PURPOSE: To provide an electric characteristic test for a device stably and effectively in good conditions, by forming a stationary stage for a probe card so that a probe needle can be movable for a desired length in a desired direction after the probe needle is put in contact with an IC electrode pad.

CONSTITUTION: A wafer prober used for an electric characteristic test for an IC in a semiconductor wafer 9 has a stationary stage 7 for fastening a probe card 8. The stationary stage 7 is also used to put a prove needle 1 (a probe electrode) in contact with each IC-device electrode pad to be measured. The probe needle l is made movable for a desired length in a desired direction after the probe needle 1 is put in contact with the IC-device electrode pad. In this way, since the contact pressure and the wiping quantity thereof are set separately as an individual parameter, a wafer probing step can be carried out without an optimizing designing step for an incident angle of the probe needle 1 to the wafer 9.