INTELLIGENCE

SCALE FOR INDIAN CHILDREN (ISIC)

By Dr. A. J. Malin, M.A., M. Ed., Ph. D.
Adaptation of WISC
Director for Administration of the ISIC
The tests in MISIC:
Verbal

Performance

Information

Picture Completion

General Comprehension

Block Design

Arithmetic

Object Assembly

Analogies and Similarities

Coding

Vocabulary

Mazes

Digit Span

Age Group: 6 years- 15 years 11 months

I. INFORMATION TEST
Directions: Read each question as stated and in the order given. If responses are not clear it is
permissible to say- Explain more, Tell me more about it, or some other neutral non- leading
questions.
Questions 1-5 are used with children below 8 years or suspected mental defects. Children
above 8 years should be asked questions 6 & above. If the child above 8 years cannot answer
the 5th, 6th and 7th question correctly, the examiner has to ask the previous 5 questions again.
Acceptable answers are indicated in parentheses.
Scoring: The test discontinues after 5 consecutive failures. Credit for items 1-5 is given is
subject passes 6, 7 & 8. Each item is scored as 1 or 0. (Every right answer gets a credit of 1)
It is a heavily culture loaded test.
Instructions: Im going to ask you a few simple questions. Try to answer them as best as you
can.
TEST QUESTIONS:
1. How many ears do you have? (2 ears)
2. What do you call this finger (show thumb)? (thumb)
3. How many legs does a dog have? (4 legs)
4. Which animal gives us milk? (goat, cow, buffalo)
5. How do we boil water? (heat it, etc.)

6. Where will you go to buy sugar? (Market, kirana, local shops name etc.)
7. How many paise make a rupee? (100 paise)
8. How many days are there in a week? (7 days)
9. Where does the sun set? (West)
10. What are the seasons of the year (In India)? (Winter, Summer, Rainy cold, hot, rainy)
11. Which is the top/ upper colour of the flag of our country? (Red, orange, saffron, etc.)
12. When do we celebrate (keep) Independence Day? (If it is too close, substitute: What do
we celebrate on January 26?) (15th August, Republic Day)
13. What is the colour of a pearl? (white, off white, can make other colors too)

14. What is the work of the stomach? (grinds, mixes, digests)

15. Why do we honour Gandhiji as the Father of India? (Independence Labours etc.)
16. Why does oil float on water? (lighter)
17. What was the capital of old Mughal Empire? (Agra, Delhi)
18. What is Sanskrit? (imply ancient or sacred Indian language)
19. How tall is the average (ordinary) Indian man? (anywhere between 5ft. 1 inch to 5 ft 9
inches)
20. In what part of the world do we find India? (Asia, Northern or Eastern Hemisphere)
21. Who composed the national anthem (Jana gana mana)? (Rabindranath Tagore)
22. Where is Singapore? (Malay Peninsula, South East Asia; near Borneo, Australia etc.)
23. How many thousands are there in a lakh? (100 thousands)
24. Who was the first European or foreign invader to come into India? (Alexander, Vasco da
Gama)
25. What is the distance between Bombay & Calcutta? (1000-3000 miles) (1300-1900km)
26. What is a barometer? (measures air pressure, heights, predicts weather)
27. Why do we celebrate Republic day? / What do we celebrate on Republic day?
(Constitution, abolition of monarchy, notion of independence not enough)
28. How do we get kerosene? (imply process from crude oil)
29. Who was Chenghis Khan? (Chinese or Mongol ruler)
30. What is the full form/ meaning of M. R. P./ VPP ? (Maximum Retail Price)

II. GENERAL COMPREHENSION TEST

This is a test designed to measure SOCIAL JUDGEMENT OR daily life judgment . The instructions
are the same as the General Information Test. The test taker is expected to repeat the question
if required and encourage the client with remarks such as "yes...go ahead" etc. For an 8 year old
child the test taker begins from question 6 and if the child is below 8 years begin from question
1. If responses from 1-5 are correct then one can continue till 3 consecutive failures. A score of
0,1 or 2 is given for questions 6-14.

QUESTIONS

1) What should you do if you cut your finger? Possible responses - apply medicine, clean ( score
of 2), see a doctor ( score of 1), cry, go to the mother ( zero)
2) What would you do if your mother sends you to buy sugar and the shopkeeper says he does
not have any? Possible responses - go to another shop (score of 2), go home and tell ( score of
1), buy something else instead ( zero)
3) what should you do if a boy/girl smaller than you starts to fight with you? Possible responses
- don't hit back ( score of 2), complain to someone ( score of 1), hit back (zero)
4) what should you do if you lose your friend's ball and you cannot find it ? Possible responses -
replace it (score of 2), say sorry (score of 1)
5) what should you do if you found a railway line broken and at the same time noticed a train
about to come ? Possible responses - issue some kind of warning (score of 2), tell the station
master (score of 1), tell the police ( zero)
6) instead of spending all your money, why would it be better to save some, in a bank? Possible
responses - ensures safety, gives interest, for future needs, encourage thrift (score of 2)
7) why are criminals sent to jail? Possible responses - stop evil, to punish them, ensure safety of
the community, to teach them a lesson ( score of 2)
8) why does a shopkeeper prefer cash as against giving items on credit ? Customer might forget
to repay ( score of 2) , cheated
9)why should we respect and obey those who teach us ? Possible responses - elder, like parents
, help us ( score of 2)
10) why should we be kind to animals ? Possible responses - because they too are living being
(score of 2)

11) why should the government set examinations when selecting job applicants ? Give equal
chances to all, may the best man get win ( score of 2)
12) why is it bad to break a promise ? It's characterless to do so, loss of reputation, might cause
harm to others (score of 2 )
13) why is it wrong to steal? Unethical , does not belong to you (score of 2)
14) why is a parliament needed in our system of government? Because we are a democracy (
score of 2)



III. ARITHMETIC TEST
Material: List of problems, problems presented on cards, scoring sheet, paper for client, pencil.
Directions:-

Under 8 years or suspected mental defectives

Start with Problems 1, 2, 3.

Above 8 years

Problems 4-12 and 16 are read out.

13, 14, 15 are presented on the separate cards to be read out by the subject.

Give credit for items 1, 2, 3 if subject works out items 4, 5.

General Instructions:-
-

Timing starts after stating the problem the first time.

Repetitions allowed but at the expense of the subjects timing.

Second trial allowed within time limit.

Names and problems may be adapted to local conditions and prices but FIGURES MUST
NOT BE CHANGED.

Scoring:-
Score of 1 or 0.

1. Place 9 blocks (or coins )in a row saying: count these with your finger

45

2. Rearrange the row saying: Give 4 blocks to me.

45

3. Rearrange as above saying: Take 7 and give me the rest.

45

30

5. Prem has 4. Mummy gives him 2 more. How many does he have now?

30

6. Rita has 8 bananas and buys 6 more. How many bananas does she have now?

30

7. Teacher has 12 books and sells 5. How many does she have left now?

30

8. If one pencil costs 7, how much will 3 pencils cost?

30

9. A milkman has 25 bottles of milk, he sold 11. How many bottles are left?

30

4. If I break this (pencil) in half, how many pieces will there be?

10. A workman after finishing his job was given 36 as his pay. He had agreed
for 4 each day. Tell me how many days he worked.

30

11. Let us say you want to buy some marbles (ribbons). They cost 30
(Make this distinct from 13) paise a dozen. Now you have a rupee and want

60

to buy 3 dozen. How much change will you receive? (10p)

12. Four boys (girls) have gathered 72 marbles (flowers). If they divide them
equally, how much will each get? (18)

13. If 3 pencils cost 5, what will 24 pencils cost? ( 40)

60

60

14. If bus fare is 20 for the first quarter kilometer and only 5 for each 120
other quarter kilometer; what will be the fare for 2 kilometers? ( 55)
15. Prem and Raj start a marble game with 27 marbles each. They agree that at 120
the end of each game, the loser must give up one third of what he has left.
16. Now, Prem wins 3 games. How much does Raj have left for the 4th game? (8)

17. 36 is two- thirds of which whole number? (54)

30

IV ANALOGIES AND SIMILARITIES

Instructions: For subjects less than 8 years. Before beginning the test, say: now listen carefully
as I am going to read you a sentence which you must complete.
Score: 2 for every correct analogy.

ANALOGIES TEST
1. Lemons are sour, but sugar is
2. You walk with your legs and throw with your . (hand, arm)
3. Boys grow up to be men, and girls grow up to be ( women, ladies)
4. A knife and a piece of glass can both (cut, hurt)

SIMILARITIES TEST
Instructions: in what way are a mango and an orange alike?
If the subject fails to answer, explain to them that both are fruits and ask them to try to come
up with another similarity. Then try the cat and the mouse item, explain to them for the last
time if they fail. Discontinue after three consecutive failures or go back to the analogies test.

Scoring: grades could be 2, 1 or 0. If they get a score of at least 3 on items 5, 6 and 7, give
them credit for the 4 items in the analogies test i.e. 8 points.

TEST ITEMS
5. Mango- Orange
6. Cat- Mouse
7. Harmonium Flute
8. Milk- Medicine
9. Ruler Scale
10. Scissors Brass pot
11. Paper- Coal
12. Salt- Water
13. Mountain Lake
14. Liberty Justice
15. First Last
16. Numbers 49 and 121
GRADES AND SCORING SAMPLES
5. MANGO: 2 =fruits. 1=both round; have skin; seeds; food. 0= sweet; from trees.
6. CAT: 2= animals. 1= four legs; eyes; both eat. 0 = chase.
7. ORGAN: 2= both wind; musical instruments. 1= play them both; have keys; both give tunes.
\ 0= both make noise.
8. MILK: 2= both good for health; good to take. 1= consumables.
9. RULER: 2=both measure. 1= both have numbers. 0= made of the same material.
10. SCISSORS: 2= both made of metal. 1= made of iron or steel.
11. PAPER: 2= carbon; originate from trees. 1= both burn.
12. SALT: 2= chemical compound; necessary for life. 1= cooking.
13. MOUNTAIN: 2= geographical or natural features of landscape; common origin. 1= both are
scenery, landscape.
14. LIBERTY: 2= social ideal, or rights. 1= relate to government; needed for the country; have
to do with law. 0= mean peace.
15. FIRST: 2= extremes of position; position in a series or rank. 1= both at the ends. 0= both
opposites or numbers.
16. 49: 2= perfect squares; odd number square roots. 1= odd numbers; cannot be divided by 2.
0= both are numbers.

V. VOCABULARY TEST

Instructions
I want to see how many words you know. Tell me now for example what CYCLE means.
What is a cycle? If response is vague or has only the score value of 1 then question further,
for example, What else does it mean? Explain a little more.

Below 8 years (Qs 1-9)

Above 8 years- (Qs 10 onwards)

Scoring

Discontinue after 5 consecutive failures

For questions 1- 6, scores of 2 or 0 are given

For the rest of questions score of 0, 1 or 2 is given

Questions from 10-14 need to get a score of 2 for being giving credit of 2 points for
1-9 items.)

If a score of 1 is also obtained in questions 10-14 then we need to go backwards

from question 9, till a score of 2 is obtained on 5 consecutive items. The credit
scores of 2 each are given to any item below this point.


VI. DIGIT SPAN
DIGIT SPAN FORWARD
DIRECTIONS:"I am going to say some numbers. Listen carefully and when I finish repeat them
after me (one per second). If subject repeats Trial I correctly of a series then go on to next
higher number in same trail. If he fails then give a second chance from trail II. Discontinue if
fails on both trails of given series.
Scoring : his score is the highest number of digits repeated without error. Go to trial II only if
trial I is incorrect . Thus if he only repeated five digits his score is 5. Total score combines
forward and backward.
Series trial I trail II
3 3-8-6 6-1-2
4 3-4-1-7 6-1-5-8
5 8-4-2-3-9

5-2-1-8-9

6 3-8-9-1-7-4

7-9-6-4-8-3

7 5-1-7-4-2-3-8 9-8-5-2-1-6-3
8 1-6-4-5-9-7-6-3 2-9-7-6-3-1-5-4
9 5-3-8-7-1-2-4-6-9 4-2-6-9-1-7-8-3-5



DIGIT SPAN BACKWARDS
DIRECTIONS : "Now I am going to say some more number but this time when I stop you have to
say them backwards." Give an example and let the subject try. Scoring and directions as in the
above.
Series trail I trail II
2 2-5

6-3

3 5-7-4

2-5-9

4 7-2-9-6

8-4-9-3

5 4-1-3-5-7

9-7-8-5-2

6 1-6-5-2-9-8

3-6-7-1-9-4

7 8-5-9-2-3-4-2

4-5-7-9-2-8-1

8 6-9-1-6-3-2-5-8

3-1-7-9-5-4-8-2




VII. PICTURE COMPLETION
It involves discovering consistency and inconsistency by paying close attention to the
environment and accessing remote memory.

Several pictures are shown, each having a part missing. Child must identify the missing
part.

Measures ability to observe details and recognize specific features of the environment
(i.e., whole to part discrimination). Also measures performance in deliberately focusing
attention on a task.

The Picture Completion subtest requires recognition of the missing part in pictures.
Measures visual perception, long-term visual memory, and the ability to differentiate
essential from inessential details.

Each card is to be exposed for 15 sec.

Scoring-
1 point for each correct answer
Discontinue after 4 failures
If there are 3 correct answers from last 5 items, then give a bonus point. Not to be
given if the S gets all correct !!
Total maximum score-20

Instructions-
I am going to show you some pictures in which there a part is missing. Look carefully at the
card and tell me what important part is missing. (Subject can be helped in the first 2 cards)
Error
This test is dependent on an individuals experience to his culture, thus a person unfamiliar with
American society will often make errors
Also will make errors if the person is unable to detach himself emotionally from the material


IX. OBJECT ASSEMBLY

NAME OF OBJECT

DIRECTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS

SCORING

SCORING

(perfect

(imperfect performance)

performance-time
bonus)
1. MANIKIN
(120)

Arrange pieces

These pieces will

7pts- 1-10

3pts- legs interchanged or inverted

behind a

make a boy. Go

6pts- 11-15

2pts- legs omitted or put as arm

screen

ahead and put

5pts- 16-20

1pt- only trunk is inverted to correct

according to

them together.

4pts- 21-120

position

These pieces will

9pts- 1-15

5pts- only stomach midpiece is inverted

make a horse. Go

8pts- 16-20

4pts- midpiece omitted or legs

ahead and put

7pts- 21-30

interchanged

them together.

6pts- 31-180

3pts- midpiece inverted

given diagram.
2. HORSE

Same as above

(180)

2pts- legs omitted

1pt- each two pieces joined properly
3. FACE

Same as above

(180)

Now, go ahead and 9pts- 1-35

5pts- eye inverted or hair pieces omitted

put these pieces

8pts- 36-45

4pts- nose omitted or mouth and chin

together.

7pts- 46-70

omitted

6pts- 71-180

3pts- large half omitted (2 pieces)

1pt- only large half and hair (3 pieces)
pt- each two pieces joined separate or
to the whole

4. AUTO
(180)

Same as above

Now, go ahead and 9pts- 1-25

5pts- door inverted or reversed

put these pieces

8pts- 26-30

1pt- pt- each two pieces joined separate

together.

7pts- 31-45

or to the whole

6pts- 46-180



INTERPRETATION:
This subtest measures the ability to analyze spatial information, synthesize spatial information,
non-verbal concept formation, visuo-motor coordination, perceptual speed, capacity for
sustained effort and perseverance.
Performance on this subtest is influenced by impulsivity, ability to work under pressure and
divergent thinking.
A high score (strength) on this test indicates that the client possesses good perceptual and
conceptual ability, ability to analyze and synthesize visuo-spatial information, ability to
concentrate, ability for sustained efforts.
A low score (weakness) on this test indicates ability has poor concentration, visuo-motor deficit,
low visuo-spatial and perceptual organization, impulsivity, compulsive trend (formation of
mental set), possibility color-blindness. It can also be a marker of organic brain damage.


X. CODING
-Design A:
(For subjects under 8 years and suspected mental defectors)
* Instructions: "Look at these and see how each one has some mark inside. Now look at these
samples and I want you to put in each figure the same mark that you find here in the top
row. Here is a star so put this mark inside. Do as fast as you can. Have you understood, shall we
begin"?.
* Conduction: Mark the first two or three samples for the subject and let them fill in the
remaining. Start timing when the samples have been finished.
* Timing and Scoring: Time limit is 120 seconds and the score is the number of designs
excluding the samples. If subject finishes all correctly before time then the following bonus
table is used,
-- 101-110secs---46points
-- 91-110secs --- 47points
-- 71 - 80 secs--- 49 points
-- 70 or less secs -- 50 points
- Design B
( for subjects 8 years and above)
* Instructions: " Look at these boxes or squares. See how each has a number in the upper half
and a mark in the lower half. Each number has its own special mark. Now look at the samples.
Here is a 2, so put in this mark and try the others until I tell you to stop. Do as fast as you can.
Have you understood ,shall we begin?"
*Conduction: Start timing when the samples have been completed. Watch out that the subject
does not skip.
* Timing and scoring: Time limit is 120 seconds and 1 point for each correct square excluding
the samples.
* NOTE: For left hand subjects an extra folded code so that they do not obscure their vision.



XI. MAZES
Directions
Show the sample and with a pencil, demonstrate saying- imagine someone trying to get out of
here. Use your pencil to show the way out. You cannot cross the lines and you cannot lift the
pencil once you start.
Subjects above 8 years can start with c and be credited for A and B if not more than 1 error on
c. Subjects below 8 years start with a. if fails on A or B show correct procedure.
Definition of error
1 entering a major blind alley (wandering around in such a blind alley including lesser alleys
doesnt increase the error nor re-entering it after going out.
2 crossing any line. A white space should be visible between the printed line and the pencil on
the wrong side.
3 lifting the pencil. Do not penalize twice if the lifting was done for eg to return to the path
after crossing a line. In which case the error of crossing the line alone is counted.




Scoring discontinue after 2 consecutive failures (0).
levels

3 points

2 points

1point

0 point

time

Abc

No error

1,2 errors

3 or more

30 sec

No error

not more than 3 error

2

4 or more

30 sec

No error

Not more than 3 error

2

4 or more

45 sec

No error

1 error

2-5 error

6 and more

40 sec

No error

1 error

2-6 error

7 and more

120 sec

No error

1 error

2-8 error

9 and more

120 sec

Interpretation
Looks at planning, sequence, visual material, perceptual organization, problem solving,
visuomotor coordination, speed and foresight.
Influenced by previous exposure to maze.
High score good in planning, visual concentration, perceptual and motor coordination,
foresight, flexibility in visual organization, ability to delay impulsive actions.
Low score impulsivity, poor planning, problem solving, and visuomotor coordination.