To start a career in the NFL, you will be expected to take the Wonderlic cognitive ability test. Image source: foxsports.
This post provides some of the most important facts about the NFL Wonderlic Test to help you prepare effectively for the exam and be successful in your first sitting.
Please, read on:
What is NFL Wonderlic Test?
The Wonderlic tests have been used by many companies as an additional test in their hiring process.
You might be wondering where NFL comes from in the NFL Wonderlic test.
Well, in order to get you clear we want you to understand that the NFL, popularly known as the National Football League, utilizes the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability (WCA) Test as part of the drafting process during their Scouting Combine.
Among millions of people worldwide who take the Wonderlic test every year, 300 football players at the NFL Scouting Combine are included.
During each February that the NFL Combine takes place as a long event, time college football players are tested on the field and on paper so as to be drafted to the NFL.
Though the players’ skills on the field are necessary, coaches still want to know their capacities before being drafted.
Therefore, prior to displaying their skills on the football field, NFL candidates are required to take the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test.
General Managers, coaches, scouts, etc. get information about players’ decision-making abilities through the Wonderlic test scores.
With quick decision-making abilities while on the football field, NFL players can develop the zeal to win games and lead teams to success.
10 Important Facts about NFL Wonderlic Test
Here are some of the major facts you need to know about the NFL Wonderlic Test if you are taking the exam:
The Wonderlic Test is Effective on NFL
The Wonderlic test improves the performance and scores of NFL players. This is the technique the league has been using to test the intelligence of its players.
During an NFL game, the intense performance of Ryan Fitzpatrick (A Harvard player) will tell you this player has the highest ever recorded score (which is 48) for a quarterback on the Wonderlic test.
What about punter Pat McInally, another Harvard product who was chosen in the fifth round of the 1975 draft by the Bengals?
He is the only recognized player to get a perfect score on the Wonderlic.
The Wonderlic is a form of IQ test that seeks to measure the general cognitive ability in the subject areas of math, vocabulary, and reasoning.
In the ‘70s, the two-time Super Bowling-winning Dallas Cowboys Tom Landry started using the Wonderlic to evaluate his players and it has become a standard procedure for NFL draft prospects to take the test in decades.
There Are Different Types of NFL Wonderlic Test Questions
There are two types of the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test that are made up of a variety of questions designed to assess candidates’ cognitive capabilities. These include:
Basic Questions
These questions are used to measure up the candidate’s daily knowledge base regarding vocabulary skills, mathematical skills, and English grammar skills.
Advanced Questions
The advanced questions are used to evaluate an individual’s ability to think logically, detect errors, answer number series, structure sentences, solve complex mathematical word puzzles, and use abstract conceptualization when answering questions, and more.
Calculators Are Not Allowed During The NFL Wonderlic Test
You cannot use calculators during the NFL Wonderlic test. This creates the opportunity to practice your skills to use in solving mathematical questions on paper.
However, you may be able to use one if you are taking the Wonderlic test in the privacy of your home.
Nobody will ask you questions in your home, but the Wonderlic test has rules and regulations that must be obeyed.
The Average Score Players Achieve on The NFL Wonderlic Test Varies
The minimum score desired can float up or down a few points depending on the position a player wishes to hold within a team, but the average is around 21 points.
This is consistent with average intelligence and a complete competence and readiness to get on the field.
Certain positions such as Quarterback and Offensive Tackle require higher scores than others, which average 24 and 26 points, respectively.
A score anywhere within a few points of 20 can be considered good for most players, and shouldn’t hold them back in their efforts to pursue a career in the NFL.
On the Wonderlic test at the NFL Combine, the highest of all NFL intelligence test scores ever achieved was 50 out of 50, and it was achieved by Pat McInally, who was a fifth-round draft pick in 1975.
Other famous players who made high scores the NFL Wonderlic test include Mike Mamula, Eli Manning, and Ryan Fitzpatrick – who completed the test in a record-setting nine minutes, showing not only intellectual prowess but an incredible ability to perform under pressure.
NFL Wonderlic Test Needs Adequate Time to Prepare
The NFL Wonderlic test is not the type of test for which you can study, because the exam was designed to assess your tendencies and collective knowledge, not a specific area of study.
The NFL Wonderlic test measures one’s thoughts and ideas, reasoning processes, and general personality tendencies with significant accuracy.
Nonetheless, enough time is needed, so carve out adequate time to learn the details about the specifics of the Wonderlic test.
If you can utilize the various practice online tests and materials offer for free, you will surely optimize your Wonderlic score.
Therefore, proper preparation helps raise your score higher to land your choice job.
You Can Skip Questions on The NFL Wonderlic Test
According to Wonderlic, one can’t do too much to study for the WPT. Taking a couple of practice tests would help you get a feel of how quickly 12 minutes can fly by, but you can’t increase your IQ with a couple of study sessions.
However, if you can analyze this, you will see that 50 questions in 12 minutes prove an indication that you have an average of fewer than 15 seconds per question.
Skipping questions on the NFL Wonderlic test doesn’t mean you will not answer the question, but just a temporary ability to leave out questions you will come back to complete later in the exam.
The Result of Failing The NFL Wonderlic Test
You will not get the job if you do not reach the minimum required score defined by the company.
Sometimes, when a candidate fails the Wonderlic test, the employer simply tells them the interview is over and they can go home.
It is very rare to get a company that will offer you a second chance to take the exam, though if you conduct proper research you may see one.
But be advised to learn the best approach to the exam so you can take it in one sitting.
The Difficult Part of the NFL Wonderlic Scores
The NFL Wonderlic score (an IQ test of sorts of incoming players into the NFL) cannot be determined, but you will surely get a decent idea of the intellectual capacity of the players.
The league continues to measure its prospective players’ intelligence to know how smart they are despite its history and complex role in the NFL, and to evaluate future players.
The Easy Way to Pass The NFL Wonderlic Test
A lot of people get scared at the mere mention of the “Wonderlic test”, wondering how to go about the whole of 50 questions in 12 minutes, using just 14 seconds to answer each one.
The NFL Wonderlic test is like a game and if you can learn the rules and give enough time to practice playing the game, you will surely attain success participating in the exam.
Here are some tips on how you can prepare for the exam:
Take a timed practice test.
Learn the strategies you need to know.
Study and review the questions commonly set on the Wonderlic NFL exam and how to solve them.
Practice, practice, and practice.
The NFL Regional Combine
This consists of 15 events in 10 cities in February and March and will reach up to the Super Regional Combine.
Regional Combines, which usually occurs in NFL club facilities, is held specifically for players not participating in the NFL Scouting Combine but are eligible for the NFL draft and free agents.
To participate in the Regional Combine, players must be eligible for the NFL draft, meet NFL eligibility rules, and play at a high level.
The NFL scouts review and test players at the Regional Combine, after which their measurements and Combine results are input in a database available to each of the 32 NFL clubs.
To participate in the NFL Super Regional Combine, players are selected at the NFL Regional Combine.
Those invited will have the opportunity to show off their skills before players’ personnel staff and NFL club scouts.
Conclusion
Preparing for the NFL Wonderlic test requires enough practice in order to excel as emphasized above.
The best way to go about this is to go through numerous practice tests and take notes of the areas where you scored the lowest and need to improve.
Getting acquainted with the test format will help you discover what to expect when you sit for the main exam.
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