Wonderlic Personnel Test HRD Consortium TM 1 Short Brief of Wonderlic Personnel Test •Wonderlic© is a scholastic aptitude test administered during the hiring process. It is designed to compare personnel to normative values established for different careers in order to gauge a person’s general cognitive abilities. •The test itself consists of 50 questions in the areas of Mathematics and English. It must be timed for 12 minutes. •This test can improve your understanding of a person’s ability to learn, understand instructions and problem solve. Since averages have been established for many occupations and all levels of education, it can also be used to determine a person’s ability to function well in a particular job position. •However, it is meant to be used only as a supporting factor in deciding whether to hire someone. It complements other evaluations to judge his or her other job-related qualifications. HRD Consortium 2 Quick Reference Guide Administering the Test These Wonderlic test are “self administering” tests. Applicants are asked to read the test Instruction and complete the sample questions provided on the front page of the test booklet. Additional instructions on conducting the testing session are provided in the Proctor’s Guide. Timing the Test These Wonderlic test are to be administered for exactly 12 minutes. The timed 12 minute period begins when the applicant turns the first page to begin working on the test questions. Scoring the Test The test score is the total number of questions answered correctly. The correct answer are Provided on the scoring key. To score the test, the Scoring Key is placed on the test with the Answers aligned with the test answer brackets. The score is the total number of questions answered correctly. A score adjustment is appropriate for applicants 30 years old and older HRD Consortium 3 Quick Reference Guide Intrepreting the Test The applicant’s test score may be compared to the suggested minimum scores provided by either occupation or education. The average score for all job applicants is approximately 21. This is also the average score of high school graduates. The average score of college graduates Is 29. Higher scoring applicants will learn more quickly. Will master more complex material and Will make better judgments when information is lacking. Lower scoring applicants will require More time, specific instruction and standardized job routines. Applicants scoring within three Points of each other should be considered to be of the same ability level. HRD Consortium 4 What the Wonderlic Tests Measure •The WPT are short form tests of general cognitive ability. •Referred to as general intelligence or “g”, cognitive ability is a term that is used to describe the level at which an individual learns, understands instructions and solves problems. •Higher scoring individuals will not only gain more from formalized training, but they are also more likely to learn effectively from on–the-job experience •Modest scoring individuals will need more detailed instruction, hands on practice, more time and repetition and close supervision. HRD Consortium 5 What the Wonderlic Tests do NOT Measure •The WPT measure general mental ability, but not how well a person will employ their ability. •It is often true that a person of lower ability, but stronger determination, will out perform the higher ability person. •This means that many elements of a person’s abilities, personal characteristic, learned skills and background experience will all contribute to successful performance. HRD Consortium 6 Scoring The Wonderlic Tests The result is the test score : For example : Last Question Answered : 28 Number wrong or Omited : -4 _____________________________ Number right _ Final Score : 24 HRD Consortium 7 Minimum Passing Scores – Cut Scores Median Job Applicant Scores for Selected Occupations Position Score Position Score Chemist 31 Clerk, order Engineer, Electrical 30 Foreman Manager, General 30 Clerical, General Administrator 29 Police, Patrol Officer Computer programmer 29 Receptionist Adjuster, Claims 28 Typist Librarian 27 Labor, Unskilled Manager Trainee 27 Mechanic, helper Writer, News 26 Maintenance Office, General 24 Guard, security Sales, General 24 Nurse's aide Cashier 24 Assembler Secretary 24 Packer Drafter 23 Warehouse Person Bank Teller 22 Maid/Matron 22 22 21 21 21 21 20 19 18 17 17 16 15 15 11 This relationship was confirmed in a study by Mc Cormick, Mecham and Jeanneret (1989) WPT Correletd with PAQ (r mult values 1970 .81; 1983, .79; combined .82) HRD Consortium 8 Minimum Passing Scores – Cut Scores The Wonderlic Personnel test compares the resulting test score with the minimum scores shown below for common positions in the printing and mailing industry. Minimum scores for 12 thousand other positions have also been benchmarked and are available © Job Title Minimum Acceptable Score Bindery Worker 19 Bookkeeper 24 Camera/Stripper Operator 24 Computer Typesetter- Keyliner Customer Service Representative Cutter Operator Delivery Driver Desktop Publisher Estimator Folding Machine Operator General Manager Graphic Designer High Speed/ Copy Operator Mailer Apprentice Mailing Machine Operator Offset Press Operator Operations Manager Outside Sales Representative Pre-press Technician Pre-press Supervisor Production Manager Sales Manager Scanner Operator Store Manager HRD Consortium 25 22 19 19 25 23 20 27 26 20 19 22 23 20 24 24 24 23 28 23 27 9 Age Adjustment To Scores Age Adjustment Age 15 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 54 55 - 59 60+ Add to the 12 min. raw score 0 1 2 3 4 5 HRD Consortium 10 Minimum Score by Job Family Job Families Validity Job Title Executive Managerial/Executive Managerial/Executive Managerial/Mid-Level Supervisor Managerial/First line Technical Professional Technical Mid Level Sales Office Clerical Skilled Trades Unskilled Trades Coeff Training Performance .51* .53* Minimum Score 28 .51* .53* 26 .51* .53* 22 .50** .58** 26 .57** .51** 22 na .71** .61* .52*** 22 21 .68** na .52*** .45**** 18 15 * Hunter & Hunter, 1948a ** Hunter & Hunter, 1984b *** Pearlman, Schmidt & Hunter, 1980 ****Northup,1986 HRD Consortium 11 Test Score/Job Complexity Steps Score 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 Interpretation common for plant employees and material handlers the threshold level where employers may expect employees to learn from written manuals. Level where employees are first able to work independent from supervision, usually in repair or skilled trades (approximately the average score for all workers in the U.S.) common with employees who work with standardized alphanumeric systems usually found with first line supervisors associated with middle management and higher level technicians found with professionals and executive level managers. HRD Consortium 12 Validity of WPT Tests Predictive Validity Predictor Ability(I.e. WPT) College grades Biodata Education Reference checks Interest Interview Age HRD Consortium Validity .63 .33 .33 .27 .26 .20 .11 -.02 13 Validity of WPT Tests Wonderlic,WAIS GATB Test Score Comparison Wonderlic Aged corrected Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 WAIS Full Scale IQ 59 61 64 67 69 71 73 75 78 80 81 83 86 88 90 93 95 97 98 100 102 104 GATB Aptitude "G' 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 HRD Consortium Wonderlic WAIS GATB Aged corrected Full Scale Aptitude Score IQ "G' 23 106 24 108 105 25 111 26 113 110 27 114 28 116 115 29 118 30 120 120 31 121 32 123 225 33 125 34 126 130 35 128 36 130 37 132 38 134 39 136 40 138 41 140 42 142 43 143 44 146 14 Reliability of WPT Tests •Test – retest reliabilities (1st question) have ranged from .82 to .94 •Longitudinal reliability (2nd question) was measured by Dodrill (1983) at .94 •Alternate form reliabilities (when corrected differences in degree of difficulty) range form .73 to .95 •Internal Consistency measured by Mc Kelvie (1989) range from .88 to .94 •With Kuder Richardson KR-20 formula measured by Wheeless and Serpento (1982) KR-20 r = .88 HRD Consortium 15 A Fair Testing Program •Improper Test Administration •Over Reliance On Test Score •Fair Application of Test Score Requirements HRD Consortium 16