Saturday, January 27, 2007

Wonderlic releases revised Personnel Test


Any day I get a chance to post about the testing company with my favorite name, it's a good day.

That day is today, and that company is Wonderlic.

Many of you are no doubt familiar with Wonderlic, one of the oldest testing companies around. It's also one of the most famous or infamous depending on how you look at it. The Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT), a test of cognitive ability (intelligence if you prefer) has been around since the 1930s and has been used by many organizations, including the military and (more recently) professional football teams.

In 1971, the Wonderlic received some unwelcome media (along with the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test) when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Griggs v. Duke Power that the company had misused the test (essentially they didn't do the leg work to tie WPT scores to successful job performance). And yes, Griggs is also the case where the Supreme Court articulated the "adverse impact" theory of employment discrimination. In fact, if you haven't read Griggs, I highly recommend it, for historical purposes if nothing else.

Anyhoo, Wonderlic recently announced the release of a revised version of the WPT, appropriately named the WPT-R. What's new? Some changes to content, and some changes to format. It's still a 12-minute test, available via bubble sheet or online, scored by Wonderlic.

Click here to see some sample questions from the WPT-R.

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