Two- and four-subtest short forms of the WAIS-R: a closer look at validity and reliability

Vocabulary and Block Design were proposed previously as a two-subtest short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised; the addition of Arithmetic and Picture Arrangement was suggested to provide a four-subtest short form of the scale. The present article reports the validities (correlations with the Full Scale) and reliabilities of these two short forms for each of the nine age groups in the standardization sample, together with standard errors of estimate and standard errors of measurement. The results are judged to support the use of these particular short forms for the purposes for which they were intended.