Psychological assessment
IQ testing in Karachi
A structured measure of general intellectual ability, administered by a qualified clinical psychologist and written up as a report. For children and adults — in clinic in PECHS and DHA, Karachi.
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What it measures
An IQ assessment is a structured, internationally validated test of general intellectual ability, administered one-to-one by a qualified clinical psychologist. It looks at reasoning, comprehension, working memory and how quickly information is processed — not at one number in isolation, but at the pattern across them, which is usually where the useful finding sits.
Most people come to it with a specific question underneath. A school has asked for it. A child is plainly able in conversation and is not producing work that matches. A university or an examination board needs a written assessment before it will consider support. Sometimes the question is simply whether a difficulty is about ability at all, which is a reasonable thing to want ruled in or out.
What it is notIt is not one of the free tests online, and nothing on the internet produces a number a school, a board or a clinician will accept. It is not a measure of a person's worth, their effort, or what they will go on to do. It is not a diagnosis on its own — an IQ score is one instrument among several, and by itself it explains very little. And it is not something you can do to yourself: an IQ test is only valid when it is administered in person, in standard conditions, by someone trained to administer it.
What happens, step by step
PHC is an assessment-first practice. Nobody is booked straight into a test here, including this one.
- An initial session.We ask what has been going on, for how long, and what has already been tried. For a child, bring school reports and a sample of written work if you have one; if a school or board has written to you, bring the letter — it usually names exactly what is required. Nothing is administered before this conversation.
- A decision about what is warranted.The initial session establishes whether an IQ assessment is the right instrument for the question being asked, and whether anything should sit alongside it. You will not be given tests you do not need. It is a real possibility that the session concludes an IQ test is not what this situation calls for.
- Administration, in person, in standard conditions.The test is given one-to-one by a qualified clinical psychologist in a quiet room — no phone, no coaching, no parent prompting from the side. Breaks are normal and do not affect anything. Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three — the length depends on which tests the initial session found were warranted, and you are told what to expect before you come.
- A written report.It sets out what was administered, what it found, and what that means in ordinary language — strengths as well as difficulties, because the pattern between them is the point. The report is with you in two to three weeks, depending on how complex the case is. The tests are scored and interpreted, the report is written, and Prof. Dr. Tahira Yousaf reviews and approves it before it is handed over.
- A conversation about what follows.A report nobody explains is not much use. Where the finding points to a specific learning difficulty, the route is a learning and achievement assessment; where attention rather than ability is the question, it is a neurodevelopmental assessment. Where it points to therapy, to a conversation with the school, or to nothing at all yet, we say that too.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
IQ testing at PHC is carried out with children and adults. For a child it is most often requested by a school, or prompted by a gap between evident ability and produced work. For an adult it is most often a university requirement, a workplace question, or part of a wider picture where cognitive functioning has changed.
It is not for a family that wants a number to be proud of, and we would rather say that on the page than in the room. It is also not the right instrument where the real question is attention, mood, or a change in memory and functioning after a neurological event — each of those has its own assessment, and we will tell you if that is where the initial session lands.
What it is used to answer
IQ testing is frequently part of the picture on these, each of which has a page of its own explaining what PHC does about it.
It is also requested where there is no condition in the picture at all — a school placement decision, or an institution that requires a formal assessment before it will consider support. That is ordinary, and it is not a lesser reason to come.
Who administers it
Every psychologist at PHC holds a minimum postgraduate qualification in clinical psychology, and each card below gives that clinician's own supervised clinical hours as they supplied them. No supplied bio uses the words "IQ testing" — what these clinicians' own credentials name is psychological, psychodiagnostic and psychometric assessment, which is the family this test belongs to, and that is what the cards below say.
Falahat AwanClinical Psychologist · 18+ years
MPhil Clinical Psychology. 4,000+ clinical hours. Stated specialisation: psychological assessment and psychotherapy. Learning disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders. Children, adolescents and adults.Read their profile →
Aisha AhmadClinical Psychologist · 5+ years
Master's in Clinical Psychology. Psychological and psychodiagnostic assessments for children and adults. Neurodevelopmental concerns.Read her profile →
Amna RasheedClinical Psychologist · Lecturer
MS Applied Psychology (Clinical), Ziauddin University. 2,500+ clinical hours. Comprehensive psychological assessments. Adolescents and young adults.Read their profile →Who administers your assessment is decided at the initial session, not before it. See every psychologist at PHC.
Questions people ask first
Can my child prepare for it, or practise?
No, and please do not try. The test is only meaningful under standard conditions, and coaching a child on the kind of item they will see makes the result less useful rather than better. The one thing that helps is sleep and breakfast. Tell your child they are coming to do some puzzles and some talking with a psychologist — that is honestly what it is.
How long does it take?
Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three. It depends on which tests the initial session found were warranted, and we tell you what to expect when the appointment is made rather than after you arrive. Breaks are built in for children.
What is in the report, and who else sees it?
The report sets out what was administered, what it found and what it means, in language a parent or a school can read. It belongs to the person assessed — or to the parent, where the person assessed is a child — and nothing is sent to a school, a board, an employer or a relative without your say-so. What confidentiality covers, and the narrow limits on it, are set out in questions people ask before booking.
What does it cost?
Fees vary by psychologist and by service. You send us six details, we come back with a psychologist, a time and a fee, and you decide — nothing is charged until you have said yes to all three. How fees and booking work.
Can this be done online?
The conversations can be. The test itself cannot — an IQ assessment is only valid administered in person, in standard conditions. If you are outside Karachi, tell us when you get in touch and we will be straight with you about what can and cannot be done remotely, before you travel.
Confidentiality, session length, fees and choosing your psychologist are answered in full in questions people ask before booking.
Where testing happens
Speaking to someone starts here
PHC is appointment-only. Message or call and a real person answers — Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm PKT.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Six details, and we can match you
- Name of the person who will attend
- Their age
- What is going on, in your own words
- Whether you would prefer a male or female psychologist
- Online, or in clinic in Karachi
- Whether the person attending is a minor or elderly
If someone else is paying, we will also ask for guardian or payer details. A slot is held once the booking payment is received — half the fee, at least 24 hours ahead.