The early 2030s are the realistic window for WAIS-5 South Africa
A locally adapted WAIS-5 South African Version is an early-2030s prospect. About 2033 is the best planning estimate based on the previous local-release lag and the work still required for a new South African edition.
WAIS-IV SA remains the current local product. Anyone who needs an assessment in the next several years should use that route rather than wait for the fifth edition. What to book in South Africa now explains the current choice.
The last local edition followed the US edition by about nine years
| Milestone | Year |
|---|---|
| US WAIS-IV | 2008 |
| WAIS-IV South African | 2017 |
| US WAIS-5 | 2024 |
| Estimate based on the same nine-year lag | Around 2033 |
The current local norm work is still incomplete across the adult lifespan: ages 60–80 remain in a research phase, and a South African WAIS-5 has not yet entered local norm collection.
A local fifth edition still needs adaptation, representative norm collection, validation, manuals and scoring, and production. Applying the previous nine-year local-release lag to the 2024 US edition places the planning centre around 2033.
BrainTypeIQ already shows five cognitive domains online
BrainTypeIQ uses nine tasks to show Gc, Gf, Gv, Gwm, and Gs, together with overall IQ. It provides that five-domain view online now, while WAIS-IV SA remains the route for professional assessment using the current local edition.
WAIS-IV and WAIS-5 compared explains the edition change, and the nine-task design explains the online structure.