The Wisconsin Card Matching Test (WKET) is a neuropsychological test that is a "modifying set of tests, i.e., the ability to display flexibility in the face of changing reinforcement schedules". The WKET was written by David A. Grant and Esta A. Berg. The professional manual for the WKET was written by Robert K. Heaton, Gordon J. Chelune, Jack L. Talley, Gary G. Kay, and Glenn Curtiss.
Since 1948 the exam has been used by neuropsychologists and clinical psychologists in patients with acquired brain injury, neurodegenerative disease or mental illness such as schizophrenia. It is one of several psychological tests applicable to patients to measure frontal lobe dysfunction. When administered, the WKET allows the clinician to speculate on the following "frontal" lobe functions: strategic planning, organized search, shifting cognitive sets, using peripheral feedback to guide correct behavior in achieving a goal, and modulating impulsive responding. The test can be administered to people aged 6.5 years to 89 years of age. The WKET is based on a range of cognitive functions including attention, working memory and visual processing.
The WKET test can be used to help measure an individual's abstract reasoning proficiency and ability to change problem-solving strategies when necessary. In this test, a set of cards is presented to the participants. The figures on the cards differ in color, quantity and shape.
It is a neuropsychological test. It measures attention, executive function, persistence in maintaining a previous response tendency, working memory, conceptualization, abstract thinking. It measures the right frontal lobe and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
It measures feature identification (executive function), perseveration, working memory, conceptualization, abstract thinking, ability to maintain set-up, ability to change set-up.
Test materials include four stimulus cards, 2 card decks consisting of 64 response cards each, a recording form, pencil and eraser to be used by the test administrator.
Approximate administration time is 20 minutes.