Wonderlic Test
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The Wonderlic Personnel Test is an intelligence test primarily known for being administered to prospective players in the National Football League since the 1970s. The Wonderlic is a twelve-minute, fifty-question exam to assess aptitude for learning a job and adapting to solve problems for employees in a wide range of occupations. 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; to convert scores IQ = 2WPT + 60).
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[edit] Notable scores
Although very few players have received prodigious scores on the Wonderlic Test, it should be noted that Pat McInally is the only football player to record a confirmed perfect score of 50. Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard University graduate like McInally, has also been rumored to have scored a perfect 50, although he has claimed to have left at least one of the 50 answer spaces blank, and the rumor of his perfect score has been questioned in the media.[1]
Some examples of established NFL quarterbacks include[2][3]:
- Troy Aikman - 29
- Drew Bledsoe - 37
- John Elway - 30
- Brett Favre - 22
- Brian Griese - 39
- Eli Manning - 39
- Dan Marino - 16
- Steve Young - 33
[edit] Average scores
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 include for each position,
- 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
While an average football player usually scores around 20 points, The Wonderlic, Inc claims a score of at least 10 points suggests a person is literate [4]. 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
- Newswriter - 26
- Bank teller - 22
- Security Guard - 17
[edit] Sample questions
Similar to other standardized tests the Wonderlic Tests presents its questions in a 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 solve a word problem by utilizing various algebraic and geometric techniques [5].
A fan-made simpleton version of the test is available [6]. While the test is not nearly as complex as the original Wonderlic Test, it follows most of the same concepts. After finishing the test, one can compare one's results with those of other NFL players.
Also, a version of the Wonderlic test appears in newer renditions of EA's Madden NFL . The Madden version of the test plays a major role during the "Super-Star" portion of the game, adding a deeper sense of realism to the game.
The Weston Review published a guide that took a mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive approach used to deconstruct the elements of the test items in the Wonderlic.
