Techniques for sending a MIMO transmission in a wireless communication system are described. In one design, a transmitter sends a first reference signal to a receiver. The receiver selects a precoding matrix based on the first reference signal and in accordance with a selection criterion. The receiver estimates noise and interference at the receiver and determines channel quality indicator (CQI) or modulation and coding scheme (MCS) information based on the precoding matrix and the estimated noise and interference. The receiver sends the CQI or MCS information and a second reference signal to the transmitter. The transmitter selects the precoding matrix based on the second reference signal and in accordance with the same selection criterion used by the receiver. The transmitter then sends a MIMO transmission to the receiver based on the CQI or MCS information obtained from the receiver and the precoding matrix selected by the transmitter.
