Services · Cognitive and IQ Assessments
Cognitive & IQ Assessments for Children and Adults
Understanding how a person thinks, processes information and approaches different tasks
The Psychology Hub provides cognitive assessments and IQ testing in North Lakes and online across Australia. Cognitive assessment can help build a clearer picture of how a person thinks, learns and processes information, and may be useful on its own or as part of a broader assessment.
New to the clinic? See what happens at your first assessment appointment.
What can a cognitive assessment tell us?
A cognitive assessment helps us understand how a person takes in information, works things out, holds information in mind and completes different types of tasks.
It can provide an FSIQ (Full Scale IQ), which is an overall estimate of cognitive ability based on performance across several areas. However, the overall score is only part of the picture.
Two people can have the same FSIQ but function very differently. One person might reason very well but work slowly. Another might understand complex ideas but struggle to hold several pieces of information in mind at once. Someone else may do well when tasks are visual but find language-based tasks much harder.
These differences can help explain why someone may:
- understand something when it is explained verbally but struggle to show it in writing
- know what to do but lose track of the steps
- take much longer than expected to finish straightforward work
- cope well with simple tasks but become overwhelmed when several demands are placed on them at once
- perform very differently depending on the type of task
- need more repetition, prompting or reassurance than expected
- become frustrated, rushed, cautious or avoidant when work becomes difficult
The clinician also looks at how the person approaches the assessment itself. Their pace, problem-solving style, attention, persistence, response to mistakes or challenge, impulsivity, use of strategies and need for reassurance can all add useful clinical information.
Taken together with the person's history and the reason for assessment, the results can provide a much clearer picture of their strengths, difficulties and day-to-day functioning.
A cognitive assessment is therefore not simply about finding out someone's "IQ". It is about understanding how they think and what that may look like in real life.
What does a cognitive assessment measure?
A cognitive assessment measures a range of thinking and problem-solving skills. Rather than producing only one overall score, it looks at different areas of cognitive functioning.
The exact areas assessed depend on the person's age and the test being used, but commonly include:
- Verbal reasoning – understanding language and concepts, explaining ideas and reasoning using words
- Visual-spatial skills – understanding how visual information is organised, how parts fit together, and working with shapes and designs
- Fluid reasoning – identifying patterns, rules and relationships and using them to solve unfamiliar problems
- Working memory – holding information in mind while thinking about it or doing something with it
- Processing speed – how quickly and accurately a person can complete relatively simple, often visual, tasks
Looking at these areas separately can be important because cognitive abilities are not always evenly developed. For example, someone may have strong reasoning skills but work much more slowly, or understand complex ideas well but find it difficult to hold several pieces of information in mind at once.
Those differences can help make sense of what is happening in everyday life — such as why someone can understand the work but struggle to finish it on time, follow the first part of an instruction but lose track of what comes next, or perform very differently depending on the type of task.
A cognitive assessment is not a direct measure of creativity, personality, motivation, character or a person's potential. Performance can also be influenced by factors such as attention, fatigue, anxiety, engagement and the circumstances on the day. This is why scores are interpreted alongside the clinician's observations, the person's history and other relevant assessment information.
Which cognitive and IQ tests do we use?
Depending on the person's age, presentation and the purpose of the assessment, our psychologists may use standardised cognitive measures such as the WPPSI, WISC, Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales – Fifth Edition (SB5), or WAIS.
Different tests are designed for different age groups and assessment questions, so you do not need to know which one to book. Your clinician will recommend the most appropriate measure for you or your child.
Cognitive testing may also be used alongside other questionnaires or assessment measures where this will provide a more complete understanding of the person's learning, attention, executive functioning, adaptive functioning, behaviour or emotional wellbeing.
Why people ask for a cognitive assessment
People usually seek a cognitive assessment because they have noticed a pattern in learning, work or everyday functioning that they want to understand more clearly.
School and learning
Parents or teachers may notice that a child understands more than they are able to show in their schoolwork, needs much longer than expected to finish tasks, forgets instructions, struggles to organise their work, becomes overwhelmed by multi-step tasks, or has very uneven results across subjects.
A cognitive assessment can help clarify the pattern behind those difficulties and identify strengths that can be used to support learning.
Work, study and daily life
Adults may notice that they are capable in some areas but consistently struggle with things such as keeping track of information, working efficiently under time pressure, organising tasks, following complex instructions, completing written work, or managing several demands at once.
Assessment can help identify whether there is a particular cognitive pattern contributing to these difficulties and guide practical strategies or recommendations.
As part of a bigger picture
Sometimes cognitive testing is useful because there are broader questions about development, learning or functioning. A clinician may want to understand whether difficulties with attention, academic skills, communication, adaptive functioning or problem solving sit within a wider profile.
This is why cognitive testing may be included as part of an assessment for things such as ADHD, autism, specific learning disorder or intellectual disability, rather than being completed on its own.
What is involved in a cognitive assessment?
90-minute initial appointment
Every assessment begins with a 90-minute initial appointment. This is the first part of the assessment itself and helps the clinician understand the person's concerns, history, current functioning and goals for assessment.
The clinician considers what questions need to be answered and which tests, questionnaires or other measures are likely to provide the most useful information.
Background information and history
The clinician gathers relevant background information, which may include development, schooling, health, languages spoken at home, previous supports, previous assessments and what has already been tried.
With consent, school reports, previous reports or other relevant records may also be reviewed to help place the assessment results in context.
Testing, questionnaires and other measures
The assessment may include a standardised cognitive or IQ test, but this is not always the only measure used.
Depending on the reason for assessment, the clinician may also recommend questionnaires or other measures relating to areas such as learning and academic achievement, attention and executive functioning, behaviour, adaptive functioning, emotional wellbeing, and developmental or neurodevelopmental concerns. The exact combination depends on what the assessment is trying to understand.
The testing session
Cognitive testing is completed one-to-one with the clinician using standardised tasks.
The clinician is looking not only at which answers are correct, but also at how the person approaches the tasks. Their pace, attention, persistence, problem-solving style, response to challenge, use of strategies, impulsivity, frustration and need for reassurance can all provide useful clinical information.
Breaks are normal, and for younger children testing may be completed in shorter sessions or across more than one appointment.
Scoring and interpretation
Results are scored using age-based norms and interpreted as a profile rather than simply as a single number.
The clinician considers the person's overall results, including the FSIQ where applicable, as well as differences between areas of cognitive functioning. These findings are interpreted alongside background information, questionnaires, other assessment measures and observations from the session.
Feedback session
A feedback session is held to explain the findings in clear, everyday language.
The clinician will talk through the person's strengths, areas of difficulty, what the results may mean in daily life, and any practical recommendations. There is also time to ask questions and discuss next steps.
Draft report for review
Where a written report is part of the assessment pathway, a draft report is provided before it is finalised.
This gives the client, parent or caregiver an opportunity to review factual information and raise any questions or corrections.
Final report
The final report brings together the person's background, assessment findings, clinical interpretation and practical recommendations.
Depending on the purpose of the assessment, recommendations may relate to home, school, university, work, further assessment or other supports.
Fees and reports
Fees are tailored to the assessment you need. The 90-minute initial appointment is the first part of the assessment itself. During this appointment, the clinician gathers detailed clinical and developmental information, explores the concerns and questions that have brought you to assessment, considers relevant history and current functioning, and begins forming an understanding of what may be contributing to the difficulties being experienced.
This information is important in its own right and also helps determine which cognitive tests, questionnaires or other assessment measures will provide the most useful information. After the initial appointment, the clinician will outline the recommended next steps and provide a clear quote for the remaining assessment components and documentation.
Most cognitive and IQ assessments are privately funded. For some people under 25, particular allied-health assessment appointments may attract a Medicare rebate under the Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions or Eligible Disabilities pathways. These pathways have different eligibility, prerequisite-service and referral requirements. A GP referral alone does not open the complex-neurodevelopmental pathway, and rebates may not cover every assessment component or the full cost. Ask us to check your referral and proposed pathway before relying on a rebate.
Existing NDIS participants may sometimes be able to use plan funding for an assessment whose purpose is to understand disability-related functioning and support needs. NDIS funding is not ordinarily available for the purpose of making a diagnosis. Whether funding can be used depends on the assessment's purpose, the participant's plan and how it is managed. Please ask us to check before booking.
Some private-health extras policies may contribute towards psychology services, but assessment coverage, waiting periods, limits, eligible services and provider requirements vary. Check directly with your insurer using the clinician and proposed service details before booking.
If you need a report for a particular purpose, such as school, university, work, funding, legal matters or another health professional, please let us know and provide any written requirements you have been given. This allows the clinician to consider those requirements as part of the assessment and tailor the testing and report accordingly.
Our reports are designed to clearly communicate the assessment findings, clinical interpretation and recommendations. Where the report is being used for school, university, workplace, funding or other supports, the receiving organisation will consider this information alongside its own requirements and decision-making processes.
Frequently asked questions
From what age can a cognitive assessment be done?
Cognitive assessments are available from age 2, with no upper age limit.
Different cognitive tests are designed for different ages and purposes. We use measures including the WPPSI, WISC, Stanford-Binet 5 (SB5) and WAIS, and your clinician will select the most appropriate assessment for you or your child.
Can a cognitive assessment be done online?
Yes, in some circumstances.
For children under six, cognitive testing is completed in clinic. From around age six, some cognitive measures can be administered online, depending on the person, the purpose of the assessment and the measure being used.
Other parts of the assessment, such as interviews, questionnaires and feedback sessions, can often be completed by telehealth.
Is an IQ score the whole result?
No. The FSIQ (Full Scale IQ) provides an overall estimate of cognitive ability, but it is only one part of the assessment.
Clinicians also look at the person's performance across different areas of thinking and reasoning. Someone may, for example, have strong reasoning skills alongside slower processing speed, or strong verbal abilities alongside difficulties with working memory.
We also consider how the person approached the tasks, their history, other assessment information and what the results may mean in everyday life. Often, this broader profile is more useful than focusing on one number alone.
Will the school accept the report?
Our reports are designed to clearly communicate the assessment findings, clinical interpretation and recommendations in a way that can support conversations with schools and other education providers.
If the school has asked for particular information or provided written requirements, please send these to us so the clinician can consider them when planning the assessment and preparing the report.
Schools and education providers will consider the report alongside their own requirements and processes when making decisions about adjustments, supports or learning programs.
Can you tell us whether our child is gifted?
Yes. Cognitive assessment can help identify very high cognitive ability, areas of particular strength and an advanced learning profile.
The assessment looks beyond a single IQ score to understand your child's broader pattern of cognitive strengths. The report can also provide practical recommendations that may help guide conversations with schools about extension, enrichment or other appropriate learning opportunities.
If a school or gifted program has specific assessment requirements, please send these to us so they can be considered as part of the assessment.
Do I need a cognitive assessment for a learning difficulty?
Not always. A cognitive or IQ assessment is not required to diagnose a Specific Learning Disorder.
However, cognitive and academic achievement assessments are often completed together because they answer different questions. Academic testing looks at skills such as reading, writing and mathematics, while cognitive assessment can provide additional information about how the person thinks, processes information and approaches learning.
Together, they can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the person's strengths, difficulties and the supports that may be helpful.
Your clinician will discuss the available options with you and recommend an assessment pathway based on what you or your child actually need.
How long does the whole process take?
The timing varies depending on the assessment pathway, the number of appointments required, how quickly questionnaires or other information are completed, and appointment availability.
Most assessments involve a small number of appointments, including the initial assessment appointment, testing and a feedback session. Where a written report is included, you will also receive a draft report to review before the final report is completed.
Your clinician will explain the expected process and timeframes for your individual assessment.
What does it cost?
Fees are tailored to the assessment you need. The 90-minute initial appointment is the first part of the assessment itself and provides important clinical information while helping the clinician determine which cognitive tests, questionnaires or other measures will be most useful.
After this appointment, the clinician will outline the recommended next steps and provide a clear quote for the remaining assessment components and documentation.
