- 1, 3, 9, 27, …
- Next term is 81 — a geometric sequence (each term × 3).
- Analogy
- A verbal item of the form A : B :: C : ? — find the relationship in the first pair and apply it to the second.
- Word comparison
- An item asking whether two words have similar, contradictory, or unrelated meanings.
- Synonym
- A word with nearly the same meaning as another (happy / glad).
- Antonym
- A word with the opposite meaning of another (benevolent / cruel).
- Sentence scramble
- Words given out of order; you reorder them into a logical sentence (or judge the sentence true/false once unscrambled).
- Anagram
- Letters of a word rearranged to form another word.
- Proverb interpretation
- Pick the option whose meaning matches a given saying.
- Verbal reasoning
- Working with language: analogies, word comparisons, synonyms/antonyms, and sentence arrangement — the largest share of the Wonderlic.
- How to solve an analogy
- Name the relationship in the first pair as a short sentence, then apply that exact relationship to the second pair.
- Word-comparison answers
- Always one of three: the words are similar, contradictory (opposite), or unrelated.
- Doctor : hospital :: teacher : ?
- School — the relationship is 'works in.'
- Scalpel : surgeon :: hammer : ?
- Carpenter — the relationship is 'tool used by.'
- Page : book :: room : ?
- House — the relationship is 'part to whole.'
- Rain : flood :: spark : ?
- Fire — the relationship is 'cause to effect.'
- Warm : hot :: cool : ?
- Cold — the relationship is 'lesser to greater degree.'
- Puppy : dog :: kitten : ?
- Cat — the relationship is 'young to adult.'
- Abate
- To lessen or reduce in intensity (the storm abated).
- Benevolent
- Kind and generous; well-meaning.
- Candid
- Honest, frank, and direct.
- Frugal
- Thrifty; careful with money or resources.
- Lethargic
- Sluggish and lacking energy.
- Tenacious
- Persistent and determined; not easily giving up.
- Diligent
- Hard-working and careful.
- Concise
- Brief and to the point; saying much in few words.
- Ambiguous
- Open to more than one interpretation; unclear.
- Augment
- To increase or add to.
- Mitigate
- To make less severe or painful.
- Prudent
- Wise and careful about practical matters.
- Verbose
- Using more words than needed; wordy.
- Scrutinize
- To examine closely and carefully.
- Obsolete
- No longer in use; outdated.
- Resilient
- Able to recover quickly from difficulty.
- Indifferent
- Having no particular interest or concern.
- Meticulous
- Showing great attention to detail.
- Novice
- A beginner; someone new to a task.
- Adversary
- An opponent or enemy.
- Trivial
- Of little importance or value.
- Lucid
- Clear and easy to understand.
- Reluctant
- Unwilling or hesitant.
- Spontaneous
- Done without planning; impulsive.
- Vigilant
- Watchful and alert for danger.
- Eloquent
- Fluent and persuasive in speech or writing.
- Hostile
- Unfriendly; antagonistic.
- Innate
- Inborn; existing from birth, not learned.
- Substantial
- Considerable in size, amount, or importance.
- Deteriorate
- To become progressively worse.
- Optimistic
- Hopeful and confident about the future.
- Pessimistic
- Expecting the worst; lacking hope.
- Arduous
- Difficult and requiring a lot of effort.
- Coherent
- Logical and consistent; clearly connected.
- Plausible
- Seeming reasonable or probable.
- Redundant
- Repeated unnecessarily; superfluous.
- Surplus
- An amount left over beyond what is needed.
- Vague
- Not clearly expressed or defined.
- Zealous
- Showing great energy and enthusiasm.
- Impartial
- Fair and unbiased; not favoring one side.
- Synonym of 'generous'
- Benevolent, magnanimous, or liberal — all mean giving freely.
- Synonym of 'honest'
- Candid, frank, or forthright.
- Synonym of 'tired'
- Lethargic, weary, or fatigued.
- Synonym of 'brief'
- Concise, succinct, or terse.
- Synonym of 'careful'
- Prudent, meticulous, or cautious.
- Synonym of 'increase'
- Augment, expand, or amplify.
- Synonym of 'persistent'
- Tenacious, dogged, or persevering.
- Synonym of 'unclear'
- Ambiguous, vague, or obscure.
- Antonym of 'benevolent'
- Cruel, malevolent, or hostile.
- Antonym of 'frugal'
- Wasteful, extravagant, or lavish.
- Antonym of 'lethargic'
- Energetic, lively, or vigorous.
- Antonym of 'abate'
- Intensify, increase, or escalate.
- Antonym of 'concise'
- Verbose, wordy, or long-winded.
- Antonym of 'obsolete'
- Modern, current, or up-to-date.
- Antonym of 'lucid'
- Confusing, murky, or unclear.
- Antonym of 'optimistic'
- Pessimistic, gloomy, or hopeless.
- Prefix 'mal-'
- Bad or wrong (malfunction, malevolent).
- Prefix 'bene-'
- Good or well (benefit, benevolent).
- Prefix 'un-' / 'in-' / 'im-'
- Not or opposite (unable, invisible, impossible).
- Prefix 're-'
- Again or back (rewrite, return).
- Prefix 'anti-'
- Against (antidote, antifreeze).
- Prefix 'pre-'
- Before (preview, predict).
- Suffix '-ology'
- Study of (biology, geology).
- Suffix '-able' / '-ible'
- Capable of (readable, flexible).
- Root 'port'
- Carry (transport, portable).
- Root 'dict'
- Speak or say (predict, dictate).
- Root 'spect'
- Look (inspect, spectator).
- Root 'ben/bene'
- Good (benefactor, benefit).
- Number series
- A sequence following a hidden rule; you give the next term.
- Arithmetic sequence
- A series with a constant difference between terms (11, 21, 31 → +10).
- Geometric sequence
- A series with a constant multiplier between terms (1, 3, 9, 27 → × 3).
- Alternating series
- Two rules applied in turn, such as +5 then ÷ 2, repeating.
- Interleaved series
- Two separate sequences woven together (the odd and even positions each follow their own rule).
- Numerical reasoning
- Arithmetic word problems, number series, percentages, ratios, and fractions — solved without a calculator.
- Word problem
- Math expressed in narrative form; translate the words into a calculation.
- Can you use a calculator?
- No — Wonderlic advises against it because it wastes time on a heavily speeded test. Use mental math.
- 11, 21, 31, 41, …
- 51 — arithmetic, +10 each step.
- 48, 42, 36, 30, …
- 24 — arithmetic, −6 each step.
- 2, 4, 8, 16, …
- 32 — geometric, × 2 each step.
- 3, 6, 12, 24, …
- 48 — geometric, × 2 each step.
- 5, 10, 20, 40, …
- 80 — geometric, × 2 each step.
- 100, 50, 25, …
- 12.5 — geometric, ÷ 2 each step.
- 1, 4, 9, 16, …
- 25 — perfect squares (1², 2², 3², 4², 5²).
- 249, 254, 127, 132, …
- 66 — alternating: +5, then ÷ 2, repeat.
- 2, 9, 4, 13, 6, 17, …
- 21 — interleaved: odd spots +2, even spots +4.
- 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, …
- 13 — Fibonacci: add the two previous terms.
- 7, 14, 28, 56, …
- 112 — geometric, × 2 each step.
- 90, 80, 70, 60, …
- 50 — arithmetic, −10 each step.
- Number-series strategy
- Test for a constant difference (arithmetic) first, then a constant multiplier (geometric); if neither fits, look for alternating or interleaved patterns.
- Spotting an interleaved series
- If the numbers jump up and down, list the odd-position and even-position terms separately — each is usually a simple sequence.
- Percentage
- A part per hundred; 25% means 25 out of 100.
- Ratio
- A proportional relationship between quantities, written a : b.
- Fraction
- A part of a whole, written as numerator over denominator.
- Fraction to percent
- Divide the numerator by the denominator, then multiply by 100 (3 ÷ 4 = 0.75 = 75%).
- Percent to decimal
- Drop the percent sign and divide by 100 (40% = 0.40).
- ½ as a percent
- 50%.
- ¼ as a percent
- 25%.
- ¾ as a percent
- 75%.
- ⅓ as a percent
- ≈ 33% (0.333…).
- ⅕ as a percent
- 20%.
- ⅛ as a percent
- 12.5%.
- ⅖ as a percent
- 40%.
- ⅗ as a percent
- 60%.
- 1/10 as a percent
- 10%.
- 1/20 as a percent
- 5%.
- What is 25% of 320?
- 80 (320 × 0.25).
- What is 10% of 250?
- 25 (move the decimal one place).
- What is 50% of 86?
- 43 (half of 86).
- What is 20% of 150?
- 30 (150 × 0.2).
- 150 miles in 3 hours — what's the speed?
- 50 mph (distance ÷ time).
- A 60-dollar item is 25% off — the discount?
- 15 dollars (60 × 0.25); sale price 45.
- Average of 4, 8, and 12?
- 8 (sum 24 ÷ 3).
- Split a 50-dollar check among 5 people evenly
- 10 each (50 ÷ 5).
- Ratio 2 : 3, total 25 — the larger share?
- 15 (25 ÷ 5 = 5 per part; 3 × 5).
- What is 3/5 of 100?
- 60 (100 × 0.6).
- Distance = rate × time
- Multiply speed by elapsed time to get distance.
- Simple interest
- interest = principal × rate × time.
- Percent change
- (change ÷ original) × 100.
- Mean (average)
- sum of values ÷ number of values.
- Logical reasoning
- Drawing valid conclusions from given statements without adding assumptions.
- Deductive reasoning
- Reasoning from general rules to a specific conclusion that must be true if the premises are true.
- Inductive reasoning
- Reasoning from specific examples to a likely general rule — used for number and figure patterns.
- Syllogism
- Two premises and a conclusion: 'All A are B; all B are C; therefore all A are C.'
- True / false / uncertain item
- You assume the statements are true, then judge whether a conclusion must be true, must be false, or can't be determined.
- When to choose 'uncertain'
- Whenever the statements neither prove nor disprove the conclusion — don't fill the gap with assumptions.
- James → Thomas → Suzette drinks
- If James bought Thomas a drink and Thomas bought Suzette a drink, 'James bought Suzette a drink' is UNCERTAIN.
- Syllogism trap: reversing
- 'All A are B' does NOT mean 'all B are A.' Don't reverse a statement.
- Syllogism trap: some vs. all
- 'Some A are B' never lets you conclude 'all A are B.'
- All cats are mammals; all mammals are animals
- Valid conclusion: all cats are animals (a valid syllogism).
- Spatial reasoning
- Mentally rotating, reflecting, or assembling shapes to picture how an object looks or fits.
- Abstract reasoning
- Finding patterns and relationships without words, such as the next figure in a series.
- Pattern identification
- Spotting the rule behind a series of numbers or figures so you can predict the next.
- Figure rotation
- Visualizing a shape turned in space; rotate it step by step and compare to each choice.
- Mirror image
- A reflected version of a shape — the most common wrong answer on rotation items.
- Odd one out
- Identify the item that doesn't share the pattern the others follow.
- Spatial strategy
- Rotate mentally one step at a time, rule out mirror images first, then drop any figure with an extra or missing part.
- Reflecting a capital F in a vertical mirror
- The F faces the opposite direction (its arms point left instead of right).
- Completing a figure pattern
- Identify what changes from figure to figure — rotation, size, or number of elements — then continue it.
- Seating/order logic
- Use each clue to fix positions one at a time; 'not on either end' means the person is in a middle seat.
- General knowledge items
- Date ordering, simple calendar facts, and attention-to-detail matching — quick points that reward careful reading.
- Ordering dates
- Compare year first, then month, then day to find the earliest or latest.
- Earliest of May 3 1986, March 3 1986, May 30 1988
- March 3, 1986 — earliest year, then earliest month.
- Day before Wednesday
- Tuesday.
- Day after Saturday
- Sunday.
- First month of the year
- January.
- Last month of the year
- December.
- Months with 31 days
- January, March, May, July, August, October, December.
- Days in a leap-year February
- 29 days.
- Exact-match scanning
- Compare entries character by character; the difference is usually a single digit or letter.
- Spotting a misspelling
- Look for swapped letters — 'recieve' is wrong; 'receive' is correct (i before e, except after c).
- Number-match items
- Group long numbers into chunks to compare them quickly and accurately.
- Attention-to-detail tip
- These items are easy but easy to rush — read each part deliberately and in order.
- Wonderlic
- A short, timed cognitive ability test (classic version: 50 questions in 12 minutes) used by employers to gauge learning and problem-solving speed.
- Cognitive ability
- Your capacity to learn, adapt, solve problems, and understand instructions — what the Wonderlic measures.
- General intelligence (g)
- The broad mental-ability factor the Wonderlic estimates from verbal, numerical, logical, and spatial items.
- Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT)
- The original Wonderlic: 50 questions, 12 minutes, scored as the number correct (0–50).
- WPT-R
- The Revised standard form — 50 questions in 12 minutes.
- WPT-Q
- The QuickTest — 30 questions in 8 minutes, often unproctored as a first-round screen.
- Wonderlic Select
- Wonderlic's current hiring assessment (formerly WonScore): a 12-minute cognitive portion plus motivation and personality, reporting job fit instead of one raw cognitive number.
- WonScore
- The former name of Wonderlic's bundled assessment, now called Wonderlic Select.
- Raw score
- The number of questions answered correctly, 0–50, on the classic test.
- Average Wonderlic score
- About 20; a 21 is roughly the 50th percentile.
- Speeded test
- A test limited mainly by time, not difficulty — almost no one finishes all 50 questions in 12 minutes.
- Pacing the Wonderlic
- 50 questions in 12 minutes ≈ 14 seconds each; don't camp on any one item.
- Does difficulty increase?
- Yes — questions get harder as the test progresses, so bank the early ones fast.
- Can you skip and return?
- No — Wonderlic advises against skipping around; you generally can't go back.
- Should you guess?
- On the classic test, yes — raw score is the number correct with no wrong-answer penalty, so answer everything.
- S2 Cognition
- The cognitive test most NFL teams adopted after the league dropped the Wonderlic from the Combine in 2022.
- Does the NFL still use the Wonderlic?
- No — it was dropped starting with the 2022 Scouting Combine; employers still use it for hiring.
- Percentile
- Your rank versus a reference group; a 21 ≈ 50th percentile.
- Proctored vs. unproctored
- Supervised vs. self-administered; the full WPT-R is often proctored, the WPT-Q frequently unproctored.
- Gregarious
- Sociable; enjoying the company of others.
- Apathy
- Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
- Brevity
- Shortness of duration or expression; conciseness.
- Cordial
- Warm and friendly.
- Deficient
- Lacking something needed; inadequate.
- Enhance
- To improve or increase the quality of.
- Feasible
- Possible to do easily or conveniently.
- Hinder
- To create difficulties; to hold back.
- Imminent
- About to happen very soon.
- Jovial
- Cheerful and good-humored.
- Keen
- Sharp; eager; highly perceptive.
- Latent
- Hidden or dormant; not yet active.
- Mundane
- Ordinary; lacking interest or excitement.
- Negligible
- So small as to be not worth considering.
- Ominous
- Suggesting that something bad will happen.
- Placid
- Calm and peaceful.
- Quell
- To put an end to; to suppress.
- Robust
- Strong and healthy; sturdy.
- Sparse
- Thinly distributed; scarce.
- Thrive
- To grow or develop well; to flourish.
- Unanimous
- Fully in agreement; everyone agreeing.
- Volatile
- Likely to change rapidly and unpredictably.
- Wary
- Cautious; on guard against danger.
- Yield
- To produce or give; or to give way.
- Adept
- Highly skilled or proficient.
- Bolster
- To support or strengthen.
- Curtail
- To reduce or cut short.
- Dubious
- Doubtful; questionable.
- Erratic
- Irregular; unpredictable in movement or behavior.
- Fortify
- To strengthen or reinforce.
- Bird : nest :: bee : ?
- Hive — the relationship is 'lives in.'
- Author : book :: composer : ?
- Symphony (or music) — 'creator to creation.'
- Hot : cold :: up : ?
- Down — the relationship is 'opposite.'
- Finger : hand :: toe : ?
- Foot — the relationship is 'part to whole.'
- Pen : write :: scissors : ?
- Cut — the relationship is 'tool to function.'
- Calf : cow :: cub : ?
- Bear (or lion) — 'young to adult.'
- Thermometer : temperature :: clock : ?
- Time — 'instrument to what it measures.'
- Wet : dry :: full : ?
- Empty — the relationship is 'opposite.'
- Library : books :: bakery : ?
- Bread — 'place to what it holds/makes.'
- Slow : fast :: weak : ?
- Strong — the relationship is 'opposite degree.'
- 4, 8, 16, 32, …
- 64 — geometric, × 2.
- 81, 27, 9, 3, …
- 1 — geometric, ÷ 3.
- 6, 11, 16, 21, …
- 26 — arithmetic, +5.
- 2, 6, 18, 54, …
- 162 — geometric, × 3.
- 100, 90, 81, 73, …
- 66 — differences shrink by 1 (−10, −9, −8, −7).
- 1, 8, 27, 64, …
- 125 — perfect cubes (1³, 2³, 3³, 4³, 5³).
- 3, 5, 9, 17, …
- 33 — each gap doubles (+2, +4, +8, +16).
- 12, 10, 8, 6, …
- 4 — arithmetic, −2.
- 5, 15, 45, 135, …
- 405 — geometric, × 3.
- 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, …
- 17 — gaps increase by 1 (+1, +2, +3, +4, +5).
- What is 75% of 200?
- 150 (200 × 0.75).
- What is 30% of 90?
- 27 (90 × 0.3).
- What is 5% of 400?
- 20 (400 × 0.05).
- What is 12 as a percent of 48?
- 25% (12 ÷ 48 = 0.25).
- Increase 80 by 25%
- 100 (80 + 20).
- Decrease 60 by 10%
- 54 (60 − 6).
- What is ⅔ of 90?
- 60 (90 × 0.667).
- Ratio 3 : 1, total 40 — the larger share?
- 30 (40 ÷ 4 = 10 per part; 3 × 10).
- A train goes 240 miles in 4 hours — speed?
- 60 mph (240 ÷ 4).
- Average of 10, 20, 30, 40?
- 25 (sum 100 ÷ 4).
- What is 2.5% of 200?
- 5 (200 × 0.025).
- Double then add 10 to 15
- 40 (15 × 2 = 30, +10).
- What percent is ¼?
- 25%.
- Convert 0.6 to a percent
- 60%.
- Convert 150% to a decimal
- 1.5.
- All roses are flowers; this is a rose. Conclusion?
- It is a flower — a valid deduction.
- Some dogs are brown; Rex is a dog. Is Rex brown?
- Uncertain — 'some' doesn't guarantee Rex is brown.
- If it rains, the game is canceled. It rained. Conclusion?
- The game is canceled — valid (modus ponens).
- If it rains, the game is canceled. The game was canceled. Did it rain?
- Uncertain — the cancellation could have another cause.
- Conditional statement
- An 'if A, then B' rule; B follows only when A is true.
- Contrapositive
- 'If not B, then not A' — logically equivalent to 'if A, then B.'
- Valid vs. sound argument
- Valid = the conclusion follows from the premises; sound = valid AND the premises are true.
- Premise
- A statement assumed true that supports a conclusion.
- Conclusion
- The claim that the premises are meant to support.
- Counterexample
- A single case that disproves a general claim.
- Latest of 03/04/2020, 03/04/2023, 03/04/2021?
- 03/04/2023 — compare the year.
- Earliest of Jan 2 2019, Jan 2 2018, Feb 1 2018?
- Jan 2 2018 — earliest year, then earliest month.
- Day two days after Friday
- Sunday.
- Days in a (non-leap) year
- 365.
- Months with 30 days
- April, June, September, November.
- Which is misspelled: definitely / definately?
- 'definately' is wrong; 'definitely' is correct.
- Which is misspelled: separate / seperate?
- 'seperate' is wrong; 'separate' is correct.
- Exact match for 'A7B3C9'?
- Choose the entry identical character by character — watch for a swapped digit or letter.
- Quarter of the year for July
- Third quarter (Q3: July–September).
- First quarter months
- January, February, March (Q1).