Abstract
The Woodcock–Johnson V Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ V COG), published in February 2025, offers the latest edition of the WJ family of tests alongside tests of academic achievement and oral language. The WJ V COG has changed substantially from previous editions regarding administration, which is now entirely digital. Administration and scoring are housed within the Riverside Insight's online platform. The test battery features several changes, such as the addition of five new tests and the removal of three tests, including measures of Auditory Processing (Ga). The WJ V COG maintains a CHC-based theoretical framework, although updated to align with current theory. Psychometric evidence, including validity, reliability, and item-level analysis, is robust. Evidence is less convincing for children under six. The assessment was co-normed with measures of academic achievement, and the norm sample was gathered post-COVID. Although some may find requirements of digital administration limiting, the WJ V COG offers an engaging and psychometrically sound option for the assessment of intelligence.
Keywords: assessment, intelligence, cognitive, digital administration, test review
The above independent review of the WJ V cognitive battery is now available for reading (and downloading) as an open access article at the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.
COI statement: I, Dr. Kevin McGrew, am senior author of the WJ V. However, I no longer (as in the past with the WJ III through WJ IV) have a royalty interest in the in the WJ V—I make ZERO income based on how many are sold. The publisher moved to a new independent contractor reimbursement model where the authors were paid for work on the WJ V prior to publication. However, I clearly have a potential professional non-income based COI given my lengthy history with the WJ batteries and my professional reputation. I do still receive royalties for sales of the WJ IV. I also have no post-publication contract (or COI) to work on any new features that the publisher adds to the digital product after the formal release in Feb 2025, which as a digital product, can add new features on a semi-regular basis. In other words, consider me an “unrestricted free agent” in the intelligence testing space. 😉
