We describe and apply a judgmental (qualitative) procedure for cognitive test adaptations. The procedure consists of iterations of translating, piloting, and modifying the instrument. We distinguish five types of adaptations for cognitive instruments, based on the underlying source (construct, language, culture, theory, and familiarity, respectively). The proposed procedure is applied to adapt the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, second edition (KABC-II) for 6 to 10 year-old Kannada-speaking children of low socioeconomic status in Bangalore, India. Each subtest needed extensive adaptations, illustrating that the transfer of Western cognitive instruments to a non-Westernized context requires a careful analysis of their appropriateness. Adaptations of test instructions, item content of both verbal and non-verbal tests, and item order were needed. It is concluded that the qualitative approach adopted here was found adequate to identify various problems with the application of the KABC-II in our sample which would have remained unnoticed with a straightforward translation of the original instrument.
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