Learn More about the IDS-2

When a child, adolescent, or young adult is referred for an assessment, the psychologist first takes the time to understand why the referral was made, and what tests could be used. The goal is to learn as much as possible — to gain a comprehensive view of the “whole child” from the assessment process.

With the new IDS-2, psychologists can acquire that knowledge using just one test kit. With 30 subtests covering six domains including: Intelligence, Executive Functions, Psychomotor Skills, Social-Emotional Skills, Scholastic Skills, and Motivation and Attitude, the IDS-2 can be used to comprehensively understand an individual's strengths and challenges.

With the IDS-2, users will benefit from: 

• A wide age range (extended down to age 5:0 and up to 20:11).
• Assessment of ten Broad CHC Factors across Cognitive and Development Domains.
• More options for intelligence testing for greater flexibility — the IDS-2 provides general intelligence testing, an in-depth IQ profile, and a quick IQ screening.
• A complete battery that assesses both intelligence and development (across six modular domains and 30 subtests).
• Reliable, paper‑and‑pencil administration without dependence on technology or device availability.
• Engaging administration with a frustration-minimizing discontinue rule, rather than a traditional discontinue rule.
• Norms developed through state-of-the-art continuous norming, so professionals are not relying on small subsamples or block sampling for each age group.
• Online scoring and reporting included with each purchase of the record forms.
• An in-depth, interactive eLearning course covering theory, administration, scoring, and interpretation. 

The IDS-2 assesses intelligence based on the extensive and empirically supported Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of hierarchical intelligence (CHC theory; McGrew, 1997). CHC theory describes the structure of intelligence as being rooted in different dimensions, and performances within these dimensions are measured with a selection of performance variables, or tasks. Using a variety of these types of tasks, the IDS-2 can assess the tools a child or adolescent has at their disposal to acquire knowledge – instead of only looking at the knowledge that they have already acquired.

The IDS-2 is designed for use by a psychologist or professional who has had training and/or experience in administering cognitive or developmental assessments to children and adolescents. The IDS-2 is a Level C assessment tool. Users must hold a master’s degree in psychology or another related field (e.g., speech language, occupational therapy, special education, etc.) and have experience in assessment or training or coursework in test administration and interpretation. To be approved for purchase, users must complete the Test Qualification Form and submit to customersupport@hogrefe.com. For additional information, visit the Qualification Levels page on our website. 

If you are unsure if you are qualified, please contact us.

Additional record forms, response booklets, and response sheets can be purchased in packages of 25. With the purchase of paper materials, you will automatically receive the corresponding scoring usages.

Download the IDS-2 “Pricing Guide” for the most up-to-date pricing, and contact us if you have any questions.

The amount of time that it takes to administer IDS-2 will depend entirely on the individual and the information that you need to gather:

Intelligence:
- IQ Screening, 2 subtests – 10 minutes
- IQ Score (Core Part 1), 7 subtests – 40 minutes
- IQ Profile (Complete Profile Parts 1 & 2), 14 subtests – 70 minutes
Executive Functions, 4 subtests – 30 minutes
Psychomotor Skills, 3 subtests – 20 minutes
Social-Emotional Skills, 3 subtests – 15 minutes
Scholastic Skills, 4 subtests (based on age) – 30–60 minutes
Motivation and Attitude, 2 subtests – 7 minutes

What you need will vary depending upon what modules you use and the age of the child or adolescent being assessed. Download the IDS-2 Materials Guide for an overview and contact us if you have any questions.

This table provides a breakdown of which IDS-2 subtests can be used with each age group

The IDS-2 has been standardized using in-person administration, which is Hogrefe’s recommended method of administration. If you choose to administer the IDS-2 remotely, you will lose this test integrity that provides the most authentic picture of a child’s true functioning – therefore it is not recommended.

The Intelligence scores of the IDS-2 are language-dependent, as certain subtests measure crystallized intelligence. Best practices for using standardized assessments with English learners should be followed, including considering the English proficiency of the individual being assessed, the linguistic demands of the subtests on the IDS-2, as well as the normative sample of the IDS-2.  It is not recommended to administer the IDS-2 in English with an interpreter.  

Yes, if you want a total score for the Domain (e.g., Psychomotor Skills or Social-Emotional Skills), then you need to administer all the subtests in that Domain.

Easy online scoring is provided through the online scoring system on the Hogrefe Testsystem (HTS), which eliminates errors and enables automatic scoring and reporting. These score reports provide graphical displays of standard scores and individual performance profiles for clear feedback of the test results. No subscription license for HTS is necessary; a scoring usage is included with the purchase of each paper record form.

The IDS-2 uses a continuous norming process. Because the calculation is so precise, the most reliable access is via online scoring, and hand-scoring is not possible.

A guide for online scoring of the IDS-2 is included in your introductory email after you purchase the IDS-2. Our customer support team will also be available to provide any technical assistance.

With the purchase of the IDS-2 kit you have been given 10 additional scoring usages, which you are free to apply to any IDS-2 scoring form. 

Once the raw scores are entered and calculated, they cannot be changed and will need to be re-entered into Quick input. With your initial purchase of IDS-2, additional usages are provided in the event of an error when first learning the HTS process.

The date of birth can be adjusted afterwards in HTS (it belongs to the test taker profile, not to one test result). In the same way, typos in the test taker’s name could be corrected. 

If you have received an error message on the score report, you either entered a raw score incorrectly, left a required field empty, or entered a score out of range into one of the fields. You’ll need to compare the raw data on the “Item-Level Analysis” section to your record forms to identify the discrepancy and then enter the data again. 

All data is protected according to our current data protection regulations, which follow all global and local mandates. Please contact us if more information is required.

The IDS-2 was just standardized on 1,420 individuals ages 5:0 to 20:11 in the United States. Standardization testing was conducted from 2023-2025, and the U.S. norm sample was matched to the 2020 US Census data for gender, race/ethnicity, region, and parental education. In addition to age norms, grade norms (Fall, Winter, Spring) are also available for Scholastic Skills Subtests. 

The reliability of the IDS-2 was established by measuring internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha and with additional test-retest studies during the development of the US edition. With respect to validity, a validity study with the WISC-V showed strong correlations between the IDS-2 IQ Profile and WISC-V FSIQ scores (.80). Additionally, several studies in German, Dutch, and Italian have been completed that showed very good correlations to other cognitive assessments (e.g., the WISC-V) and in the UK, we also found that to be true. As the IDS-2 also measures other areas that provide a fuller picture of the individual’s strengths and areas for development, good correlations were also found with assessments designed to measure those constructs (e.g., the BRIEF-2 for Executive Functions; the MABC-2 for Psychomotor Development; etc.).

Below average executive functions scores may warrant further evaluation related to ADHD but may also be a part of a child’s learning profile and can inform recommendations. For example, if they perform below average on Listing Animals and their responses don’t follow an organized approach (e.g., bird, tiger, deer) it may indicate that the child would do best with structured response formats (multiple choice, word bank, etc.) rather than open-ended formats when working on assignments. The practitioner will utilize a variety of data points to determine which next steps are appropriate.

Yes, absolutely. The IDS-2, because of its broad range of measures, is ideal for identifying strengths and weaknesses, relative to different criteria. We provide various case studies in the IDS-2 Test Development and Interpretation Manual.

Hogrefe actively encourages the use of Hogrefe products for research purposes and are enthusiastic to hear from any interested academic or professional user undertaking such studies. Please contact our customer support.