Wonderlic Yourself

The combine is upon us; and one of the rituals of the combine is the Wonderlic test.  While not exactly an IQ test, it measures a candidates ability to do certain kinds of math,resolve problems and use words.  In general the higher the score, the more capable the individual is likely to be in terms of management and decision making skills.  It is a series of fifty questions that candidates have 12 minutes to answer.  I have administered this test to candidates in the past; usually to screen people on either end of the spectrum; you don't want someone too smart for a clerical job because they will get bored to tears; and you don't want someone that is going to have trouble picking up new concepts as a support technician.  If you ever have to take it they tell you not to skip questions as they get progressively harder; but generally if there are types of problems you do better it does pay to skip to them.  I hired folks in spite of the results on a few occasions, but always regretted it with one exception.

There are averages for the different positions; generally quarterbacks and Offensive Tackles have the highest numbers, around 24-26.  I probably gave the test to more than a hundred folks and never saw anyone answer all the questions, let alone get them all right.  The results are supposed to be tightly gaurded and so naturally you can find them posted all over the internet.  The folks at Hogs Haven have a mock up of just a fraction the number of questions; in real life they do get harder so it really isn't a perfect sample test, but follow this link and you can Wonderlic yourself.  Go past the jump to find some of the reported scores of current players.

Some standard profession scores:

Chemist - 31
Programmer - 29
Journalist - 26
Sales - 24
Bank teller - 22
Clerical worker - 21
Security guard - 17
Warehouse - 15

NFL Notable High Scores:

Drew Henson 42
Alex Smith 40
Eli Manning 39
Brian Griese 39
Tony Romo 37
Drew Bledsoe 36
Matt Leinart 35
Kellen Clemens 35
Tom Brady 33
Steve Young 33
John Beck 30
Philip Rivers 30
Troy Aikman 29
Brady Quinn 29
Drew Brees 28
Peyton Manning 28
Ryan Leaf 27
Ben Roethlisberger 25
Brett Favre 22

Notable Low Scores:

Tarvaris Jackson 19
Derek Anderson 19
Vince Young 16*
Dan Marino 15
Terry Bradshaw 15
Donovan McNabb 14
David Garrard 14
Kordell Stewart 13
Marcus Vick 11
Jeff George 10
Chris Leak 8

(HT to Hogs Haven for the player scores)