NFL Combine 2011: How Smart Are You? Time to Take the Wonderlic Test
By (Featured Columnist) on February 28, 2011
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At the NFL Scouting Combines, the athletes are finally able to see the physical results of their hard work in the weight room. The long hours in the gym, eating food prepared by their nutritionist, all of the sacrifices that they had to make to impress the NFL scouts and general managers in attendance.
The one part of their body that probably received the smallest amount of preparation time was their brain. That is where the Wonderlic exam comes in to play. NFL teams will find out just how smart the players are. The players actually have to take this test on their own, so there is nobody to sit in for them.
We will provide you with 21 sample questions from prior Wonderlic exams, so you can see what the players are expected to do. We will also provide the answers at the very end, so you can see how you did. No peeking to the end first, or else you will have to listen to ten hours of Cam Newton press conferences.
By the way, to calculate your final score, you will multiply the correct number of answers you had by 2.63. The end result is your Wonderlic score.
Before Your Test Begins, Here Are Some NFL QB Scores. Put Down Your Pencils
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Here are some current and former NFL quarterback scores from the Wonderlic exam, listed in alphabetical order. If more than one score is listed, it is because they took the exam twice. This is rocket science folks.
Derek Anderson (19), Jeff Blake (17), Kyle Boller (27), Jason Campbell (23), Jay Cutler (26), Ryan Fitzpatrick (48), Rex Grossman (29), Matt Leinart (35), Eli Manning (39), Dan Marino (13), Donovan McNabb (16, 12), Steve McNair (15), Carson Palmer (26), Philip Rivers (30), Aaron Rodgers (35), Ben Roethlisberger (25), Tony Romo (37), Matt Schaub (31), Alex Smith (40), Kordell Stewart (12) and Vince Young (6).
Interesting to note that the Super Bowl QB's were in our sample of scores. Big Ben had a 25, while Aaron Rodgers came up 35, showing that he was better on and off the field.
Highest score of the above group: Alex Smith with a 40. A 50 score is perfect by the way. It is rumored that Ryan Fitzpatrick tanked a few questions, so the Harvard grad wouldn't come across as too smart for his own good.
Exam scores source: http://www.unc.edu/~mirabile/Wonderlic.htm
Rules and Fine Print
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You should be aware that when the athletes sit down to take the exam at the Combines, they are faced with a 50 test exam, and are allowed 12 minutes to finish the test.
For our purposes here, you are only given five minutes to finish the shorter version we provide, which is 21 sample questions.
You are not allowed to have anything else on your desk. Disable your Google search engine, and put away your cell phone calculator. Keep your eyes on your own answer sheet. Your five minutes begins when you click on the first question on the next slide. Good luck and look up when you are finished.
Question 1) Alex Smith 40
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1. A physical education class has three times as many girls as boys. During a class basketball game, the girls average 18 points each, and the class as a whole averages 17 points per person. How many points does each boy score on average?
2) Eli Manning 39
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2. Randolph has eight ties, six pairs of pants, and four dress shirts. How many days could he possibly go without wearing the same combination of these three items?
3) Ryan Fitzpatrick 48
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3. John is a mechanic. He makes $8.50 an hour, plus $3 extra for every oil change he performs. Last week he worked 36 hours and performed 17 oil changes. How much money did he make?
Our source for NFL QB scores had Fitzpatrick listed at a 38, but as many readers pointed out, it was actually a 48. Way to go Fitz !
4) Tony Romo 37
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4. A box of staples has a length of six cm, a width of seven cm, and a volume of 378 cm cubed. What is the height of the box?
5) Aaron Rodgers 35
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5. What is the average of all of the integers from 13 to 37?
6) Matt Leinart 35
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6. A basketball player averaged 20 points a game over the course of six games. His scores in five of those games were 23, 18, 16, 24, and 27. How many points did he score in the sixth game?
7) Matt Schaub 31
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7. Arnold is about to go on a 500-mile car trip. His mechanic recommends that he buy a special highway engine oil that will save him 50 cents in gas for every 25 miles of the trip. This new oil, however, will cost $20. Is it worthwhile for Arnold to buy the oil if he has a coupon for $4 dollars off the price?
8) Philip Rivers 30
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8) If three inches of rope cost 7 cents, how much would 2 feet of rope cost?
9) Rex Grossman 29
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9) What is the next number in the sequence: 5, 10, 20, 40,...?
10) Kyle Boller 27
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10) What is the next number in the sequence: 3, 8, 18, 38...?
11) Carson Palmer 26
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11) What is the next number in the sequence: 5, 9, 17,33,...?
12) Jay Cutler 26
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12) What is the next number in the sequence: 9, 3, 1, 1/3,...?
13) Ben Roethlisberger 25
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13) What is the next number in the sequence: 24, 12, 6, 3...?
14) Jason Campbell 23
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14) Which of the following numbers represents the greatest amount: 6, 6.0, 0.600, 60?
15) Derek Anderson 19
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15) Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 0.400, 0.04, 4.0, 40?
16) Jeff Blake 17
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16) Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 3.26, 0.54, 89.00,0.09?
17) Donovan McNabb 16 and 12
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17) Which of the following numbers represents the smallest amount: 3899, 629, 89001, 9867?
18) Steve McNair 15
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18) CREDIT - CREDENCE
These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
19) Dan Marino 13
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19) VINTAGE - NOVELTY
These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
20) Kordell Stewart 12
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20) ASPIRE - SPIRE
These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
21) Vince Young
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21) PRODUCE - REDUCE
These words:
A: Have similar meanings.
B: Have opposite meanings.
C: Have neither similar nor opposite meanings.
Your Time Is Up, Put Down Your Pencil and Check out Your Answers (1-7)
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Okay, you now have finished. Go ahead and check your answers now. Question and answer source: http://www.testprepreview.com/wonderlic_practice.htm
Answer Key:
1. Answer: 14. Since the class has three times as many girls as boys, the class is composed of 75% girls and 25% boys. To find the number of points each boy scores on average, we solve the following equation: 0.75*18 + 0.25*X = 17, where X is the number of points each boy scores on average. Solving for X gives X = 14, so the boys average 14 points per game.
2. Answer: 192 days. There are 48 different combinations of ties and shirts (8 different ties for each of the 6 pairs of pants), and then four different shirts for each of these combinations. In numerical form: 8 x 6 x 4 = 192.
3. Answer: $357. John's base wage can be figured by multiplying his pay per hour by the number of hours he worked: $8.50 x 36 = 306. His bonus for oil changes is calculated by multiplying the payment per oil change by the number of oil changes performed: 17 x 3 = 51. These two products can then be added together.
4. Answer: 9 cm. Volume is calculated as the product of length, width, and height, so if height is set as Y: 6 x 7 x Y = 378. This can be rearranged to 378 / 42 = Y = 9.
5. Answer: 25. This kind of problem can be easily solved by simply finding the average of the two extremes in the range: (13 + 37) / 2 = 25.
6. Answer: 12 points.
7. Answer: No. Arnold will only save $10 by using the oil (.5 x (500 / 25)), and this is still $6 less than the cost of the oil.
Answers for 8 to 17
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Answer Key
8. Answer: 56 cents. First, divide the number of inches in 2 feet (24) by 3;then, multiply this number (8) by the price of 3 inches of rope: 8 x 7 = 56
9. Answer: 80.The next number is found by multiplying the previous number by 2.
10. Answer: 78.The next number is taken by adding one to each number and then multiplying this sum by 2.
11. Answer: 65. The next number is found by multiplying the number by 2 and then subtracting one from the product.
12. Answer: 1/9.
13. Answer: 1.5. The next number is found by dividing each number by 2.
14. Answer: 60.Be sure to identify the position of the decimal point.
15. Answer: 0.04. Be sure to identify the position of the decimal point.
16. Answer: 0.09. It may be helpful to say the numbers out loud: "9 hundredths" is clearly smaller than "54 hundredths."
17. Answer: 629. Make sure to note the number of place values rather than simply looking at the value of the
Answers for 18 to 21
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18) Answer: A, Have similar meanings. Both credit and credence can refer to a belief in the truth of something.
19). Answer: B, Have opposite meanings. Vintage refers to something old, while novelty refers to something new.
20). Answer: C, Have neither the same nor different meanings. To aspire to something is to set it as a goal, while a spire is the pointed top of a building, especially a church.
21). Answer: B, Have opposite meanings. To produce something is to bring it into existence, while to reduce it is to take part of it out of existence.
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