Wonderlic Test The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test ( formerly known as the Wonderlic Personnel Test ( WPT ) ) is a popular group intelligence test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem - solving in a range of occupations . The Wonderlic is available in 12 different languages and is often applied at college , entry level jobs , and team making efforts . Most of the government and private organizations have made it an integral part of their psychological assessment sessions . It consists of 50 multiple choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes . The test was developed by Eldon F . Wonderlic . 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 ) . Wonderlic , Inc . claims a score of at least 10 points suggests a person is literate . A new version was released in January 2007 called the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test ( formerly known as the Wonderlic Personnel Test – Revised ) , containing questions more appropriate to the 21st century ; it is available both online and in printed form , whereas the original test is only available on paper . The Wonderlic Test was based on another test called the Otis Self - Administering Test of Mental Ability . History . Created in 1936 by E . F . Wonderlic , the Wonderlic Personnel Test was the first short - form cognitive abilities test . It was developed to measure general cognitive ability in the areas of math , vocabulary , and reasoning . Wonderlic created and distributed it as a graduate student in the psychology department at Northwestern University from his home . Regarding the time allotted to take the test Eldon F . Wonderlic , in an article released in 1939 , stated the following : " The length of the test was made such that only about two to five per cent of average groups complete the test in the twelve - minute time limit . " Originally designed to aid in employee selection , the Wonderlic Personnel Test has also been used by both the United States Armed Forces and the National Football League for selection purposes . During World War II , the Navy began using the Wonderlic Personnel Test to select candidates for pilot training and navigation . In the 1970s Tom Landry , coach of the Dallas Cowboys , was the first to use the Wonderlic Personnel Test to predict player performance . It is still used in the annual NFL Combine as a form of pre - draft assessment . In short , it attempts to screen candidates for certain jobs within the shortest possible time . It may be termed as a quick IQ test . The Wonderlic Test is continually being updated with repeated evaluations of questions . Also , beginning in the 1970s , Wonderlic began to develop other forms of the Wonderlic Personnel some of which include : Wonderlic Perceptual Ability Tests , Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam , or the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test . There are currently 30 tests offered by Wonderlic , Inc . Application to industrial - organizational psychology . The Wonderlic Test , as a vocational and intelligence test , falls under the field of Industrial and Organizational Psychology . As a personnel test the Wonderlic is used to gauge an applicant ' s job potential , educational potential , and training potential . While there is no lack of tests that could be used in place the Wonderlic , such as the IQ or the Mechanical Aptitude Test , it is a quick and simple vocational test for personnel recruitment and selection . The Wonderlic Test has been peer reviewed by the American Psychological Association and has been deemed worthy of field applications to the industrial use of personnel testing . Other sources can be found on the database APA PsycNET . Sample questions . Similar to other standardized tests , the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test presents its questions in an open response format that becomes increasingly more difficult as one progresses through the test . The types of questions that have appeared in the oldest versions of the Wonderlic Test include : analogies , analysis of geometric figures , arithmetic , direction following , disarranged sentences , judgment , logic , proverb matching , similarities , and word definitions . However , the questions may take different angles depending upon the ‘ intelligence ’ of the question setters . Abbreviated , unofficial versions of the test are available online . While these tests are not nearly as complex as the original Wonderlic test , nor authorized by Wonderlic , they follow many 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 is taken in " Superstar Mode " portion of the game , to make the game experience more realistic , although , it is now optional . The questions usually consist of basic math and English questions . For example , " 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 ? " . Players have four answers to choose from when taking this version of the test . Central tendency of Wonderlic scores . Serving as a quantitative measure for employers , scores are collected by the employers and the applicant ' s score may be compared to a professional standard , as is the case with security guards or , simply , compared to the scores of other applicants who happen to be applying for the same or similar positions at that time . Each profession has its own , unique , average ; therefore , different professions require different standards . Median score by profession . Listed are a sample of median scores by profession on the Wonderlic test from 1983 . The scores are listed in descending numerical order , and professions with the same score have been alphabetized . Average score in the NFL by position . Though used in a variety of settings , the Wonderlic test has become best known for its use in the NFL ' s Scouting Combine . According to Paul Zimmerman ' s " The New Thinking Man ' s Guide to Pro Football , " the average score of a NFL player according to position is the following : An average football player usually scores around 20 points . However , some notable people who either scored well above or well below this average include : Predictor of success in the NFL . John P . Lopez of " Sports Illustrated " proposes a 26 – 27 – 60 rule to predict a quarterback ' s success in the NFL ( at least a 26 on the Wonderlic , at least 27 college starts , and at least 60 % pass completion ) and lists several examples of successes and failures based on the rule . A 2005 study by McDonald Mirabile found that there is no significant correlation between a quarterback ' s Wonderlic score and a quarterback ' s passer rating , and no significant correlation between a quarterback ' s Wonderlic score and a quarterback ' s salary . Similarly , a 2009 study by Brian D . Lyons , Brian J . Hoffman , and John W . Michel found that Wonderlic scores failed to positively and significantly predict future NFL performance for any position . Donovan McNabb , whose 14 score was the lowest of the five quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft , was the only one with a lengthy and successful NFL career . The Lyons study also found that the relationship between Wonderlic test scores and future NFL performance was negative for a few positions , indicating the higher a player scores on the Wonderlic test , the worse the player will perform in the NFL . According to McInally , who was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft , George Young told him that his perfect score caused him to be selected later than he would have otherwise . McInally speculated that " coaches and front - office guys don ' t like extremes one way or the other , but particularly not on the high side . I think they think guys who are intelligent will challenge authority too much . " Mike Florio of Profootballtalk . com agreed with McInally : Reliability . In 1982 , Carl Dodrill conducted a study in which 57 adults were administered the Wonderlic twice over a five - year period . In the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , Dodrill reported that the test - retest reliability for the Wonderlic was . 94 . In 1956 , Weaver and Boneau reported in the Journal of Applied Psychology that two of the five forms , A and B , that were published at the time were harder than the others which caused scores on those forms to be significantly lower than scores obtained on forms C - F . Concerning these observed differences , Weaver and Boneau state : " This accords with the history of the development of the test . Forms D , E , and F are made up of items selected from the Otis Higher , while A and B were developed later and include types of items not found in the Otis . " Those findings , seemingly , invalidate the claim that those forms were equivalent or consistent . E . N . Hay made a similar observation as well . Hay found that form F was significantly easier than Form D . Furthermore , Kazmier found Form B to be the most difficult of the five forms and , thus , recommended that it " not be regarded as directly equivalent to any of the forms . " Kazmier also found Forms D and F to be significantly different from each other and recommended that these forms be regarded as inequivalent . In a study of the Wonderlic ' s test - retest reliability , conducted in 1992 , Stuart McKelvie " concluded that conscious repetition of specific responses did not seriously inflate the estimate of test - retest reliability . " To put it simply , one ' s memory of some of the answers does not significantly affect one ' s score on the Wonderlic . More recently , according to a 1989 article in Psychological Reports , the Wonderlic scored a r = . 87 on the reliability scale compared along with the Pearson test score of r = . 21 . Validity . In an article written in Psychological Reports T . Matthews and Kerry Lassiter report that the Wonderlic Test " was most strongly associated with overall intellectual functioning , " which is what it is purported to measure . However , Matthews and Lassiter did not find the Wonderlic to be a successful measure of fluid and crystallized intelligence , and they stated that " the Wonderlic test scores did not clearly show convergent or divergent validity evidence across these two broad domains of cognitive ability . " In academic testing , the Wonderlic Test has shown high correlations with aptitude tests such as the General Aptitude Test Battery . Types . The tests are divided into four different sections cognitive , skill , personality , and behavioral . The scores are predictors of the possible conformity a potential employee has within the field that they are applying . Each test has different number of questions , time requirement , and can or cannot be administered via computers . Skill . First created in the 1950s by Wonderlic ' s son , Charles F Wonderlic Sr . The Skills Test measures an individual ' s skill in areas such as math or English . There are three types of skill tests : Perceptual Ability Test , Wonderlic Basic Skills Test , and Wonderlic Office and Software Skills Tests . The Wonderlic Perceptual Ability Tests measures an individual ' s ability to answer numerical and alphabetical details with accuracy . The Wonderlic Basic Skills Test measures a one ' s mathematical and verbal capabilities . Wonderlic Office and Software Skills Tests test a person ' s computer proficiency and use of basic software . Cognitive ability . Released in the 1990s , the Cognitive Ability test measures an individual ' s capability of solving problems and learning . The Cognitive Ability test is divided into two different forms of test : the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Pretest and the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test . The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Pretest test differ from the Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test in that it is not proctored giving employers a general idea of the potential applicant ' s cognitive ability . The Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test is a much more comprehensive test . Behavioral liability . Behavioral Liability is a test assessment for individuals to gauge that individual ' s potential in engaging in counterproductive or unethical behaviors within a community . Divided into two sections : the Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile and the Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile Plus . Each test measures an individual ' s liability within the group i . e . theft . The Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile test an individual ' s three behavior traits : neuroticism , agreeability , and conscientiousness . The Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile Plus is similar to the Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile , however the Wonderlic Behavioral Risk Profile Plus contains additional questioning including background disclosures and productivity results . Personality . The Wonderlic Personality tests measure personal characteristics that are widely accepted as being predictive of a candidate ' s expected job performance . Wonderlic claims that using the Wonderlic Personality Test to select individuals whose traits are aligned with the demands of the position , employers can improve employee productivity , employee satisfaction and customer service while reducing recruitment costs and employee turnover . Added during the 1990s the Wonderlic Personality Test contains two sections . The Wonderlic Five - Factor Personality Profile and the Wonderlic Seven - Factor Personality Profile . Using five primary dimensions of an individual ' s personality , the Wonderlic Five - Factor Personality Profile using five primary dimensions of tests an individual ' s personality : extraversion , agreeableness , conscientiousness , emotional stability / neuroticism , and openness to experience . ( One should be cognizant of the striking similarity between the Wonderlic Five - Factor Personality Profile and the Big Five personality traits also known as the Five Factor Model ) . The Wonderlic Seven - Factor Personality Profile test individuals on seven dimensions different than the Wonderlic Five - Factor Personality Profile : emotional intensity , intuition , recognition motivation , sensitivity , assertiveness , trust , and good impression . The Wonderlic Seven - Factor Personality Profile test is oriented more for customer service employees .