Wonderlic Test
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question intelligence 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 Jan, '07 called the Wonderlic Personnel Test - Revised. It contains questions deemed more appropriate to the 21st century.
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[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, 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 (still considered a 99th percentile or better score[5]), but that Fitzpatrick's claim of completing the Wonderlic in only nine minutes was accurate. As of 2005, Kevin Curtis was reported to have had the highest Wonderlic score of any active NFL player, at a 48.[6] 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.[7]
[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 "Super-Star" 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
- ^ "Wonderlic Personnel Test". http://www.wonderlic.com/about/history.asp. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ Pete Dougherty and Jim Wyatt (2006-03-01). "Will Wonderlic cause teams to wonder about Young?". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-03-01-young-wonderlic_x.htm. Retrieved on 2008-09-14.
- ^ Ivy League Sports Newsletter, March 1, 2005.
- ^ "Embracing Brains and Brawn"
- ^ How To Join Intertel
- ^ Robinson, Doug (2005-10-25). "Kevin Curtis is . . . a surprising, rising star". Deseret Morning News. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,635155947,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ Kotala, Carl (2006-04-16). "USATODAY.com - Wonderlic reaches well beyond NFL". www.usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-04-16-wonderlic-feature_x.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ a b Merron, Jeff. "Taking your Wonderlics", ESPN.com.
- ^ "The Wonderlic Exam - ESPN Page 2". sports.espn.go.com. 2009-02-19. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=wonderlic/090218. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ "EFPLFP: Wonderlic Test". www.angelfire.com. http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/existence/wonderlic.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
- ^ EA Sports (2005). "NFL Superstar", Madden NFL 2006 (manual) (in English). Electronic Arts, page 11.
