What is on the Wonderlic test?
Wonderlic Select has three sections: a timed cognitive ability section and two untimed sections on personality and motivation. Only the cognitive section has right and wrong answers. Its 50 questions cover simple math, basic logic, language comprehension, spatial reasoning and pattern identification, and Wonderlic says only a few involve math. The 50-question, 12-minute format dates back to the original Wonderlic Personnel Test.
Sources: Cognitive Ability Test for Hiring, Wonderlic Select, checked October 19, 2026; Wonderlic Select Test, Frequently Asked Questions from Candidates, checked October 19, 2026; The Story of Wonderlic, checked October 19, 2026.| Section | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive ability | 50 questions | 12 minutes |
| Motivation | 58 items | Untimed |
| Personality | 150 items | Untimed, usually about 15 minutes |
| Whole assessment | Three sections | About 35 minutes on average |
What will Wonderlic practice include?
Practice Round is building timed 50-question, 12-minute Wonderlic-style rounds that mix the same kinds of questions and get harder as they go, written by us, with an explanation for every answer and a record of how many you reach and get right each round.
Join the Wonderlic waitlist
We’re building Wonderlic practice: timed rounds in the same format, an explanation for every answer and your score history.
What will a Wonderlic practice round look like?
We’re writing a sample round
A short sample round, with every answer explained, will appear here before practice opens. Join the waitlist.
How is the Wonderlic scored?
Wonderlic says its scoring looks at your overall pattern of answers, weighting questions by difficulty, rather than simply counting right answers. Wonderlic Select doesn’t give one number for cognitive ability: it combines your cognitive, personality and motivation results and compares them with what the job needs, and how much the cognitive part counts depends on the job. Employers see results as soon as you finish.
How fast do you need to work?
Fifty questions in 12 minutes is about 14 seconds each, and the questions get harder as you go. Wonderlic’s advice is not to skip around, and it says random guessing is unlikely to help. That’s why the clock, more than any one question type, is what most people need to practice.
How do you take the Wonderlic?
The invitation comes from the employer, and Wonderlic can’t resend it. Links usually stay active for up to 14 days. Most companies don’t proctor it, so you’ll typically take it online on your own. You can pause at the break between sections, but plan to take the timed section in one go. Wonderlic Select is offered in English, Spanish and French.
How can you practice for the Wonderlic?
Start with Wonderlic’s own sample questions so the question styles feel familiar, then practice full 50-question rounds against a 12-minute clock. After each round, look at where you slowed down. Wonderlic says there’s no cost to test takers for any Wonderlic assessment.
How do you ask for an accommodation?
Contact the employer that sent the invitation. Wonderlic says the hiring organization handles accommodation requests and consults Wonderlic as needed.
Common questions about the Wonderlic
How many questions are on the Wonderlic, and how long do you get?
The cognitive section of Wonderlic Select has 50 questions with a 12-minute limit. Wonderlic says test takers aren’t expected to answer all of them.
Can you use a calculator on the Wonderlic?
No. Wonderlic says the cognitive section is taken without a calculator, dictionary or other resources, and that a calculator wouldn’t significantly help, since only a few questions involve math.
Can you fail the Wonderlic?
Wonderlic says there’s no passing or failing grade. Your results are combined and compared with what the job needs, and the employer decides how to use them.
Do you see your Wonderlic score?
Not as a number. Wonderlic says numerical cognitive scores aren’t available to test takers; you may get a Candidate Feedback Report if the employer turns it on.
Can you retake the Wonderlic?
Retakes are up to the employer. Wonderlic’s help center says it has four equivalent forms of the cognitive test, a retest uses a different form, and it advises against testing anyone more than twice.