The WISC-V Intelligence Test: Changes and News

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The Wisc V Intelligence Test: Changes and News

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Waiting for a child’s cognitive evaluation results can feel like standing outside a closed door, wondering what a stranger with a clipboard has decided about your kid’s mind. Parents often arrive at this moment already exhausted, having spent months requesting school assessments, chasing referrals, or worrying quietly about why their child struggles with reading while excelling at building elaborate Lego cities. The WISC-V intelligence test is usually the instrument sitting at the center of that anxiety, and it deserves a plain-language explanation rather than jargon. This article walks through what actually changed when the fifth edition replaced its predecessor, and why those changes matter far more than a simple score on a page.

It helps to remember that a cognitive assessment is not a verdict on a child’s worth or future. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was built, and repeatedly revised, to capture a snapshot of how a young mind processes information at one particular moment in development. That snapshot shifts with practice, environment, sleep, anxiety, and dozens of other variables psychologists have studied for decades. Feeling unsettled by test jargon like index scores or Full Scale IQ is a completely normal reaction, not a sign that something is wrong with you as a parent or with your child.

So what actually changed, and why should anyone outside a psychology graduate program care?

This guide breaks down the structural shift from the fourth edition to the fifth, unpacks each of the five primary index scores, and explains the newer ancillary and complementary indices that give clinicians a richer picture of learning differences. It also covers recent research trends shaping how professionals interpret the WISC-V intelligence test in real evaluations today.

What Exactly Changed Between the WISC-IV and the WISC-V?

The single biggest structural shift was splitting one broad index into two focused ones. The old Perceptual Reasoning Index from the WISC-IV, which lumped visual-spatial skill and abstract reasoning together, was divided into a distinct Visual Spatial Index and a separate Fluid Reasoning Index.

That single decision reshaped the whole architecture of the test. Instead of four primary index scores, clinicians administering the fifth edition now work with five: Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed. The reasoning behind the split traces back to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model of cognitive abilities, a framework long championed by researchers such as Kevin McGrew and John Carroll, which treats spatial processing and inductive reasoning as theoretically distinct constructs rather than one blended skill. Splitting them gave psychologists sharper tools. A child who struggles with block-based spatial tasks but reasons brilliantly through abstract pattern problems now shows up clearly in the data, whereas the older combined score might have masked that unevenness entirely.

Three brand-new subtests entered the primary battery to support this restructuring: Visual Puzzles, Figure Weights, and Picture Span. Two older subtests, Word Reasoning and Picture Completion, were retired. The result is a test that looks, on the surface, similar to its predecessor but functions quite differently underneath.

None of this happened in a vacuum. Publisher Pearson worked from a growing body of factor-analytic research showing that the four-index model no longer matched how cognitive scientists understood intelligence to be organized. David Wechsler, the test’s original architect back in the 1940s, built his scales around a more unified concept of general intelligence; later revisions, guided by contemporary psychometricians, gradually moved the family of Wechsler tests toward a more differentiated, evidence-based structure.

How Are the Five Primary Index Scores Defined?

Each primary index isolates one cognitive domain using two core subtests, producing a scaled score that clinicians interpret both individually and in combination with the others. Understanding these five domains is the fastest way to make sense of any WISC-V report handed to a family.

The Verbal Comprehension Index measures acquired knowledge and verbal reasoning through subtests like Similarities and Vocabulary. It reflects how well a child can express and manipulate ideas using language, drawing on both vocabulary depth and conceptual categorization skill. A strength here often shows up in a child who narrates elaborate stories or debates dinner-table topics with startling nuance for their age.

The Visual Spatial Index uses Block Design and the newer Visual Puzzles subtest to gauge how a child mentally rotates, assembles, and organizes visual information. Kids who love puzzles, map-reading, or building elaborate structures frequently show relative strength on this index. Weakness here can sometimes correlate with handwriting struggles or difficulty copying from a whiteboard, though that link is never automatic.

The Fluid Reasoning Index, built from Matrix Reasoning and Figure Weights, captures a child’s ability to solve novel problems without relying on prior learned content. It is arguably the closest single index to the popular idea of “raw” intelligence, since it minimizes cultural and educational bias more than verbal tasks do.

Working Memory and Processing Speed round out the primary five. The Working Memory Index, drawing on Digit Span (now including a sequencing component) and Picture Span, reflects how much information a child can hold and manipulate mentally over a short window. The Processing Speed Index, built from Coding and Symbol Search, measures how quickly and accurately a child scans, sequences, and marks visual information under time pressure. Slow processing speed paired with strong reasoning is one of the most common profiles seen in kids later diagnosed with a specific learning disorder.

Visual Spatial Index

What Do Ancillary and Complementary Index Scores Add?

Ancillary and complementary scores exist to answer narrower clinical questions the five primary indices cannot fully address on their own. They are optional, used selectively rather than in every evaluation, and add depth for cases involving learning disorders, giftedness, or memory concerns.

Ancillary indices such as the General Ability Index and Cognitive Proficiency Index recombine existing subtests in different groupings. The General Ability Index, for instance, strips out working memory and processing speed entirely, isolating reasoning and verbal ability alone. This proves useful when evaluating children whose attention or motor difficulties depress their speed scores without reflecting their actual reasoning capacity.

Complementary index scores went further still, introducing entirely new subtests absent from earlier Wechsler editions. The Naming Speed Index, Symbol Translation Index, and Storage and Retrieval Index assess rapid automatized naming, associative memory, and information retrieval efficiency respectively. Researcher Susan Raiford, who contributed extensively to the WISC-V’s technical development at Pearson, helped design these additions specifically to strengthen the link between cognitive assessment and reading or math learning difficulties.

  • The Quantitative Reasoning Index targets numerical problem-solving beyond what Fluid Reasoning alone captures.
  • The Auditory Working Memory Index isolates memory span using purely auditory input, useful for ruling out visual processing confounds.
  • The Nonverbal Index offers a composite score for children with limited English proficiency or expressive language delays.
  • The Symbol Translation Index flags associative memory weaknesses often tied to written language acquisition struggles.

These extra layers mean a thorough WISC-V intelligence test report can run many pages longer than older reports ever did. That length reflects genuine added clinical value, not padding, though it can feel overwhelming to a parent flipping through a report for the first time.

Why Was Word Reasoning Dropped From the Test?

Word Reasoning and Picture Completion were removed because psychometric analysis showed both subtests contributed relatively little unique statistical information once the other verbal and perceptual tasks were considered. Streamlining testing time mattered too, since shorter, more efficient batteries reduce fatigue in young children.

Test developers rely heavily on factor analysis to decide which tasks earn a place in a standardized battery. When a subtest correlates too strongly with others already present, it adds testing time without adding meaningfully distinct data. Word Reasoning, which asked children to identify a concept from a series of clues, overlapped substantially with Similarities and Vocabulary performance. Cutting it let developers reinvest that time into the three new primary subtests instead.

Picture Completion faced a similar fate for related reasons, plus concerns about outdated or culturally narrow imagery in some items. Removing it also aligned the visual battery more tightly around genuinely distinct spatial and reasoning constructs rather than simple visual recognition.

This kind of pruning happens across every Wechsler revision cycle. The WISC-IV itself dropped three subtests inherited from the WISC-III for nearly identical reasons back in 2003. It is a slow, evidence-driven process of subtraction and addition that keeps the test both shorter and psychometrically sharper with each generation.

How Does Administration Timing Differ on the WISC-V?

How Does Administration Timing Differ on the WISC-V?

Timing rules tightened considerably in the fifth edition, with several subtests now imposing stricter time limits and shorter discontinue rules than before. This change speeds up testing sessions but places greater emphasis on processing efficiency, particularly on visual-spatial tasks.

Discontinue criteria, the rule determining when a child has failed enough consecutive items to stop a subtest, dropped from four or five consecutive misses down to three items on most tasks. Block Design tightened even further, discontinuing after just two consecutive failures rather than three. Clinicians appreciate the efficiency gain, since sessions run noticeably shorter than under the older format, but it does mean a single unlucky guess carries slightly more statistical weight than it once did.

Visual Puzzles and Figure Weights, the two flagship new subtests, allow only thirty seconds on their hardest items. That is a demanding constraint for a ten-year-old still building executive function skills, and examiners are trained to watch carefully for anxiety or fatigue rather than assuming every slow response reflects low ability.

Digital administration through Pearson’s Q-interactive platform has also become far more common since the WISC-V’s release, replacing paper stimulus books in many clinical settings. This shift automates timing precisely, removes examiner stopwatch error, and generates scoring instantly, though some clinicians still prefer paper materials for younger or more distractible children who respond better to tactile manipulation.

What Is the Full Scale IQ Actually Measuring Now?

The Full Scale IQ on the WISC-V is a differentially weighted composite drawn from seven specific subtests rather than all ten primary tasks. This narrower calculation aims to produce a more statistically stable and theoretically coherent estimate of general cognitive ability than the older ten-subtest formula allowed.

Those seven contributing subtests are Similarities, Vocabulary, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, Figure Weights, Digit Span, and Coding. Notice that Visual Puzzles and Picture Span, despite being primary subtests within their respective indices, do not directly feed the Full Scale IQ. This decision surprised some clinicians when the manual first published, since it meant a child could score strongly on Visual Puzzles yet see minimal movement in their overall composite score.

The rationale traces to statistical modeling work led by Lawrence Weiss, one of the primary architects of the WISC-V’s psychometric structure, who argued that a leaner, well-fitting composite produces more reliable year-over-year comparisons than a bloated one. Fewer moving parts, in this view, means less noise contaminating the final number.

Critics within the field have pushed back somewhat, noting that a Full Scale IQ built from only seven of sixteen possible subtests risks underrepresenting a child’s true breadth of ability, especially for neurodivergent profiles with sharply uneven strengths across domains. This is precisely why experienced clinicians rarely report the FSIQ in isolation, pairing it instead with the General Ability Index and individual primary index scores to paint a fuller picture.

What Is the Full Scale IQ Actually Measuring Now?

What Recent Research Trends Are Shaping WISC-V Interpretation?

Current research is pushing clinicians toward richer, profile-based interpretation rather than treating the Full Scale IQ as a single defining number. Recent peer-reviewed work has specifically examined how well WISC-V subtest scatter predicts real academic outcomes, moving the field beyond the composite score alone.

A 2025 investigation published in Psychology in the Schools examined whether looking beyond primary index scores toward ancillary and complementary composites genuinely improves diagnostic accuracy for learning disorders, and found meaningful incremental value in doing so. This kind of research matters because it validates what many practicing psychologists already suspected from clinical experience: a single number rarely tells the whole story of a child’s cognitive profile.

Other recent scholarship has scrutinized the validity of pattern-of-strengths-and-weaknesses methodologies, questioning whether comparing a child’s index scores against each other reliably predicts specific learning disability diagnoses. Some researchers argue these ipsative comparisons carry more statistical noise than clinicians historically assumed, urging caution before drawing firm conclusions from a single scatter pattern.

Alan Kaufman, a towering figure in the history of intellectual assessment and a co-developer of earlier Wechsler adaptations, has long argued that clinical judgment must always accompany statistical score interpretation rather than replace it. That philosophy continues shaping how graduate training programs teach the WISC-V today, more than a decade after its initial 2014 release.

WISC-IV StructureWISC-V Structure
4 primary index scores5 primary index scores
Perceptual Reasoning Index (combined)Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning split apart
Word Reasoning and Picture Completion includedBoth dropped; Visual Puzzles, Figure Weights, Picture Span added
FSIQ from ten subtestsFSIQ from seven subtests

How Should Parents Interpret a Child’s WISC-V Score Report?

Parents should read a WISC-V report as a profile of relative strengths and weaknesses, not a fixed label of ability. The most clinically useful information usually lives in the gaps between index scores, not in the single Full Scale IQ number printed at the top of the page.

Start by looking for pattern rather than magnitude. A child whose Verbal Comprehension sits notably higher than their Processing Speed is telling a story about how they experience classroom demands day to day, likely finishing reading assignments with rich insight but running out of time on timed worksheets. That pattern matters more for planning classroom accommodations than any single composite score ever could.

  1. Ask the evaluator to walk through each primary index score individually rather than accepting a one-line summary.
  2. Request clarification on whether any ancillary indices were calculated and why they were or were not included.
  3. Compare the report against real classroom behavior to see whether the numbers match lived experience.
  4. Discuss what specific accommodations or interventions the findings actually support, since a score alone changes nothing without action behind it.

Remember that scores can shift meaningfully upon retesting, particularly for younger children or those tested during a period of high stress, illness, or family disruption. A single testing session is a snapshot, not a permanent ceiling, and framing it that way to a child protects their self-image far better than treating any number as destiny.

How Does the WISC-V Compare to Other Wechsler Scales?

The WISC-V sits within a broader family of Wechsler instruments, each calibrated for a different age range and sharing a common theoretical backbone. Understanding where it fits relative to its sibling tests clarifies why clinicians choose one over another.

For preschool-aged children, examiners typically turn to the WPPSI-IV, which mirrors much of the WISC-V’s index structure but simplifies tasks for shorter attention spans and emerging verbal skills. Adults, meanwhile, are assessed using the WAIS-IV, which retains a four-index model rather than the five-index split found in the children’s edition, an inconsistency that occasionally puzzles families comparing a teenager’s results across two different tests during a transition year.

This lack of perfect alignment across the Wechsler family sometimes complicates longitudinal tracking, especially for older adolescents who age out of the WISC-V’s 16-year, 11-month ceiling right as they enter college evaluation processes requiring adult norms. Clinicians handle this transition carefully, noting in reports that index structures differ between instruments so that later readers do not mistakenly compare incompatible scores directly.

Despite these structural differences, all Wechsler scales share the same underlying commitment to standardized administration and nationally representative norming samples, a legacy traceable directly back to David Wechsler’s original insistence on rigorous, population-based comparison groups rather than loosely constructed clinical impressions.

What Cultural and Fairness Concerns Surround the WISC-V?

What Cultural and Fairness Concerns Surround the WISC-V?

Fairness in cognitive testing remains an active concern, and the WISC-V’s developers built in specific safeguards while acknowledging the test cannot fully escape every cultural bias. Norming samples, translated versions, and the Nonverbal Index composite all represent attempts to reduce, though not eliminate, unfair disadvantage for diverse populations.

The test’s American norming sample was carefully stratified by age, sex, race, ethnicity, parental education, and geographic region to mirror U.S. census data as closely as possible. Canadian and Spanish-language adaptations followed with their own separate norming studies rather than simple translations, an approach that respects genuine linguistic and cultural differences instead of assuming scores transfer cleanly across borders.

Still, verbal subtests inevitably carry more cultural and linguistic loading than nonverbal ones, which is precisely why the Nonverbal Index exists as an alternative composite for children with limited English exposure or specific language impairments.

Psychologist Jack Naglieri, known for his extensive work on culturally reduced cognitive assessment, has long advocated for supplementing traditional verbal-heavy batteries with nonverbal alternatives whenever a child’s linguistic background raises fairness concerns. His broader body of research reinforces a theme running throughout modern WISC-V practice: no single test, however well constructed, should ever be the sole basis for a major educational or clinical decision about a child’s future.

What Role Does the WISC-V Play in Diagnosing Learning Disabilities?

The WISC-V functions as one important piece of evidence within a broader diagnostic puzzle for conditions like dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, never as a standalone diagnostic tool. Clinicians pair cognitive scores with academic achievement testing, behavioral observation, and developmental history before reaching any formal conclusion.

A classic pattern flagged during learning disability evaluations involves strong Verbal Comprehension and Fluid Reasoning paired against markedly weaker Working Memory or Processing Speed. This gap, sometimes called a discrepancy pattern, can support a specific learning disorder diagnosis when paired with corroborating achievement test data and classroom history, though the exact statistical threshold for what counts as clinically meaningful remains debated among researchers.

Federal special education law in the United States, through IDEA, does not require this pattern-based approach exclusively, and many school districts now favor response-to-intervention models that track a child’s progress under targeted instruction over time rather than relying purely on test score gaps. This shift has actually reduced, somewhat, the WISC-V’s centrality in some public school evaluation pipelines, even as it remains standard practice in private neuropsychological assessments.

For ADHD evaluations specifically, Processing Speed and Working Memory scores frequently draw the most clinical attention, since executive function difficulties often surface clearly within these domains. That said, a child can meet full ADHD criteria with an entirely unremarkable cognitive profile, underscoring again why the WISC-V intelligence test informs but never single-handedly determines a diagnosis.

What Should Families Expect During a Typical Testing Session?

A standard WISC-V administration usually takes between forty-five minutes and one hour and fifteen minutes, depending on which subtests the examiner selects and how the child paces through tasks. Sessions typically happen one-on-one in a quiet room, free from siblings, phones, or classroom distractions.

Breaks are common and encouraged, particularly for younger children or those with attention difficulties, since fatigue measurably degrades performance on later subtests regardless of true ability. A skilled examiner reads a child’s energy level throughout the session and adjusts pacing accordingly, sometimes splitting testing across two shorter appointments rather than forcing one exhausting marathon sitting.

Preparation matters less than most anxious parents assume. Coaching a child on specific answer strategies typically backfires, since the test is designed to measure underlying reasoning ability rather than rehearsed content, and unusual pre-test coaching can actually distort results in ways that mislead later interpretation. A good night’s sleep, a light meal beforehand, and calm reassurance that this is not a pass-or-fail exam matter far more than any flashcard drilling ever could.

  • Bring a favorite small snack in case a break is needed, since low blood sugar can quietly sabotage Processing Speed performance.
  • Explain to your child beforehand that some tasks will feel hard on purpose, since the test needs to find their ceiling level of ability.
  • Avoid promising a specific outcome or reward tied to the score itself, which can create unhelpful pressure around a standardized test setting.
  • Ask the examiner in advance about their approach to breaks and pacing for children with attention difficulties.

What News and Updates Have Emerged Since the WISC-V’s 2014 Release?

Since its original 2014 launch, the WISC-V ecosystem has expanded through regional adaptations, digital administration tools, and a growing body of validation research rather than a full new edition. No sixth edition has been announced as of this writing, though ongoing research continues refining how clinicians use the existing instrument.

Pearson released the WISC-V Integrated as a companion tool, offering process-oriented subtests that break standard tasks into smaller components to help clinicians pinpoint exactly where a child’s performance breaks down, whether that is motor execution, visual scanning, or verbal retrieval specifically. This integrated version has proven especially valuable in specialist neuropsychology clinics evaluating complex, overlapping conditions.

Digital scoring through Q-interactive and Q-global platforms has become the dominant administration method in many countries, streamlining what used to be hours of manual scoring into near-instant computerized reports. This technological shift has, if anything, increased demand for clinicians who can translate dense digital output back into plain language that families and teachers can actually use.

Meanwhile, academic journals continue publishing incremental validity studies questioning specific subcomponents of the test, a healthy and ongoing process that keeps clinical practice grounded in current evidence rather than outdated assumptions from a single 2014 technical manual.

Looking ahead, researchers are increasingly interested in how WISC-V profiles interact with newer conceptualizations of neurodivergence, including autism and specific learning profiles that do not map neatly onto older diagnostic categories. That evolving conversation, more than any single technical revision, represents the real frontier of change surrounding this widely used instrument.

FAQs about the WISC-V Intelligence Test

What does WISC-V stand for and who created it?

WISC-V stands for Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition. It was developed by Pearson and traces its lineage back to psychologist David Wechsler, who created the original Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale in the 1930s and later adapted it specifically for children in the 1940s. Each subsequent edition, through five major revisions, has been updated using contemporary psychometric research and re-normed against current population data. The fifth edition released in 2014 and remains the most recent major version in active clinical use worldwide. It measures cognitive ability across five distinct domains rather than treating intelligence as one single, uniform trait, reflecting decades of research into how human cognition is actually organized and how different mental abilities can develop unevenly within the same person.

How long does a WISC-V test take to complete?

A typical administration of the ten primary subtests takes roughly forty-five to sixty-five minutes, though total session time often runs longer once breaks, rapport-building, and administrative setup are factored in. If a clinician also administers ancillary or complementary subtests to answer more specific diagnostic questions, the full session can extend past ninety minutes. Examiners generally avoid rushing children through tasks, since fatigue and frustration can meaningfully distort results on later subtests. Some psychologists deliberately split testing across two separate appointments for younger children or those with significant attention or anxiety difficulties, prioritizing accurate results over strict scheduling efficiency. Parents should expect the full evaluation process, including feedback and report writing, to unfold over several weeks rather than a single afternoon.

Is a low WISC-V score permanent?

No, cognitive scores are not fixed for life, and treating them as permanent misunderstands what standardized testing actually measures. Scores can shift with retesting, particularly in younger children whose brains are still developing rapidly, and can be affected by temporary factors like illness, poor sleep, testing anxiety, or unfamiliarity with the examiner. That said, scores in adolescence tend to show more stability than scores from early childhood testing. A single low index score, especially one isolated from an otherwise typical profile, deserves careful clinical context rather than alarm. Reevaluation after a meaningful gap, often two to three years, is standard practice precisely because psychologists recognize that a snapshot taken once in childhood should never be treated as an unchangeable life sentence.

What is the difference between the WISC-V and an IQ test in general?

The WISC-V is one specific, widely used example of an IQ test designed for children aged six through sixteen years and eleven months, but it is not the only instrument in that category. Other cognitive batteries, such as the Stanford-Binet or the Woodcock-Johnson, measure overlapping but not identical constructs using different subtests and theoretical models. What sets Wechsler scales apart is their long history, extensive research base, and widespread acceptance among schools, courts, and clinical settings across many countries. Choosing which specific IQ test to administer usually depends on the referral question, the child’s age, and sometimes practical factors like which instruments a particular clinician or school district has been trained and certified to use.

Can the WISC-V diagnose autism or ADHD by itself?

No single cognitive test can independently diagnose autism spectrum disorder or ADHD, and the WISC-V is no exception to that rule. Both conditions require a comprehensive evaluation involving developmental history, behavioral observation across multiple settings, standardized rating scales completed by parents and teachers, and often direct clinical interviews. The WISC-V contributes useful supporting data, particularly around working memory and processing speed patterns often seen alongside ADHD, or uneven verbal versus nonverbal profiles sometimes seen in autism evaluations. But a psychologist or psychiatrist making either diagnosis will always weigh cognitive testing alongside several other independent sources of information before reaching a conclusion, never relying on IQ scores as a standalone diagnostic checkbox.

Why did my child’s score change between the WISC-IV and WISC-V?

Score shifts between editions often reflect structural differences in the tests themselves rather than any genuine change in a child’s ability. Because the WISC-V redefined index scores, dropped certain subtests, and updated its national norming sample to reflect current population data, direct numeric comparison across editions is statistically unreliable. A child tested on the WISC-IV several years ago and retested recently on the WISC-V may show score movement purely due to these methodological differences, sometimes called the Flynn effect when population-wide norms shift over time. Clinicians experienced in interpreting sequential testing across editions will typically flag this limitation explicitly in their written report, cautioning against reading too much into raw numeric differences between two structurally distinct instruments.

What is the Flynn effect and does it affect WISC-V scores?

The Flynn effect refers to the observed tendency for raw cognitive test performance to rise gradually across generations, requiring periodic renorming of intelligence tests to keep average scores centered around one hundred. Named after researcher James Flynn, who documented this pattern extensively across many countries and decades, the effect means that older test norms tend to make current test-takers look artificially high-scoring if the norms are not periodically refreshed. The WISC-V’s 2014 norming sample accounted for this by collecting entirely new, current data rather than reusing older reference groups. This is one reason clinicians strongly discourage comparing a child’s WISC-IV score directly against a later WISC-V score, since part of any observed difference likely reflects norm recalibration rather than a true change in the child’s underlying ability.

Do schools require the WISC-V for special education services?

Requirements vary by country and, within the United States, by individual state and school district policy. Federal special education law under IDEA does not mandate any single specific cognitive test, including the WISC-V, and many districts now rely more heavily on response-to-intervention data tracking a student’s progress under targeted support over time. That said, the WISC-V remains extremely common in comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations, particularly when a specific learning disability or intellectual disability diagnosis is being considered. Private neuropsychological evaluations outside the school system also frequently use it, sometimes because families want a second opinion beyond what a school district’s own evaluation team provided. Whether it is required in a given case ultimately depends on local policy and the specific referral question driving the evaluation.

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