Wonderlic Tests (2024 Guide)
Updated November 27, 2023
If you thought leaving school or college would mean the end to having to take unexpected quizzes or exams, sadly you are mistaken.
With many employers investing a lot of capital in the hiring process, some businesses ask their candidates to take an exam to gain a better understanding of their skills and cognitive abilities.
This allows hiring managers to quickly exclude talent that might not show the skill set they are looking for. One such psychometric test is called the Wonderlic test.
What Is the Wonderlic Test and Who Developed It?
In short, the Wonderlic test is a cognitive ability test designed to analyze your basic IQ designed by Wonderlic Inc.
Wonderlic is a data-driven business that has been assisting businesses in the hiring process for many years. It also offers test preparation tools and personality aptitude tests.
The Wonderlic test is a useful resource for businesses to identify talent. It saves companies time and money, providing them with the right candidates for the job. Wonderlic is a powerful assessment platform.
Wonderlic specializes in motivation assessments, personality tests and cognitive exams – each one helps employers gauge a candidate’s overall personality, ability to problem-solve and motivation towards the job.
Some hiring managers rely on this test to ensure the potential candidate will fit in with the company’s culture. As mentioned above, this can save them a lot of time.
These assessments are likely to take place right at the beginning of the interview process; some companies might ask you to take the test before the initial phone conversation or first meeting.
This is also useful to the candidate as they find out sooner rather than later that they do not fit with what the company needs and so can move on quicker to the next application.
If you have not finished college or do not feel ready for tests on your knowledge, there is no need to feel nervous. The Wonderlic test does not assess how smart you are academically – it tests your aptitude and gives employers an idea of how you tick as a person as well as a worker.
Also, your score can be improved by practice.
For more on Wonderlic scores, see our dedicated article.
The Wonderlic Personnel Test
This assessment is the most popular of Wonderlic’s pre-employment tests. It is the one most employers use during the interview stage. It is usually administered online but can also be a physical test.
The original Wonderlic test consists of 50 questions with 12 minutes to complete as many questions as possible.
By making the test against the clock, it shows potential employers how efficiently you solve problems in a short period of time.
Do not worry if this seems a bit daunting – most people who take the test do not complete the full 50 questions. Just answer as many questions as you can.
You are not penalized for wrong answers, so it is better to try to answer than skip a question. You might get it right.
There is also a short version called the Wonderlic Quick-Test or WPQT – the quick version consists of 30 questions with only 8 minutes to complete as many as you can.
Some of the Wonderlic test questions you might receive will be detailed later in this article, but can consist of number sequences, word association and problem-solving equations.
It is more like a game than an examination and it will determine your quick-fire responses to situations and problems.
Practice Wonderlic Test with JobTestPrep
What to Expect With the Wonderlic Personnel Test in 2024
Once you have been given notice that you are to undertake the Wonderlic, you should have enough time to prepare for the exam. So, ensure you use this time productively.
If you are unsure what an aptitude test might look like, you can always take a practice test.
Here are the areas of questions you might expect to see:
- Verbal reasoning – These help the employer understand your language skills and how you read certain sentences. This is most useful for positions mostly dealing with words; for example, journalist graduates or advertising executives.
- Patterns – Analyzing and completing patterns helps a recruiter understand your analytical skills and how you use logic.
- Fact recognition – This will help the hiring manager determine your speed at giving correct, fairly simple responses to certain statements. It can demonstrate decision-making skills and your overall cognitive abilities.
- Word problems – These are number equations written as sentences. This shows math skills incorporating both numbers and words.
The format and order of the questions differ each time so it is important to keep practicing.
Use various cognitive aptitude tests to improve your skill and take specific Wonderlic practice tests to become familiar with the type of questions you could receive and how fast you need to go.
Each practice test you take will be different from that of the other, it is good to shake things up a bit so you can deal with every eventuality.
The type of questions can also depend on the company and position you are applying for. The company will often request a tailor-made test to ensure they are receiving all the feedback necessary for that role.
For example, if you are applying for a managerial position, the score required to pass might be higher than that of a junior executive.
Please note: No calculators are allowed; the Wonderlic test needs you to use basic mental arithmetic.
You can use a pen and paper to show your workings out. This might help with some of the math and wording problems.
You can also skip a question and come back to it later if you have the time. However, it is good to answer all the questions you can as quickly as you can, so if you feel a question will take you a very long time to work out, just make a guess and move on.
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You will get access to three PrepPacks of your choice, from a database that covers all the major test providers and employers and tailored profession packs.
Wonderlic Test Sample Questions
To get you started, here are few sample questions you might receive, divided by section.
Logic and Pattern Recognition
These questions measure your spatial recognition and your ability to analyze patterns and sequences.
Which letter would touch ‘X’ once this shape has been folded into a rectangular based pyramid?
Verbal and Reasoning
These questions will measure your ability to identify synonyms and comparable words.
'Wild' is the opposite of:
a) Tame
b) Cultivated
c) Relentless
d) Adventurous
Quick Fact Recognition
These questions are more about the speed of answering the questions. They seem simple but investigate the speed of your comprehension.
Which item would you not drink?
a) Coffee
b) Soda
c) Bicarbonate soda
d) Coconut water
Jimmy makes $2,000 a month and saves 20% of his monthly earnings. One year on, how much has Jimmy managed to save?
a) $1,800
b) $2,800
c) $2,650
d) $3,000
How to Prepare for the Wonderlic Test in December 2024
Here are some ideas to help you prepare so you can complete the test to the best of your ability.
Step 1. Take Practice Tests
This has been mentioned many times within this article, but it is the best way to prep for the Wonderlic test. Not only will you get to see first-hand how the test is formatted, but you will get an idea of the questions and the time limit. There are many sample tests you can do beforehand.
Step 2. Work on Your Weaknesses
Sample tests can help you determine areas you might be lacking in. You might be great at the language questions but weaker on logic and patterns. This will then allow you to determine the skills you need to brush up on before the test.
Step 3. Time Yourself
Set a timer to acclimatize you to working against the clock. Maybe set the clock at 30 seconds per question and lower it as you go along. To do 50 questions in 12 minutes, each question can only take 14.4 seconds!
Step 4. Read the Instructions
Each test will come with a set of instructions on how to proceed. Make sure to read this section thoroughly before you hit start on the test.
Step 5. Take Note of Your Progress
It is important to measure your progress, to see yourself improve and so you know what to work on. You should also brush up on your percentages, ratios, fractions and decimals if math equations are not your strong point.
Step 6. Get a Mentor
Some people genuinely enlist the help of a tutor to be successful on the Wonderlic test. Sometimes two heads are better than one. If this test is something you might need help with to get the job, then it might be worth looking into.
Step 7. Get Plenty of Sleep
As mentioned above, lack of sleep can be the reason you score low.
The night before the test you might feel nervous, so start your bedtime routine earlier than usual to give yourself plenty of time to wind down and get good shut-eye.
Try having a podcast playing on low volume as you drift off to give your mind something else to focus on. Sleep will help you feel revitalized and refreshed on the day – you will be raring to go.
The Wonderlic test is a cognitive ability test designed to analyze your basic IQ.
It is a useful resource for businesses to identify talent. It saves companies time and money, providing them with the right candidates for the job.
The Wonderlic test specializes in motivation assessments, personality tests and cognitive exams – each one helps employers gauge a candidate’s overall personality, ability to problem-solve and motivation for the job.
Some hiring managers rely on this test to ensure the potential candidate will fit in with the company’s culture.
These assessments are likely to take place right at the beginning of the interview process.
Although these tests can be stressful, they are useful to the candidate as they find out sooner rather than later that they do not fit with what the company needs and so can move on quicker to the next application.
If you have not finished college or do not feel ready for tests on your knowledge, there is no need to feel nervous. The Wonderlic test does not assess how academically smart you are – it tests your aptitude and gives employers an idea of how you are as a person and worker.
The Wonderlic test is similar to an IQ test but they are not the same.
For the candidate, the Wonderlic test is easier and quicker to complete. For an employer, the test is cheaper, easier to organize, and takes much less time to review and analyze.
IQ tests are very time-consuming and expensive.
Yes, the Wonderlic test can be difficult if you are not prepared.
You have 12 minutes to answer 50 questions and the questions fall into one of four categories:
- Quick recognition and general facts
- Logic
- Verbal reasoning
- Word problems
If you have not taken a cognitive, spatial, logical, and verbal reasoning pre-employment test before, these questions can look daunting at first.
Completing practice tests is essential as they help you understand the question format and time constraints.
Football players, particularly NFL football players take the Wonderlic test because it demonstrates how they will perform under pressure and indicates how successful they might be.
It is a tool the NFL has used since the 1970s when drafting players as their score also serves as an indicator of their behavior and how well they will fit into the team.
As the Wonderlic test assesses your natural cognitive abilities, the best way to prepare is to practice:
- Practise each type of question untimed – This will get you used to the question type and format, and build up your confidence as you answer more and more questions correctly.
- When you feel confident with the questions, begin practicing under timed conditions. Start with 20 or 30 minutes and gradually reduce until you reach 12 minutes. By the time you reach the test time limit, you should be completing the test without any aids such as a calculator or Google.
- After each practice test, take the time to review your incorrect answers and ask yourself why you got them wrong. This will help you identify where you need to improve.
- Research the test and check forums to see what others have said about it.
- Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, and eat a nutritional meal before taking the test.
- Practice the process of elimination to help you work through difficult questions quicker.
Yes, it is possible to practice for the Wonderlic test.
Several websites offer practice tests such as JobTestPrep and WonderlicTestPractice.
You can also complete other pre-employment tests that measure the same abilities.
The best websites for Wonderlic test preparation are JobTestPrep and WonderlicTestPractice
Conclusion
Overall, taking a Wonderlic test is a good way to increase your knowledge in general and it gives you the chance to use a part of your brain you might not have used before.
If you are not sure whether a future employer will need you to take a Wonderlic test or not, it might be worth spending some time doing practice tests just in case. Such brain training will be good for you regardless.
Not all companies will ask you to do a test. However, more and more employers are using Wonderlic or other psychometric or aptitude tests in the hiring process nowadays, so it is good for it to be on your radar.
If you are asked to take the test, try not to worry too much. Just remember to practice, practice, practice so you are good to go when you are scheduled to take the test.
There are many tools and resources you can use to help you prepare.
