Wonderlic Test: 5 Facts on the NFL's Cognitive Assessment

2011-02-28T13:30:00.001-08:00

Developed in the 1930s by psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic, the Wonderlic cognitive ability test has been embraced by the NFL, which uses it to assess players during the league's Scouting Combine.

This year it's been reported that quarterback Greg McElroy scored 48 out of 50 on the standardized test, though NFL scouts say they doubt test scores have been reported yet. Only one player has been known to score a perfect 50 on the Wonderlic: the Bengals' Pat McInally, who played in the 1970s and 1980s after graduating from Harvard.

Here are five details about the Wonderlic test -- and why it might not be so important after all.

1. There's more than one kind of Wonderlic test
Wonderlic assessments measure just about every behavioral and cognitive quality that can be measured, from work readiness to software skills to basic math and verbal skills. The NFL administers the Wonderlic Cognitive Aptitude Test.

2. It's over quickly
The Wonderlic cognitive test used by the NFL requires players to answer all 50 questions in just 12 minutes.

3. The average score is 24 for most people
The average NFL quarterback scores a 24 on the test. That's average for nonathletes, too. (Here's a sample test, if you want to ... tackle it.)

4. Wonderlic's daughter disputes the test's effectiveness
Eldon Wonderlic's daughter Kathy Kolbe, an educator who has developed cognitive assessments of her own, has said for many years that the Wonderlic is biased against women and minorities, and measures only a small portion of overall intelligence. Earlier this week she told The Kansas City Star: "The first time I heard [NFL officials] were using it, I had to laugh. The issue isn't whether or not to use the Wonderlic. It's: Don't say it tells you how a player is going to do. Because it doesn't."

5. NFL players don't have a lot of love for the Wonderlic test
As Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams says during this entertaining look at the Wonderlic's history and its use in the NFL, "Why? Why, Mr. Wonderlic?"