Wonderlic Sample Questions
The Wonderlic-style test mixes four item types: verbal (analogies, vocabulary), numerical (arithmetic, series), logical (deduction, syllogism), and spatial (mental rotation, pattern). Below are sample items in each category, with answers and pacing notes.
Sample Questions
1. HOPE : DESPAIR :: BIRTH : ? (a) life (b) death (c) baby (d) future
Answer: (b) death
Verbal analogy. Hope and despair are opposites; birth's opposite is death. Pacing target: ~10 seconds for analogies.
2. Which number comes next in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Answer: 42
Numerical series. Differences are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 — adding 12 to 30 gives 42. Pacing target: ~14 seconds for series problems.
3. Which word does NOT belong with the others: APPLE, BANANA, CARROT, ORANGE
Answer: CARROT
Verbal categorization. Apple, banana, and orange are fruits; carrot is a vegetable.
4. If 30% of a number is 24, what is the number?
Answer: 80
Numerical. 24 ÷ 0.30 = 80. Practice 15% / 20% / 30% calculations to make this near-instant.
5. All bloops are razzies. All razzies are lazzies. All lazzies are floozies. Therefore, all bloops are: (a) razzies (b) lazzies (c) floozies (d) all of the above
Answer: (d) all of the above
Logical syllogism. Each premise transitively links the next category. Pacing target: ~15 seconds for syllogisms.
6. How many faces does a tetrahedron have?
Answer: 4
Spatial. A tetrahedron is a 3D shape with 4 triangular faces.
7. Three boxes are labeled 'Apples', 'Oranges', and 'Apples and Oranges'. ALL labels are wrong. Pick ONE fruit from ONE box. What's the fewest picks to relabel correctly?
Answer: 1
Logical puzzle. Pick from the 'Apples and Oranges' box: since labels are wrong, this box has only one type. The result tells you that box's content; the rest follows by elimination.
8. Which arrangement folds into a tetrahedron: (a) 4 triangles in a row (b) 4 triangles with one in center, three around (c) 6 squares in a cross (d) 1 triangle and 3 squares
Answer: (b) 4 triangles with one in center, three around
Spatial visualization. The tetrahedron net is a central triangle with three flaps.
How It's Scored
The Wonderlic-style test gives you 12 minutes for 50 mixed questions — roughly 14 seconds per item. The score is the number of items answered correctly within the time limit. Population mean is 21 with a standard deviation of about 7. NFL Combine average is approximately 24.