For years, one of the strangest traditions surrounding the NFL Draft had nothing to do with 40-yard dashes, bench presses, or vertical leaps. It was a timed intelligence test called the Wonderlic.
The Wonderlic Personnel Test was created in the 1930s and eventually became a staple of the NFL Combine. Prospects were given just 12 minutes to answer 50 questions covering logic, math, vocabulary, pattern recognition, and basic problem-solving. The idea was simple: teams wanted a quick snapshot of how fast a player could process information under pressure.
Some teams swore by it. Others thought it was mostly meaningless. Over the years, the test became legendary because of how wildly different the scores could be.
Quarterbacks were expected to score high because they have to read defenses, memorize playbooks, and make split-second decisions. Meanwhile, fans became obsessed with comparing scores from famous players. Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino reportedly scored a 15. Aaron Rodgers scored a 35. Ryan Fitzpatrick famously scored a near-perfect 48 out of 50 after graduating from Harvard.
Below is a sample Wonderlic-style test. Grab a timer if you want the authentic experience. Just don’t be too shocked if you start out feeling confident and end up staring blankly at fractions while muttering, “Wait… what?”
1 – Look at the row of numbers below. What number should come next?
27 9 3 1 1/3 1/9 ?
2 – Assume the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one:
1. True 2. False 3. Not Certain
The boy plays for the Tigers. All the players on the Tigers wear white sneakers. The boy wears white sneakers.
3 – Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will 5 pads cost?
4 – How many of the six pairs of items listed below are exact duplicates?
Nieman, K.M. Neiman, K.M.
Thomas, G.K. Thomas, C.K.
Hoff, J.P. Hoff, J.P.
Warner T.S. Wanner, T.S.
Pino, L.R. Pina, L.R.
Hamnar, C.G. Hamnar, C.G.
5 – PRESENT, RESENT – Do these words
1. Have similar meanings
2. Have contradictory meanings
3. Mean neither the same nor opposite
6 – A train travels 20 feet in 1/5 seconds. At this exact speed, how many feet will it travel in three seconds?
7 – When rope is selling at $.10 a foot, how many feet can you buy for sixty cents?
8 – The eighth month of the year is:
1. October 2. September 3. June
4. August 5. May 6. Febtober
9 – Which number in the following group of numbers represents the smallest amount?
6 .25 .7 1 .33
10 – In printing an article of 48,000 words, a printer decides to use two sizes of type. Using the larger type, a printed page contains 1,800 words. Using smaller type, a page contains 2,400 words. The article is allotted 21 full pages in a magazine. How many pages must be in smaller type?
11 – Three individuals form a partnership and agree to divide all profits equally. X invests $9,000, Y invests $7,000 and Z invests $4,000. If the profits are $4,800, how much less does X receive than if the profits were divided in proportion to the amount invested?
12 – Assume the first 2 statements are true. Is the final one:
1. True 2. False 3. Not Certain
Ben greeted Beth. Beth greeted Bob. Ben did not greet Bob.
13 – A boy is 16 years old and his sister is twice as old. When the boy is 22 years old, what will be the age of his sister?
14 – One of the numbered figures in the following drawing is most different from the others. What number is that figure?
15 – The hours of daylight and darkness in SEPTEMBER are nearest equal to the hours of daylight and darkness in:
1. June 2. March 3. May 4. November
16 – What number is next in the following sequence:
32 31 29 26 22 ?
17 – Which of the following numbers is least like the others?
9 17 211
10 45 63
19 3 1,025
23 189 3,017
18 – Which letter is missing from the group below?
E B J
A A A
F C R
B B D
C A C
D B ?
19 – In a typical city in the Southern Hemisphere, which of the following months sees the most snowfall?
January Febtoday December
April August November
20 – FLAMMABLE, INFLAMMABLE – Do these words
1. Have similar meanings
2. Have contradictory meanings
3. Mean neither the same nor opposite
Answer Key
1 – 1/27 – Every number is divided by 3 in the sequence.
2 – True. All Tigers wear white sneakers and the boy is a Tiger.
3 – $1.05. 21 cents x 5 = 105 cents = $1.05.
4 – One. Look closely – the I and E are switched in the first; the G becomes a C in the second; the comma after Hoff is replaced with a period in the third; the R in Warner becomes an N in the fourth; and Pino is Pina in the fifth. The sixth is identical.
5 – 3 – Mean neither the same nor opposite. Look the words up in the dictionary. Nothing alike.
6 – 300 feet. 20 feet in 1/5 seconds becomes 100 feet in one second (20 x 5 = 100.) So, 100 feet in one second is 300 in three (100 x 3 = 300.)
7 – 6 feet – 10 cents a foot, 20 cents for 2 feet, 30 cents for 3 feet, etc.
8 – August. The eighth month of the year is August.
9 – .25. The closest number to zero in the group is .25.
10 – 17. We want to maximize the smaller-type pages because using the larger type would use too many pages. So, try using all small type. That would be 2,400 words x 21 pages = 50,400 words, which would leave too much white space. Because the LCD between 1,800 and 2,400 is 7,200, take out 4 pages for use of the larger type (1,800 x 4 = 7,200). That leaves 17 smaller-type pages; 17 x 2,400 = 40,800. Add 7,200 to that (from the larger type) and you get 48,000 words. Hardest question on this test.
11 – $560. If the profits are split equally, each guy gets $4,800/3 = $1,600. If the profits are split proportionally, X would receive 45 percent ($9,000/($9,000 + $7,000 + $4,000). So, 45 percent of $4,800 is .45 x $4,800 = $2,160. Just subtract $1,600 from $2,160 and you get $560.
12 – 3 – Not certain. Just because Ben met Beth, and Beth met Bob, we don’t know if Ben even knows Bob.
13 – 38. If the sister is twice as old, she’s 32. The boy will be 22 six years from now, so 32 + 6 = 38.
14 – 3. All of the figures have four sides, with the exception of No. 3.
15 – March. March and September have equal amounts of sunlight and darkness on the 21st of each month.
16 – 17. 32-1 = 31. 31-2 = 29. 29-3 = 26. 26-4 = 22. So, the next thing you subtract is 5. 22-5 = 17.
17 – All of the other numbers are odd.
18 – H. Replace A with 1, B with 2, C with 3, etc. Multiply the first column by the second column to get the third. D = 4 and B = 2, so 4×2 = 8. The eighth letter of the alphabet is H.
19 – August. The Southern Hemisphere is opposite of the Northern, so our summer is their winter. August is the only month listed remotely close to our summer.
20 – 1 – Have similar meanings. Flammable and inflammable mean the exact same thing.
