Hi there,
Are you taking the Wonderlic Personnel Test soon? If you’re looking to prepare and improve your score, you’ve come to the right place!
- Take a free, 30-question Wonderlic-style practice test + a detailed score report
- Get a test content breakdown with sample questions and explanations
- Enroll in prep courses to maximize your Wonderlic test score
- Understand the test’s scoring system and what’s considered a good score
The Wonderlic Personnel Test in a Nutshell
9 or 12 minutes
30 or 50 questions
15+ question types
An illustration of the Wonderlic test’s format and appearance.
Before we dive into the content of the Wonderlic Personnel Test, it is important to have a visual image of what the test looks like. The image above points at the major components you should be aware of: the timer at the top right corner, the navigation buttons which allow you to go back and forth between questions, the multiple-choice format which will be dominant throughout the majority of the test.
Free Wonderlic Practice Test
Go ahead and take our Free Wonderlic-style practice test, which includes 30 questions and has a time limit of 8 minutes. This is basically a simulation of the QuickTest (WPT-Q). Upon completion, you’ll receive a detailed score report that will tell you how you did on each topic. You’ll also be able to review the answers and explanations.
What Types of Questions are on the Wonderlic Test?
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is made up of four general categories: General Knowledge, Abstract Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Numerical Reasoning. The table below shows a basic breakdown of each question type, followed by a more detailed description of each with sample questions. As you can see, there are LOTS of question types to review.
| General | Abstract Reasoning | Verbal Reasoning | Numerical Reasoning |
| – Finding errors
– Recognizing dates – General facts |
– Spatial reasoning
– 3D shapes & tiles – Pattern recognition |
– Grammar
– Analogies – Vocabulary – Synonyms & antonyms – Sentence structure & ordering – Word scrambles – Deductive reasoning |
– Word problems
– Number series – Fraction value – Number patterns |
General
Some of the questions will test topics like general knowledge, finding errors, ordering things chronologically, and recognizing dates.
Abstract Reasoning
This section tests spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and abilities to manipulate and visualize 2D and 3D shapes. These include questions that will have you manipulating shapes such as tiles or folded pieces of paper.
Can you figure out which figure completes the missing frame in the sequence above?
The shapes move from left to right one step in each frame. They are brought back to the beginning of the sequence in a loop.
In addition, the first shape on the left changes from being filled with color to being empty every two steps, and so does the last shape on the right.
In the fifth missing frame, the square should be in the middle and filled with color, as seen in answers a,b. The diamond should show up first and not be filled. Thus, the correct answer is b.
Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning questions test your knowledge of the English language and your logical and deductive reasoning abilities. These questions generally consist of grammar, analogies, vocabulary, and drawing conclusions. There will also be questions that cover topics like metaphors, anagrams, word scrambles, sentence scrambles, word groups, and identifying words that are similar or different.
Graceful is to clumsy, as late is to…
- Delayed
- Slow
- Punctual
- Remiss
- Dilatory
Graceful and clumsy are opposites. The opposite of late is punctual. See more analogy examples in our Wonderlic practice test.
Numerical Reasoning
The Numerical Reasoning category will test your mathematical abilities the most. Many of these questions are word problems, so they are not just math problems, but are a combination of words and numbers. They will test your reading comprehension abilities in addition to your mathematical abilities.
Questions cover topics such as algebra, percentages, ratios, decimals, and averages. There will also be number series questions, where you will have to look at a series of numbers and figure out what number comes next in the sequence.
These questions will likely be the most difficult and time-consuming questions, especially since you will not be allowed to use a calculator.
$5.60 is what percentage of $17.50?
- 68%
- 26%
- 32%
- 74%
- None of the above
The answer is 32%. The quickest way to solve this question is to use estimation. Let’s follow the steps below:
- Let’s turn 5.6 and 17.5 to 56 and 175 which is more convenient. We can try and think how many times 56 fits into 175. 50 times 3 is 150, so we can start by multiplying 56 by 3. This is like 3x(50+6)=150+18=168.
- That’s very close to 176. We now understand that 56 is almost one third (33%) of 176, but we konw that it’s just abit less than that because 168 is still far from 176 by 8.
- We look for an answer that is close enough to 33% and indeed answer C is 32%.
Try more numerical reasoning questions in our free Wonderlic practice test.
While the material covered on the test is not particularly complicated or advanced, the test is difficult because of its time constraints. We recommend that you start by taking a free Wonderlic practice test which is offered below to get a feel of the real thing.
What are the Two Wonderlic Personnel Test Versions?
There are two slightly different versions of the Wonderlic Personnel Test.
- Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT-R). The standard Wonderlic Personnel Test, is made up of 50 multiple-choice questions and is administered in 12 minutes. This test is usually proctored and will be administered early on in your application process. However, you may have to take the Wonderlic Personnel Test – QuickTest (WPT-Q) before taking the WPT-R.
- Wonderlic Personnel Test – QuickTest (WPT-Q). This is a shorter version of the test, which includes only 30 questions and lasts 8 minutes. The WPT-Q is not proctored and is often taken from home. It is generally used as a precursor to the WPT-R. This means you may be asked to take this from home, and only if you do well, you will be called in to take the longer version.
The content of the two tests is the same, as they only differ in length, so our practice materials will prepare you for whichever version you are taking.
How Are Scores Calculated & What’s Considered a Good Score
On the WPT-R, each question is worth 1 point. If you get every question right, you would get a perfect score of 50. On the WPT-Q, each question is worth 1.66 points, meaning that a perfect score would still be 50 even though there are only 30 questions.
The score for the specific position you are applying for will vary according to the employer’s identity, needs, and the job in hand. Once you have finished taking the test, a detailed score report will automatically be sent to the employer for review. This report will show how your score compares to employer’s target score, how well you did in comparison to the group of candidates competing with you on the job, and also how well you did in comparison to the general population of candidates.
The average score on the Wonderlic test is 20 correct answers out of 50. The graph below shows you roughly what a “good score” is, in terms of the general population. Remember, in the end, a good score depends on the what the employer has set in advance when designing the screening process for the position.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Wonderlic test an IQ test?
While the Wonderlic company does not use this terminology due to political and legal reasons, in essence, the Wonderlic test is indeed an IQ test and it correlates with formal IQ test norms. That is, for every IQ score on the scale, there’s a matching Wonderlic test score.
To quote from scientific research conducted on this topic:
“its items are based on the original Otis Test of Mental Ability (Wonderlic, 1983) and since scores correlate fairly well (56 to .80) with aptitude G (General Learning Ability) of the General Aptitude Test Battery (Wonderlic, 1983) and very highly (.93) with the WAIS Full Scale IQ (Dodrill, 1981).”
How do I practice the Wonderlic test?
The Wonderlic test, like any other cognitive ability test, contains topics and skills that can be improved through practice. Perhaps most notable is the numerical reasoning section of the test, where different arithmetic techniques can speed up the calculations and reduce response times, allowing candidates to answer more questions. We offer a great prep course that can help you prepare for the Wonderlic test, You’re welcome to read more about it.
Free Wonderlic Personnel Test Practice Resources
There’s a lot out there to help you be prepared for the Wonderlic Personnel Test, from helpful information directly from Wonderlic’s website to free practice tests. Find more information at these helpful links:
