04 Oct 2013

The Wonderlic

For better or worse, college football has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and more than ever, players are being likened closer to employees than students. There is even a popular movement among ex-college athletes and fans to allow performance-based compensation for student-athletes at top tier universities. Obviously this trend is a bit disconcerting considering that these student-athletes are, first and foremost, students, and receive full scholarships to attend their respective universities. But, as fall turns to winter and winter to spring, those student athletes worthy enough to be invited to the NFL combine will be forced to demonstrate more than just their physical prowess to gain admission into the rarified air of the NFL… All athletes invited to the combine are required to take an SAT-like test known affectionately by football fans simply as the Wonderlic.

The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a 12 minute, 50 question exam designed to assess aptitude, analytical thinking, and has been employed by the NFL for the last 40 years. Interestingly, many player scores and questions are in the public domain, meaning that neither Dallas Cowboys corner back, Morris Claiborne, will ever be able to live down his 4, nor will Tennessee Titans quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, escape the shadow of his 48. So, in the interest of welcoming fall and football back into our lives, and with popular fall SAT dates drawing nigh, we offer an educational break to compete against some of your favorite (or least favorite) Sunday players. For an added SAT boost, stay true to the clock. The hardest aspect of the wonderlic may very well be the time limit, which provides a perfect opportunity to practice budgeting your time on test day!

Attached are links to previous exams as well as a list of memorable scores in modern football history.

Good luck 😉

Wonderlic Test

Memorable Scores

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