What Is a Good Wonderlic Score? Average, Percentiles, Job Targets

If you've been asked to take the Wonderlic Personnel Test, the next question on most candidates' minds is: what score do I actually need? The answer depends on the role you're applying for - and on whether your employer has set a published threshold or just uses the score as one factor among many. This guide gives you the data to set a realistic target.

The Average Wonderlic Score

Across all candidates who take the WPT-R, the average raw score is approximately 20–22 out of 50. That sits at about the 50th percentile - half the population scores higher, half lower. If you score in the low 20s, you're squarely in the middle of the pack.

The test is calibrated so that a 50-out-of-50 in 12 minutes is essentially impossible. Even the strongest candidates leave the last few items unanswered. This means the score scale you should be planning around tops out in the mid-40s, not at 50.

Wonderlic Percentile Breakdown

Here is how raw scores translate to percentile ranks for the WPT-R. Use this to convert your practice scores into something employers can interpret:

These percentiles are stable across the WPT-R's normative sample. A score of 26 is a frequently cited benchmark for "skilled" or "professional" work - but the only score that matters in your specific case is the one your employer is using. For any score not in the table above, use the Wonderlic percentile calculator for the exact lookup.

Deep dives by exact score

For a focused breakdown of what a specific raw score means — which roles it fits, how rare it is, and what a few extra raw points would buy — jump to the score page:

Wonderlic Score Targets by Role

Different jobs demand different cognitive thresholds. Wonderlic publishes general guidelines, and most employers calibrate their thresholds around the cognitive demands of the role:

Wonderlic Scores by Job: Real-World Examples

Wonderlic's own published occupational data gives a sense of where average performers land in different fields:

• Systems analyst: ~32 average
• Engineer: ~30 average
• Accountant: ~28 average
• Paralegal: ~26 average
• Registered nurse: ~24 average
• Teacher: ~24 average
• Dispatcher: ~23 average
• Police officer: ~22 average
• Firefighter: ~21 average
• Skilled tradesperson: ~21 average
• Sales representative: ~20 average
• Warehouse worker: ~17 average

These are averages of people working in those roles, not strict cutoffs. A raw score of 22 might be entirely appropriate for a registered-nurse application even though the technical-analyst average is 32. Click any of the linked roles above for a focused breakdown of cut-score bands, why employers in that category use the Wonderlic, and which question domains matter most.

NFL Wonderlic Scores

If you've heard about Wonderlic scores in football coverage, those are scores from NFL prospects taking the test at the Scouting Combine - a tradition that ran for decades before being discontinued in 2022. NFL averages varied dramatically by position, with offensive-line and quarterback prospects typically scoring higher than skill-position players. Read the full NFL Wonderlic story for averages, famous high scores, and why the league moved on.

How to Move Your Score Up

Two things drive almost all Wonderlic improvement:

1. Practice under timed conditions. Untimed practice misses the actual difficulty of the test. The 12-minute pressure is what trips up most candidates - and the only fix is rehearsing under that pressure.
2. Build pattern recognition. Most question types follow a small number of recognizable patterns. Once you can name the pattern in two seconds - "this is a number-analogy ratio item" or "this is a transitive syllogism" - your time-per-question drops sharply.

For a structured study plan, see our 7-day Wonderlic prep guide.

What Counts as a "Good" Score for You

The honest answer to "what is a good Wonderlic score?" depends on three things:

1. What role you're applying for. Use the table above as a rough guide.
2. What your employer's threshold is. Many don't publish it; some weigh the Wonderlic alongside interviews, references, and other criteria.
3. How much you want to differentiate yourself. A score in the top quartile for your role gives you a comfortable cushion above any threshold.

The good news: the difference between an average score and a top-quartile score is usually only 5–7 raw points, and that gap is exactly what one to two weeks of timed practice can close.