The WAIS-IV measures intellectual performance as a multidimensional construct. Stanford-Binet the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Guilford Intelligence Scales), also view intelligence tests as performance measures. Most other major intelligence tests, (e.g. However, intellectual performance can be measured and thus, should be the focus of testing. Since intellectual capacity cannot be seen nor concretely verified, it cannot be reliably measured. What really matters is how well they use their intelligence. The importance of conceptualising intelligence as a performance variable is that it does not really matter how much intelligence an individual has, to adapt to the environment. The WAIS-IV is the “gold standard” in cognitive assessment and claims to measure intellectual performance. Psychologists are often asked to administer the WAIS-IV (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition). The goal is to demystify part of the psychometric assessment process, which can be overwhelming at times. The aim of this article is to provide some clarity about the content and purpose of this commonly used assessment. Often when a person is being assessed for academic or occupational difficulties, the WAIS-IV will be administered amidst a battery of psychological tests with similarly ambiguous acronyms.