Wisconsin Card Sorting Test™ (WCST™)
Robert K. Heaton, Ph.D., Gordon J. Chelune, Ph.D., Jack L. Talley,
Ph.D., Gary G. Kay, Ph.D., and Glenn Curtiss, Ph.D.
Overview
• Used primarily to assess perseveration and abstract thinking,
the WCST is also considered a measure of executive function
because of its reported sensitivity to frontal lobe dysfunction.
• WCST allows you to assess your client’s strategic planning;
organized searching; and ability to utilize environmental
feedback to shift cognitive sets, direct behavior toward
achieving a goal, and modulate impulsive responding.
• Completion of the WCST requires the ability to develop and
maintain an appropriate problem-solving strategy across
changing stimulus conditions in order to achieve a future goal.
• Unlike other measures of abstraction, the WCST provides
objective measures of overall success and identifies particular
sources of difficulty on the task (e.g., inefficient initial
conceptualization, preservation, failure to maintain a cognitive
set, inefficient learning across stages of the test).
• When used with more comprehensive ability testing the WCST
is helpful in discriminating frontal from nonfrontal lesions.
Administration
• Appropriate for ages 6:5 to 89 years.
Applications • Takes 20-30 minutes to administer, 25 minutes to score.
Assesses perseveration and • Administration should take place in a quiet room with
abstract thinking. illumination adequate for viewing the WCST stimuli.
• A table or desk and two chairs, one for the examiner and one
The WCST allows you to assess for the subject are required.
your client’s strategic planning;
• Examiner will need a pen or pencil for recording the client’s
organized searching; and ability response.
to utilize environmental
• A clipboard to hold the record booklet is also desirable in order
feedback to shift cognitive sets,
to shield the record booklet from the client’s view.
direct behavior toward
achieving a goal, and modulate • Prior to administration, the examiner should inspect the WCST
impulsive responding. response card decks to ensure that cards are properly oriented
and are in proper numerical sequence within each deck.
Designed for individuals ages
Scoring and Reporting
6:5 to 89 years.
• The subject is presented with four key cards and two decks of
64 response cards, but not told in what way the response cards
should match.
• Each response a client makes can be thought of as occurring in
three separate dimensions and, thus, is evaluated on each.
These dimensions are: Correct-Incorrect, Ambiguous-
Unambiguous, and perseverative-nonperseverative.
• Successful performance on the WCST requires a client to first
determine the correct sorting principle on the basis of examiner
feedback and then to maintain this sorting principle or set (e.g.
color) across changing stimulus.
Reliability, Validity, and Norms
• The WCST has been used extensively in clinical and research applications as a measure of
executive function.
• Clinical groups investigated have included subjects with focal and diffuse brain damage, seizure
disorders, Parkinson’s disease, multiple Sclerosis, and psychiatric disturbances such as
schizophrenia.
• Interscorer agreement was found to be excellent for both the standard scoring instructions and
for standard scoring instructions with supplemental material.
