NFL to unveil second aptitude test - Wonderlic . . . WonderGONE?

[Gas2No99]

NFL to unveil second aptitude test

Updated: February 17, 2013, 2:34 PM ET
ESPN.com news services

Looking for "something that's a little more evolved than the Wonderlic," the NFL will introduce a counterpart to the much-criticized intelligence test at this week's combine, according to an NFL.com report.

The new aptitude test is not a replacement for the Wonderlic, which has been used for decades since the exam was introduced in the 1970s by former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster said the league spent time developing the new test with a university professor, according to the report.

The Wonderlic is an exam given to players entering the NFL draft every year.

It is comprised of 50 questions, and players have 12 minutes to complete the test. The average score is a 21.

The NFL combine is Feb. 23-26 at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.


Wonderlic to be supplemented by new aptitude test at combine

By Albert Breer NFL.com
Reporter, NFL.com and NFL Network

Another change to the NFL Scouting Combine's testing is on the way.

The combine's testing has been tweaked over the years, and a significant adaptation is coming. The league plans to implement a second aptitude test to the itinerary for players this week, according to National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster.

An NFL league office source confirmed that the test will be part of this year's combine.

Foster said the test is not a replacement for, but rather a counterpart to, the much-criticized Wonderlic test. The Wonderlic has been used at the combines for decades since its origination as an intelligence test in the 1970s by legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry. The Wonderlic's usefulness and the ethics of relying on it have been sources of debate over the years.

According to Foster, the league spent time developing the new test with a university professor. The hope is that "it's something that's a little more evolved than the Wonderlic."

Clubs have long expressed the importance of years of data built up on tried-and-true testing and measurements, enabling balanced comparisons, so Foster and other combine officials always have been reluctant to eliminate elements from the combine. A recent example is the addition of wingspan to measurements. Some people voiced concerns that wingspan is a more illuminating measurement than arm length, so it was added to the combine, but arm length wasn't eliminated.

[JetsNeedNewton]

Interesting, thanks for posting.

[Vinny Testaverde's Niece]

OK so what is it testing? The Wonderlic seems pretty irrelevant to football, does the new test evaluate aptitude for sports in any way? I know McElroy did really well on some test other than the Wonderlic, and look how meaningful that was (not).

[Dreamers]

The wonderlic is all about quick thinking. Most of these questions a 7 year old could answer. Yeah in some cases the test is useless but if your going to sign a guy to a multi million dollar contract wouldn't you want EVERY test possible. If your taking a guy like Vince Young who you know you have to reteach the game. Wouldn't you like to know if he has the ability to pick up on things quickly? If your taking a guy like Elway who is day one ready that is one thing but most of these guys need to learn a whole new game when they get to the next level. Sure maybe at the 1-2 rd range it doesn't really matter but those project players in late rounds yes it does. I'd be much more likely to pass on a dumb guy for a guy with less ability. You can change physical you cant fix stupid.

[Vinny Testaverde's Niece]

Originally Posted by Dreamers

The wonderlic is all about quick thinking. Most of these questions a 7 year old could answer. Yeah in some cases the test is useless but if your going to sign a guy to a multi million dollar contract wouldn't you want EVERY test possible. If your taking a guy like Vince Young who you know you have to reteach the game. Wouldn't you like to know if he has the ability to pick up on things quickly? If your taking a guy like Elway who is day one ready that is one thing but most of these guys need to learn a whole new game when they get to the next level. Sure maybe at the 1-2 rd range it doesn't really matter but those project players in late rounds yes it does. I'd be much more likely to pass on a dumb guy for a guy with less ability. You can change physical you cant fix stupid.

The thing is it doesn't test the ability to pick things up quickly. At all. It tests what someone already knows, just retained facts and some arithmetic. If it tested learning ability, that might actually be useful.

[DDNYjets]

Originally Posted by Gas2No99

Looking for "something that's a little more evolved than the Wonderlic,"

Code word for the Wonderlic is racist.

It is a meaningless test anyways. FOs and scouts should be able to tell if a player is dumb just by meeting with them and talking to them.

[JetsfanfromtheBURGH]

Originally Posted by DDNYjets

Code word for the Wonderlic is racist.

Lol. Nice

[Apache 51]

Offense = Brains
Defense = Not so much

[Digetydog]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

OK so what is it testing? The Wonderlic seems pretty irrelevant to football, does the new test evaluate aptitude for sports in any way? I know McElroy did really well on some test other than the Wonderlic, and look how meaningful that was (not).

It all depends upon what you are looking for. If you are looking for a nose tackle, a very low IQ might be acceptable.

If you are looking for a QB, you need him to be:
1) smart enough to understand the offense,
2) smart enough to learn new things quickly. A slow learner won't help you when you need to add new twists.

For most positions, I suspect that teams are screening for outliers. A brilliant QB with a limp arm isn't going to work. But, a dim bulb with a 1 digit IQ won't work either.

[PocketJet]

Originally Posted by DDNYjets

Code word for the Wonderlic is racist.

It is a meaningless test anyways. FOs and scouts should be able to tell if a player is dumb just by meeting with them and talking to them.

and unfortunately...that would be quite a few. But I suppose that would also get labeled racist, as too many things have a way of being named.

[Digetydog]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

The thing is it doesn't test the ability to pick things up quickly. At all. It tests what someone already knows, just retained facts and some arithmetic. If it tested learning ability, that might actually be useful.

Actually, it does test ability to pick things up. If you are 20+ years old, you should have a base of knowledge sufficient to get a decent score.

The key is to understand what they are looking for. They don't care if the player scores 21 or 22. They are looking to identify people who get abnormally low scores for their position.

[Vinny Testaverde's Niece]

Originally Posted by Digetydog

It all depends upon what you are looking for. If you are looking for a nose tackle, a very low IQ might be acceptable.

If you are looking for a QB, you need him to be:
1) smart enough to understand the offense,
2) smart enough to learn new things quickly. A slow learner won't help you when you need to add new twists.

For most positions, I suspect that teams are screening for outliers. A brilliant QB with a limp arm isn't going to work. But, a dim bulb with a 1 digit IQ won't work either.

Yeah, I know you need your player to have a reasonable amount of intelligence depending on the position. The question is does the test give you that information? Having read the questions I don't think it does. It doesn't test the ability to learn new things quickly, or slowly or at any rate. It tests memorized knowledge. I'm asking if the new test improves on that.

[Vinny Testaverde's Niece]

Originally Posted by Digetydog

Actually, it does test ability to pick things up. If you are 20+ years old, you should have a base of knowledge sufficient to get a decent score.

The key is to understand what they are looking for. They don't care if the player scores 21 or 22. They are looking to identify people who get abnormally low scores for their position.

How does it test the ability to pick things up?

[Batmans A Scientist]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

OK so what is it testing? The Wonderlic seems pretty irrelevant to football, does the new test evaluate aptitude for sports in any way? I know McElroy did really well on some test other than the Wonderlic, and look how meaningful that was (not).

Well... Wonderlic doesn't make up for a lack of talent. DeMarcus Van Dyke ran a 4.28 40, it's only a piece of the puzzle.

[Brain Hemorrhage]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

The thing is it doesn't test the ability to pick things up quickly. At all. It tests what someone already knows, just retained facts and some arithmetic. If it tested learning ability, that might actually be useful.

The Wonderlic doesn't test what someone already knows. Studies show that people cannot improve their Wonderlic scores simply by acquiring more knowledge or living longer. Scores are consistent throughout ones life. What the Wonderlic DOES test is situational awareness and decision-making under pressure. Most people cannot finish all 50 questions in 12 minutes.

I took the test recently, and scored a 31... which would be near the top of the NFL Combine, but for my profession (Software Engineer/Architect), the company was looking for a minimum score of 32 and ideal score of 35. (31 is still above average for my profession, according to Wikipedia.) Also, I left like 10 questions blank. All the ones that required long division, I skipped, strategically, and favored word association questions instead. Although I am very good mathematically, I am not FAST at crunching numbers. But I have a big vocabulary. I also try and stay away from questions that are weird "phrase association", where they give you two really weird sayings and expect you to match them up. Such a hard question, in my humble opinion...

Also, it is pretty rare for company's these days to still use the Wonderlic as an interview hurdle. The company I took the test for was spinning out mortgage portfolio solutions and wanted very like-minded, smart team members. But the downside is it turns a lot of good candidates away - I am one of the best in my field at what I do.

[Dreamers]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

OK so what is it testing? The Wonderlic seems pretty irrelevant to football, does the new test evaluate aptitude for sports in any way? I know McElroy did really well on some test other than the Wonderlic, and look how meaningful that was (not).

It is without a doubt not a knowledge one. It says it right in the name The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test. (as thinking, reasoning, or remembering) Read some of the questions sometime. If these guys can seriously get into a college they should be able to answer all of the questions. The basic rule is skip the ones you have to think on then if you have time come back. It is all basic stuff like what month is in between Jan and March. Which figure is an equilateral triangle. Stuff you learn as a kid. If your a 20 year old man OUT OF COLLEGE and haven't picked up on these basic questions you likely have a learning disability. If you want a guy to learn how to play a pro game he has to be able to retain what you teach him and use it timely.

[Digetydog]

Originally Posted by Vinny Testaverde's Niece

How does it test the ability to pick things up?

If you are 20 something years old and don't know anything, you probably never will