parent resources to help you navigate the testing process, access to 30+ games from top educational publishers, a Student Success Team who’s standing by to help with your questions, and more!
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Skill Assessment
The skills tested on the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities are:
- Comprehension-Knowledge
- Long-Term Retrieval
- Visual-Spatial Thinking
- Auditory Processing
- Fluid Reasoning
- Processing Speed
- Short-Term Memory
- Quantitative Knowledge
- Reading-Writing Ability
Breakdown for Woodcock Johnson
The following tests are included in the Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Achievement Standard Battery:
- Test 1: Letter-Word Identification
- Test 2: Applied Problems
- Test 3: Spelling
- Test 4: Passage Comprehension
- Test 5: Calculation
- Test 6: Writing Samples
- Test 7: Word Attack
- Test 8: Oral Reading – NEW
- Test 9: Sentence Reading Fluency
- Test 10: Math Facts Fluency
- Test 11: Writing Fluency
The following tests are included in the Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Achievement Extended Battery:
- Test 12: Reading Recall – NEW
- Test 13: Number Matrices- NEW
- Test 14: Editing
- Test 15: Word Reading Fluency – NEW
- Test 16: Spelling of Sounds
- Test 17: Reading Vocabulary
- Test 18: Science
- Test 19: Social Studies
- Test 20: Humanities
The following tests are included in the Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Achievement CLUSTERS:
- Brief Achievement
- Reading
- Written Language
- Reading Fluency
- Reading Rate
- Mathematics
- Math Problem Solving
- Reading Comprehension Extended
- Reading Comprehension
- Broad Reading
- Basic Reading
- Broad Achievement
- Broad Mathematics
- Math Calculation Skills
- Broad Written Language
- Basic Writing Skills
- Written Expression
- Academic Skills
- Academic Applications
- Academic Fluency
- Academic Knowledge
- Phoneme – Grapheme Knowledge
The following tests are included in the Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Oral Language Standard Battery:
- Test 1: Picture Vocabulary
- Test 2: Oral Comprehension
- Test 3: Segmentation –NEW
- Test 4: Rapid Picture Naming
- Test 5: Sentence Repetition
- Test 6: Understanding Directions
- Test 7: Sound Blending
- Test 8: Retrieval Fluency
- Test 9: Sound Awareness
The following tests are included in the Woodcock Johnson IV Tests of Oral Language CLUSTERS:
- Listening Comprehension (Spanish) –NEW
- Broad Oral Language (Spanish) –NEW
- Oral Language (Spanish) –NEW
- Speed of Lexical Access –NEW
- Phonetic Coding –NEW
- Vocabulary* –NEW
- Oral Language
- Broad Oral Language
- Oral Expression
- Listening Comprehension
* Obtained when used with the WJ IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities
Want to help your children build the confidence and familiarity they need to score higher on the Woodcock Johnson Tests? Join TestingMom.com! In addition to thousands of practice questions, we’ve also got lessons for parents so you understand the best way to help your child prep for Test Day.
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Looking for more resources to help your child approach the Woodcock Johnson Tests with confidence? TestingMom.com can help with:
- 3,000+ Woodcock Johnson practice questions that cover both the Standard and Extended Batteries to help your child build confidence and familiarity for Test Day.
- A customizable program, based on your child’s grade level and upcoming tests, so you can target your child’s prep for maximum improvement.
- Interactive practice with 30+ games from top educational publishers to strengthen your child’s overall skills like math, language arts, science, social studies and more.
- A Student Success Team to help you if you need a little advice or if you get stuck.
- Over 100,000 practice questions for the most popular tests for Pre-K to 8th Grade, including gifted and talented, private school admissions, state tests and more—all for one low price.
- Parent resources to help you easily navigate your child’s testing process.
See if TestingMom.com supports your child’s test by your school district. If you don't see your child's school district listed, check with us! We have practice for other tests as well.
Tell us about your experiences
38 Responses
Yujie
Dear Sir/Madame,
I am a senior student from China, and I would like to do a research to investigate the factors that related to math achievement of students in primary school in Shanghai, China. I find that many researches use Woodcock Johnson III to test the math achievement of children. However, I could not find the manual for this text, could you please tell me how can I get access to it?
Michelle
That edition of the test is old and outdated. You will have a difficult time finding the manual. I would encourage you and any other researcher/examiner to use the latest and most updated version of the Woodcock Johnson which is the Woodcock Johnson -IV. It has math, reading, writing and so much more to offer in the area of assessment.
TestingMom.com
We do have practice materials for our members for the Woodcock Johnson-IV. Once you log-in, you can go here:
https://members.testingmom.com/test-prep/wj-iv/practice-questions
Debbie
After 34 years as a LDTC in Piscataway I recently became an independent Learning Consultant and need to order my own copy of the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement. I haven’t been able to find where I can order this test
Hao
the Woodcock Johnson Tests
TestingMom.com
Hi Hao –
We do provide a section for the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement with a paid subscription to TestingMom.com.
All the best,
Marcus
Linda
Who is allowed to administer the Woodcock Johnson tests? I have a MSE in Education with a specialty in Reading. Would I qualify to administer the tests?
TestingMom.com
Hi Linda –
The Woodcock-Johnson is an IQ Test and must be administered by a psychologist.
All the best,
Marcus
Cecilia
This test can also be administered by an educational specialist (Special Ed teacher or RSP teacher) as well it is used to assess the strengths and weaknesses in cognitive, academic, and linguistic abilities.
Beth
Can the WJ-iv be administered more than one time per year?
TestingMom.com
Hi Beth –
This would be a question best answered by your child’s school district.
All the best,
Marcus
marilyn
my son has learning disabilities and was tested when he was 7 his scores were very low, my question is, do they test when they get older or do they go by that test the rest of their life?
TestingMom.com
Hi Marilyn –
We would certainly recommend speaking to your son’s teacher. This test can be given again, but it is left to the discretion of the school.
All the best,
Marcus
Larry
I am trying to interpret my child’s scores on the Woodcock Johnson Teat Of Achievement Form A. Please tell me what the SSPR stands for in the sixth column of his Woodcock Johnson IV Score report.
I am looking for his Percentile rank.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
TestingMom.com
Hi Larry, please email our Parent Success Team at help@testingmom.com and we can help you out with the Woodcock Johnson results.
Tracey Miller
Hi there I would like to have my child tested for Dyslexia if possible , could you tell me what the cost of this would be please he is 13 years old , Thank you
bsulciner@me.com
I was supposed to free questions upon signing up, however, when I clicked where it told me to nothing happed. I’m extremely unhappy and will not be paying to sign up for anything on your site!
Regina
My child was a given an IEP assessment with this test. Particularly my concern for my child is the section Reading Clusters. In 4 categories he rated as Low Average, 1 category rated as low, and 2 categories rated as average. This was exactly why I requested the IEP assessment but they say that he is doing “fine” or “average”. This doesn’t make any sense to me as I see there is a clear problem. Help.
TestingMom.com
Hi Regina, if you’ll email us at help@testingmom.com and we can research more on the Woodcock Johnson scoring for your child.
Shelley
What do the test scores mean, where are the number/scores ranges for indication of impairment.
TestingMom.com
Hi Shelley, that’s a great question about the scoring on the Woodcock Johnson! Please email us at help@testingmom.com and provide us more information.
Rose Anderson
Please send more information
TestingMom.com
For more information, please email us at help@testingmom.com.
Aleah
Hi there
Is the Woodcock-Johnson III still used, or can people only administer version IV now?
TestingMom.com
Great question! Here’s what we know about the updated version. The Woodcock-Johnson tests are a series of individually administered tests of cognitive abilities, academic achievement, and oral language. The Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III) was the third edition of this series of tests, while the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV) is the fourth edition.
Although the WJ IV was released in 2014, the WJ III is still used by some practitioners and researchers. However, it is important to note that the WJ III has been superseded by the WJ IV, which is the current version of the test. The WJ IV is an updated and improved version of the WJ III, and it includes new features such as expanded age ranges, updated norms, and new subtests.
While the WJ III may still be used in some settings, it is generally recommended that practitioners and researchers use the most current version of the Woodcock-Johnson tests, which is the WJ IV.
Jack
By providing practice questions aren’t you invalidating the test, especially for diagnostic purposes? You are not doing your children any favors by teaching the test.
TestingMom.com
Our materials provide the underlying skills needed for a child to do well on the Woodcock Johnson test. Providing practice questions for the Woodcock Johnson and preparing a child for a test can be beneficial in many ways. It is important to strike a balance between familiarizing a child with the testing process with focus on process of elimation, pacing through questions, etc.
Firstly, practice questions can help alleviate test anxiety, which is a common issue faced by many students. By familiarizing them with the format and types of questions they will encounter, we can empower them to feel more confident and comfortable in a testing environment.
Secondly, exposing children to practice questions allows them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are valuable assets not only for taking tests but also for their overall education and future success. It is essential to clarify that teaching the test is not the goal; rather, it is to foster these skills through exposure to various types of problems.
Elizabeth
My child was administered the Woodcock Johnson by an independent neuropsychologist. The same test was re-administered in less than three months by a teacher at the school my son attends. The school states that the performance on this test are relatively similar to prior testing results. My son has been diagnosed with a specific learning disability in written expression and reading fluency but the district states that they don’t observe that, and in their interpretation my child is above average, and it doesn’t meet their criteria for a SLD. How re-administering the test in less than 3 months affect my child? Is the test valid?
TestingMom.com
We, at Testing Mom, can appreciate your concerns and it’s clear you are an engaged and dedicated parent. Let’s unpack the situation with the Woodcock Johnson test that your son has undergone twice in less than three months.
The Woodcock Johnson test is a well-respected and widely-used tool for measuring various cognitive abilities and academic skills. It’s especially useful in diagnosing specific learning disabilities, like the one you mentioned your son has been diagnosed with.
However, regarding the re-administration of the test in less than three months, there are certain factors to consider. While it’s not inherently problematic to re-administer the test within this timeframe, the scores might not necessarily reflect significant changes in your child’s abilities or skills over such a short period.
In terms of the validity of the test, the Woodcock Johnson is a well-validated measure. Nevertheless, the interpretation of the results can sometimes be subjective and depend on the professional administering and evaluating the test. If the school and the neuropsychologist have different interpretations of your son’s performance, it might be beneficial to have a conversation with both parties to understand the reasons behind their conclusions.
Moreover, eligibility for special services often requires that a child’s learning disability significantly impacts their academic performance. If your son’s scores are interpreted as “above average,” this could be why the school is stating that he does not meet their criteria for a Specific Learning Disability (SLD), even though he has a diagnosis. Please talk to the neuropsychologist or other medical professional for their advice on this matter since they will have more knowledge of the specifics of your son’s situation.
Keep advocating for your son, Elizabeth. Your involvement in his education will make a significant difference for the years to come!
Marwa Saeed Abd Elmaksoud
I am Marwa Saeed , Pediatric Neurologist from Egypt. I need to ask about the possibility to conduct a Reserch on Woodcock Johnson Tests through translation and validation on Egyptian children with learning disabilities
Is this possible?! How can we get it and practice on?!
Thanks I’m advance
TestingMom.com
Hello Marwa, please email us at help@testingmom.com for more info. Thanks
Iman Chbib
Hello . I am a psychologist and I want to learn Woodcock Johnson
Can you give me details about the test ?
Thank you in advance
TestingMom.com
Hi Iman, we have information on these two pages that outlines in detail about the Woodcock Johnson tests:
Ava
So good
Dima
Is there a difference between the achievement battery in the Woodcock Johnson selection, the third edition, and the achievement battery in the fourth edition?… If so, what is it?
TestingMom.com
The Woodcock-Johnson IV is the updated and redesigned edition of one of the most widely used batteries of individually administered psycho-educational tests. This latest version places emphasis on the most important and diagnostically useful measures of academic achievement, oral
language, and cognitive abilities. The design of three independent and co-normed batteries facilitates the evaluation of strengths and weaknesses within—and among—measures of academic performance, oral language competence,
and cognitive abilities.
Mohammed
what sub tests in ‘Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities’ can be conducted to 2-4 years old children to identify specific learning disorders
TestingMom.com
Hi Mohammed – we highly recommend reading the “Parent Lessons” on our Woodcock Johnson test practice page at https://members.testingmom.com/test-prep/wj-iv/parent-lessons
There are early lessons listed near the bottom of the page that you may want to check out. Thank you for coming to TestingMom.com for more information!