What Is The NFL's Wonderlic Intelligence Test And How Does It Work?

The Wonderlic test is essentially a measure of intelligence that the NFL uses. Like the name implies, it is a test, and it is for intelligence. It may come as a bit of surprise that the National Football League actually tests its employees (especially its players) for intelligence. It is very easy to think that the physical performance of a player is all that is considered before hiring them. However, there is more to it. Testing is not limited to the physical appearance or performance of a player. Their aptitude must also be tested; hence the need for an intelligence test.

Players (as well as other employees of the NFL) need to have other skills such as critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills. This would come in handy even in their work. This is why a mental capability or an intelligence test is so important. It forms part of the statistics the NFL considers while trying to hire for the coming season. The full name of the test used by the NFL is the Wonderlic Intelligence Test. Without boring you with too many details on the test, in this article, we would be examining this test and how it works.

Segments of the Wonderlic Test

The wonderlic test has four segments. Although the Wonderlic Test was created in 1936, several adjustments were made over time to give room for these segments. Each segment reveals different components of potential performance of a candidate, or a potential player in this case. They also categorize the Question Types in the Wonderlic Personnel test. The segments are briefly discussed below.

·   The segment on skill: This segment is essentially to determine the capabilities of the candidate in the areas of English and Mathematics. The way the individual processes alphanumeric components and even software is assessed here by the questions asked.

·   The segment on cognitive ability: This segment directly examines critical thinking and problem solving abilities.

·   The segment on personality: This segment evaluates job performance by analyzing the personality of the candidate.

·   The segment on behavioral liability: This segment right here helps an employer to see what the behavior of a candidate would be in circumstances where they experience hurdles.

How Does the Wonderlic Test Work?

The test consists of 50 questions which covers various segments (as earlier mentioned). The questions are to be answered within the space of 12 minutes. This also tests how well those who take the test can manage time. Generally, only up to five percent of those that take this test usually finish it up (i.e. complete all 50 questions before the 12 minutes elapses). Thanks to its various segments, the test is able to assess vocabulary, reasoning, as well as mathematical skills. This is achieved by the short scenarios presented to the participant in each section.

Participants are informed beforehand that they would be taking the test. Hence, they are expected to prepare to take the test; this can be achieved using online practice questions. The test becomes more challenging with every new section. It is not always expected that candidates would finish up the test, but in some cases, there are candidates that finish it up. As for the scoring, the total score is 50. Hence, the highest a person can score is 50. Every unanswered question is scored as zero. If a person scores 10, they would be classified as illiterate. A person who scores 20 would be considered to have average intelligence.

Conclusion

While scoring high in the test does not always translate to if a player would record groundbreaking success in the NFL, it still remains a basic test that players must take to get into the NFL.