The NFL Combine has begun in Indianapolis. Over the next week, prospective NFL players will go through countless interviews with representatives from NFL front offices, as well as with the media. They'll undergo a battery of medical exams. Players will push it to the limit jumping, running, and lifting with various physical tests.
And most wlll take the Wonderlic Test.
The exam with the funny name has been a staple for many years. It's an intelligence test that's used to assess problem-solving aptitude and learning, and many corporations have been using it for the better part of the last century.
It can be pretty tricky, and with all the other things a prospect has to worry about this week, this can be a tricky task to complete. Here are eight facts to know about the Wonderlic Test.
- As a graduate student in the Northwestern University psychology department, Eldon. F. Wonderlic created the test in 1936.
- It's 50 questions, and test-takers have 12 minutes to complete it.
- Wonderlic later said he put the 12-minute time limit on the exam so only two percent to five percent of the test-takers would be able to finish it.
- Not every Combine participant will take it this week, though. Many took it last year at their rising-senior Pro Day on their respective college campuses. Others took it during the week of the Senior Bowl or whatever college all-star game they attended.
- Here's a sample Wonderlic question: Which of the following is the earliest date? A) Jan. 16, 1898 B) Feb. 21, 1889 C) Feb. 2, 1898 D) Jan. 7, 1898 E) Jan. 30, 1889. The answer is E.
- Paul Brown, who founded both the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, and was also the head coach of both teams, introduced the Wonderlic Test to the NFL in the 1960's.
- Here's a sample Wonderlic question that's a bit tougher: Jose's monthly parking fee for April was $150; for May it was $10 more than April; and for June $40 more than May. His average monthly parking fee was ? for these 3 months. J) $66 K) $160 L) $166 M) $170 N) $200. The correct answer is M.
- 50 is a perfect score, and the only reported NFL player to get every question correct in 12 minutes was punter/receiver Pat McInally. The Harvard grad spent a decade in the NFL.
