Phase 1
First, we meet in person.
A 30-minute in-person intake with you and your child. You can ask questions; your child sees the room and meets me. The point is to take the unknown out of testing day before it starts.
~30 min · billed · in person
Gifted Assessment · Calgary
Cognitive testing to understand how your child thinks.
A WISC or WPPSI cognitive assessment in Calgary. For GATE applications, Westmount Charter, or simply because you want to understand how your child’s mind works. About 2 hours of testing, billed hourly — you only pay for what gets done.
How a gifted assessment unfolds
Three phases. About 2–3 weeks, start to finish.
Gifted assessments are shorter and tighter than a full psychoed. The arc is the same — intake, testing, answers — just compressed for a single, focused question.
Phase 2
Then we test.
A 2-hour cognitive assessment — WISC-V or WPPSI-IV, depending on your child's age. Hoodies, candy on the desk, testing breaks. Not a lab coat in sight.
~2 hours · in person
Phase 3
Then you get the answer.
A 30-minute virtual feedback call where we walk through the scores together. If your child qualifies and you'd like a written report, I'll write one — the kind GATE and Westmount accept.
~30 min + optional written report
Want the full walkthrough? See what to expect →
If any of this sounds familiar
You've got a deadline. Or a question.
You’re in the right place. A gifted assessment is exactly built for these questions.
01
GATE applications are coming up. You need a WISC score — and you need it before the window closes.
02
Westmount Charter has a hard cap on applicants. Late isn't an option, and neither is "almost ready."
03
Or your child's been bored at school for years, and you want to actually understand why.
The work, in plain language
A cognitive assessment, scoped tightly.
A gifted assessment is a standardized cognitive test — the same instrument psychologists have used for decades — administered in a way that doesn't make your child dread the day.
It starts with a 30-minute in-person intake. You bring your child; we talk through what you’re hoping to learn, the application deadline you’re working with, and what test format fits your child’s age. Your child sees the room, meets me, and leaves with a sense of what testing day will look like.
Testing is a single 2-hour block, in person. Afterward I score the results and we book a 30-minute virtual feedback call. If your child qualifies as gifted by program criteria and you’d like a written report, I’ll write one — many parents in that case need it for the application. If they don’t qualify, you’ll know, and most parents in that case waive the report, which keeps the total bill lower.
Standardized instruments used
WISC-V — ages 6 to 16.
WPPSI-IV — ages 4 to 7.
These are the cognitive instruments GATE and Westmount Charter accept. If you’re not sure which one fits your child’s age, that’s exactly what we figure out together in the intake.
One 2-hour block.
No marathon. We finish in a single visit so you're not coming back twice.
Candy on the desk.
Something tactile and sweet within reach. A small thing that takes the pressure off.
Hoodies, not lab coats.
Casual on purpose. Children relax faster when no one's performing authority.
Testing breaks.
When they need a few minutes to switch off, they switch off. Then we come back.
Want the full walkthrough of testing day, hour by hour? See what to expect →
The result
A clear answer — and the document your application needs.
In the feedback call, you’ll get the actual answer: does your child meet the cognitive threshold for gifted programs, and what does the score mean in plain language? Not a verdict — a description of how your child’s mind works.
If your child qualifies and you’d like a written report, I’ll write one that GATE and Westmount Charter recognize. If they don’t qualify, you’ll know that too — most parents in that case waive the report, which is honest about both the result and the cost.
Start the conversationCognitive Assessment Report
Bench Psychology · Calgary
“I can’t promise your child will qualify. What I can promise is a clear answer either way — and a child who didn’t dread the day.”
Whatever the result, the goal is a clear answer — not a campaign.
Pricing
Honest hourly billing. A real number in the intake.
A gifted assessment is shorter than a full psychoed — typically a 30-min intake, a 2-hour test, a 30-min feedback call, and scoring time. About 3–5 hours of billable work in total — the upper end if you’d like a written report. We bill hourly at $240, and you only pay for what gets done.
Full pricing & FAQ$240/ hour
Billed hourly. Gifted assessments typically run 3–5 hours of billable work.
The intake is the first step of the assessment and is billed.
Program-specific pages
If you're applying to a specific program — start here.
Both GATE (Calgary Board of Education) and Westmount Charter have specific application timelines and score requirements. Each has its own page on this site walking through what you’ll need.
Calgary Board of Education
For GATE applications
The CBE's Gifted and Talented Education program requires WISC-V scores. Application windows, what they look for, and how the timing usually works.
Learn moreWestmount Charter School
For Westmount Charter
Westmount is a charter school with a cap on applicants. Cognitive testing is part of their application — score requirements, timing, and how to plan around the window.
Learn more
About Vanessa
I built Bench so I could do this work the way it should be done.
“I’m Vanessa. I’m a registered psychologist in Alberta, and I built Bench because I wanted to do assessment work the way it should be done — patiently, in plain language, and in a setting that doesn’t make children feel like they’re being studied. My master’s at the University of Calgary was three years focused on one thing: assessment. Since 2022 I’ve worked with Calgary school boards and with families from every income tier. I wear hoodies to work. I work in two-hour blocks because that’s how a child actually sits. There’s candy on the desk.”
Vanessa Rankin, M.Ed., R. Psych. · More about Vanessa →
Frequently asked
What gifted-applicant parents most often ask.
The five questions that come up most often during gifted intakes — covered here so you can read them on your own time before the call.
WISC-V is for children ages 6 to 16. WPPSI-IV is for children ages 4 to 7. Both are standardized cognitive instruments — and both are accepted by GATE and Westmount Charter. I’ll confirm which one fits your child’s age and the program’s requirements that year when we connect — by email or a quick consult call, before anything’s booked.
It depends on the program and the year. Both GATE and Westmount accept Bench reports when one is needed; some application windows accept scores submitted directly without a full report. We’ll confirm what your specific application requires in the intake, so you only pay for the report if it’s actually necessary.
You’ll know at the feedback call. Most parents in that case waive the written report, which keeps the total bill lower. You’ll still walk away with an honest, plain-language explanation of what the scores mean and what they don’t — and what next steps might make sense, if any.
From intake to feedback is typically 2–3 weeks if scheduling cooperates. If you’re working against a specific application deadline, tell me in the intake and we’ll work backwards from your date together.
I don’t direct-bill, but I provide receipts with every code your benefits plan needs. Coverage for cognitive assessment varies widely between plans — worth checking with your provider before we start. See the pricing page for more detail.
When you’re ready
The next step is just a conversation.
Not sure a gifted assessment is the right fit? Send me an email or book a quick consult call — we’ll sort out which test fits, your program timeline, and what your specific cost looks like, free, before anything’s booked. If it isn’t actually what you need, I’ll tell you that too, and we’ll talk through what is.
A gifted intake is 30 minutes, in person, and is billed as the first step of the assessment.