Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test

The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test, more generally referred to as just the Wonderlic Test, is an intelligence test frequently used by employers to assess a potential employee's ability to problem solve effectively. The National Football League famously uses the Wonderlic test in the scouting combine to determine the intelligence of prospective draft picks.

The Wonderlic Test and its predecessors have been in use for over seventy years, and is perhaps the most widely relied upon cognitive testing tool available. In addition to assessing basic problem solving skills, the Wonderlic is also useful in determining an applicant's ability to learn on the go and to listen to and follow instructions. Unlike most Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests, the Wonderlic Test is relatively brief, lasting only twelve minutes. Consisting of fifty questions, the Wonderlic requires the test-taker to answer over four questions per minute, thereby also testing one's ability to problem solve not only effectively, but quickly and efficiently as well.

So, is the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test more than just an intelligence test? In a sense, yes. The Wonderlic is designed in such a way as to give an employer notice of a person's ability to learn quickly and problem solve rapidly, rather than merely providing notice of one's overall "quotient" of intelligence. While there is a method of converting a Wonderlic score into an IQ score, this provides only a rough estimation of IQ. If an employer is seeking the IQ score of an applicant, a proper IQ test should be given rather than the problem-solving style of cognitive testing provided by the Wonderlic Test.

The types of question asked by the Wonderlic Test. Some of the questions essentially ask which word in a series does not belong in the context of the other words, while other questions will appear more algebraic in nature.

The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a useful tool for determining the cognitive ability of potential employees. Of course, it should not be considered definitive in and of itself, but rather should be viewed as one potential way to analyze and evaluate a potential employee among a variety of factors.