The Wonderlic Personnel Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a wide range of occupations.^[1] The score is calculated as the number of correct answers given in the allotted time. A score of 20 is intended to indicate average intelligence (corresponding to an intelligence quotient of 100; a rough conversion is accomplished via the following formula: IQ = (2WPT + 60). A new version was released in January 2007 called the Wonderlic Personnel Test - Revised. It contains questions deemed more appropriate to the 21st century.

Contents 1 Use in NFL 2 Average scores for other professions 3 Sample questions 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Use in NFL

Though used in a wide variety of institutions, the Wonderlic test has become best known for its use in the NFL pre-draft assessments of prospective football players.

This assessment roughly corresponds to examples from Paul Zimmerman's The New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. According to Zimmerman, examples of average scores for each position are:

• Offensive tackle - 26
• Center - 25
• Quarterback - 24
• Guard - 23
• Tight end - 22
• Safety - 19
• Linebacker - 19
• Cornerback - 18
• Wide receiver - 17
• Fullback - 17
• Halfback - 16

Pat McInally, a graduate of Harvard University, is the only football player to record a confirmed perfect score of 50.^[2] Ryan Fitzpatrick, also a Harvard graduate and currently a quarterback with the NFL Buffalo Bills, had also been rumored to have scored a perfect 50 points in only nine minutes.^[3] However, Fitzpatrick denied this, saying that he had left at least one of the 50 answer spaces blank.^[4] The Wall Street Journal later reported that Fitzpatrick's actual score was 48 but that Fitzpatrick's claim of completing the Wonderlic in only nine minutes was accurate (This report appeared in the September 30, 2005 edition of the WSJ in the Weekend Section). As of 2005, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis, a graduate of Utah State University, was reported to have had the highest Wonderlic score of any active NFL player, at a 48.^[5] During the 2009 Combine NFL Network's Rich Eisen mentioned that Mike Mamula the "Workout Warrior" scored a 49; USA Today has also reported on this claim.^[6]

On the other hand, some high profile players have scored rather low on the test. Vince Young and Dan Marino both scored 15 on the test. Marcus Vick, brother of Michael Vick, scored 11. Michael himself scored an average 20.

Yet this does not always correlate to poor performance. 2009 is a good example. Two of the currently high performing rookie wide receivers scored low, Percy Harvin and Hakeem Nicks scored a 12 and 11 respectively. Yet both are performing at high levels.^{[7][unreliable source?]}

[edit] Average scores for other professions

While an average football player usually scores around 20 points, Wonderlic, Inc. claims a score of at least 10 points suggests a person is literate.^[8] Furthermore, when the test was given to miscellaneous people of various professions, it was observed that the average participant scored a 24. Examples of scores from everyday professions included:

• Chemist - 31
• Programmer - 29
• Journalist - 26
• Sales - 24
• Bank teller - 22
• Clerical worker - 21
• Security guard - 17
• Warehouse - 15

[edit] Sample questions

Similar to other standardized tests, the Wonderlic Test presents its questions in an open response and multiple choice format with increasing difficulty. For example, a simple question may ask a participant to observe a set of words, and select one that is irrelevant to the others. In addition, the test may require one to solve a word problem by utilizing various algebraic and geometric techniques.^[8]

Abbreviated, unofficial versions of the test are available online.^[9][10] While these tests are not nearly as complex as the original Wonderlic Test, they follow most of the same concepts.

A simplified and condensed version of the Wonderlic Test appears in newer editions of the Madden NFL video game series. The Madden version of the test plays a major role during the "Superstar" portion of the game, to add a deeper sense of realism to the game. The questions usually consist of basic Math and English questions, like "If LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for 125 yards in a game, how many yards will he have at the end of the season if he keeps up with this pace?" or "Which is the most like the synonym of Brightness?" Players have four answers to choose from when taking the Wonderlic Test. ^[11]

The Weston Review published a guide that took a mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive approach to deconstruct the elements of the test items in the Wonderlic.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site (Note: Wonderlic has the same icon as Wikipedia).
• An Essay Detailing how the Wonderlic affects African-American quarterbacks
• A Peer-reviewed article on the importance of the Wonderlic test for quarterbacks
• New Test in 2007 Press Release
• ESPN article with sample questions
• Sports Illustrated article