What Is the Average Wonderlic Score? Overall, by Job, and by NFL Position
The average Wonderlic score is about 20 out of 50, equal to an IQ of 100. See average Wonderlic scores by occupation and NFL position, with sources.
Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist
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The average Wonderlic score is about 20 out of 50, which the test's publisher has long presented as equivalent to an IQ of 100. Most test takers do not finish all 50 questions in the 12-minute limit, which is why the average sits at less than half the maximum. In the NFL, estimates range from about 19 (the average for draftees over the two decades before 2005, per a published analysis) to the low-to-mid 20s in media compilations of leaked scores. This article lays out the averages by occupation and by NFL position, with the caveats each data source deserves.
How Wonderlic scoring works
The classic Wonderlic Personnel Test gives one point per correct answer, 0 to 50, with 12 minutes on the clock. The time limit is the real filter: most people run out of time before running out of questions, so raw scores compress toward the low 20s. A 20 marks the average adult, and the publisher maps it to an IQ of about 100. For the test's full history and format, see our explainer on the Wonderlic test.
Average Wonderlic scores by occupation
The most-cited occupational numbers come from the 1983 Wonderlic Personnel Test Manual, which listed median scores by profession. They are historical medians rather than current hiring standards, but they show a steady gradient across job types.
• Top of the table: systems analyst 32, chemist 31, electrical engineer 30, programmer 29, accountant 28, teacher 28.
• Middle of the table: salesperson 25, secretary 24, nurse 23, bank teller 22, cashier 21, firefighter 21.
With 20 mapped to IQ 100, the occupational medians span from roughly one standard deviation below the adult mean to a bit more than one above it. That gradient matches the well-documented relationship between occupation and measured intelligence; our article on the average IQ covers the same pattern on the IQ scale.
Average Wonderlic scores by NFL position
The NFL never releases official scores, so position averages are media compilations of leaked results. The most-repeated table has offensive tackles highest at 26, centers at 25, and quarterbacks at 24, with running backs lowest at 16.
Two caveats keep these numbers honest. First, the sources disagree: the compilation behind the position table puts the overall player average around 24, while Mirabile's (2005) published analysis reported that draftees averaged about 19 over the preceding two decades. Second, the one primary dataset available is narrow. Mirabile's sample of 84 quarterbacks drafted and signed between 1989 and 2004 had a mean Wonderlic of 25.45 with a standard deviation of 7.13, and individual scores ranged from 10 to 42. Every figure here is an estimate built on unofficial data.
What your Wonderlic score means for IQ
The Wonderlic tracks full IQ tests closely. Dodrill (1981) compared Wonderlic-based IQs with WAIS Full Scale IQs in 120 adults and found correlations of .93 in his main group and .91 in a cross-validation group. As a rough guide, 20 corresponds to the adult average of IQ 100, and with historical professional medians in the high 20s, a 30 puts you above the median for most professional occupations. The mapping is best kept qualitative; a 12-minute speeded screener is a strong estimate of general ability rather than a substitute for a full battery.
Do average differences matter?
Within the NFL, apparently not much. Lyons, Hoffman, and Michel (2009) found no significant relationship between Wonderlic scores and later NFL performance or games started. That is a "range restriction" story: players are already selected on rare physical skills, so the remaining spread in test scores has little left to predict. In ordinary jobs the picture reverses, and general cognitive ability is one of the best predictors of performance that hiring research has produced. Position averages are interesting trivia; they are not destiny for any individual player.
Where to get a full cognitive profile
A Wonderlic-style screener produces one speeded number. A modern, full-length assessment can tell you more: the Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test from RIOT IQ is a validated, normed measure, and the free IQ test is the quickest way to see where you stand on the actual IQ scale. For a direct product comparison, see RIOT IQ versus Wonderlic practice tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Wonderlic score for the general population?
A score of 20 out of 50 is the benchmark for average, corresponding to an IQ of about 100. Most test takers do not finish all 50 questions in the 12-minute limit, which is why the average sits well below the scale's midpoint.
What is the average Wonderlic score in the NFL?
Estimates vary because the NFL never releases official scores. A published analysis reported draftees averaging about 19, while media compilations of leaked scores put players in the low-to-mid 20s, with offensive tackles highest at about 26 and running backs lowest at about 16.
What Wonderlic score do you need for a specific job?
Historical norm tables from 1983 list median scores by occupation, from about 14 for janitors to 32 for systems analysts, and employers typically compared candidates to the median for the role. The modern Wonderlic Select product no longer reports one simple score.
Is a Wonderlic score of 30 good?
Yes. With 20 as average and historical professional medians in the high 20s, a 30 puts you above the median for most professional occupations, roughly comparable to the top fifth of test takers.
Do high Wonderlic scores predict NFL success?
Research says no. Lyons, Hoffman, and Michel (2009) found no significant relationship between Wonderlic scores and NFL performance or games started. That reflects range restriction and the physical nature of football rather than a failure of cognitive testing, which predicts performance well in ordinary jobs.
References
1. Dodrill, C. B. (1981). An economical method for the evaluation of general intelligence in adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49(5), 668-673. eric.ed.gov
2. Lyons, B. D., Hoffman, B. J., & Michel, J. W. (2009). Not much more than g? An examination of the impact of intelligence on NFL performance. Human Performance, 22(3), 225-245. doi.org/10.1080/08959280902970401
3. Mirabile, M. P. (2005). Intelligence and football: Testing for differentials in collegiate quarterback passing performance and NFL compensation. The Sport Journal. thesportjournal.org
4. Psychologia. (n.d.). All about the Wonderlic test, scores, samples, and practice.psychologia.co
5. Sports Illustrated. (2022, January 5). Report: NFL to stop using Wonderlic test at 2022 combine.si.com
6. Test-Guide. (n.d.). NFL Wonderlic test: Could you pass it?test-guide.com
Hero image: Anthony Richardson at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. The Wonderlic was part of combine testing from 1982 through 2021. Photo by the Tennessee Titans, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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