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NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

Looking for "something that's a little more evolved than the Wonderlic," the NFL will introduce a counterpart to the much-criticized intelligence test at this week's combine, according to an NFL.com report.

The new aptitude test is not a replacement for the Wonderlic, which has been used for decades since the exam was introduced in the 1970s by former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster said the league spent time developing the new test with a university professor, according to the report.

The Wonderlic is an exam given to players entering the NFL draft every year.

It is comprised of 50 questions, and players have 12 minutes to complete the test. The average score is a 21.

The NFL combine is Feb. 23-26 at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.

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Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

Another change to the NFL Scouting Combine's testing is on the way.

The NFL will implement a new, expanded player-assessment test designed to provide a comprehensive look at a player's "non-physical capabilities, aptitudes and strengths," according to an NFL memo obtained by NFL.com's Steve Wyche. The memo, which was sent to team presidents and general managers, says the new assessment tool is not being introduced as a replacement for any other tests, but rather as a way to provide new measurements over a range of non-physical capabilities.

An NFL league office source confirmed that the test will be part of this year's combine. It also will be administered similarly to the Wonderlic test.

National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster confirmed the test is not a replacement for, but rather a counterpart to, the much-criticized Wonderlic test. The Wonderlic has been used at the combines for decades since its origination as an intelligence test in the 1970s by legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry. The Wonderlic's usefulness and the ethics of relying on it have been sources of debate over the years.

According to Foster, the league spent time developing the new test with a university professor.

Clubs have long expressed the importance of years of data built up on tried-and-true testing and measurements, enabling balanced comparisons, so Foster and other combine officials always have been reluctant to eliminate elements from the combine. A recent example is the addition of wingspan to measurements. Some people voiced concerns that wingspan is a more illuminating measurement than arm length, so it was added to the combine, but arm length wasn't eliminated.

Here is the complete NFL memo outlining the additional assessment test:

At this year's combine we will introduce a new and expanded player assessment tool designed to offer a much more robust and comprehensive assessment of a player's non-physical capabilities, aptitudes, and strengths. This tool was developed by Harold Goldstein, Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Baruch College, City University of NY. Professor Goldstein is an expert in industrial psychology who has designed employment tests in a variety of other industries and has worked closely with Cyrus Mehri of the Fritz Pollard Alliance.

The assessment tool being introduced at the Combine is not intended to displace anything currently in use or substitute for other tests that are given either at the Combine or by the clubs themselves. Rather, this new test measures a wide range of competencies, including learning styles, motivation, decision-making skills, responding to pressure or unexpected stimuli, and core intellect. It was developed after detailed discussions with current and former league executives, including Ernie Accorsi, Thomas Dimitroff, John Elway, and Jerry Reese, and was reviewed by members of the general managers Advisory Committee.

This is an exciting innovation that brings updated best practices from corporate America to the NFL football operations. By giving clubs new and more relevant information, it offers additional information to supplement your decision-making in the draft. One of the most interesting aspects is that new information on player learning styles can potentially help our coaches' work more effectively with young players.

We look forward to reviewing and receiving your feedback later this year and incorporating it into future versions of this assessment tool.

Wonderlic to be supplemented by new aptitude test at combine - NFL.com

Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

New combine test will be administered similarly to Wonderlic

The aptitude test the NFL will introduce at this week's NFL Scouting Combine will follow specific parameters during its administration, according to Cyrus Mehri, an attorney with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an oversight group which works with the NFL and is helping to implement the new test.

Here's a closer look at how the assessment will be carried out at the combine:

» It will be administered the same way the Wonderlic tests are -- in a classroom environment.

» Unlike the Wonderlic, which is a 12-minute test, the test will be a 60-minute exam.

» There is "no way" players can study or prepare for the test, Mehri said.

» The test results will be shared with "one or two" team executives, Mehri said, in order to protect confidentiality. That said, Mehri stressed there isn't a perfect score since the test is designed to determine strengths and weaknesses in different aptitude and psychological categories.

The tests will be graded by Harold Goldstein, a professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Baruch College, City University of New York, according to Mehri. Goldstein has implemented several versions of the test among different subject groups, including groups of people who often perform under stress in team-based environments.

"We're trying to capture different ways people are smart," Mehri said.

Every team will receive one page of "coaching points" on every player who takes the test. These "coaching points" will help teams evaluate players and determine whether they'll mesh with certain coaching styles, Mehri said.

New combine test will be administered similarly to Wonderlic - NFL.com

Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

They should make Roger take it...

Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

Quote:

Originally Posted by saintfan (Post 480384)

They should make Roger take it...

LOL the 30 million dollar man LOL

Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

It will be interesting to read more about it along the way. Maybe colleges should start doing that too...

Re: NFL to unveil second aptitude test -- in addition to Wonderlic Test

Something else for Auburn grads to fail ...

N.F.L. Tries New Method for Testing Mental Agility

Personality tests, like the Rorschach test, have been a staple in many industries. N.F.L. players now take the Player Assessment Tool.

INDIANAPOLIS — For decades, hundreds of college players have gathered each year at the N.F.L.’s scouting combine, where their strength is tested, their speed is timed and, in a test to measure their intelligence, they are asked questions like “When a rope is selling 20 cents per 2 feet, how many feet can you buy for 30 dollars?”

That query is part of the Wonderlic Personnel Test, a 12-minute, 50-item quiz that has been used by N.F.L. teams since the 1970s. It is, however, infamously unreliable in predicting football success — forgettable players have scored high, stars low — and there have been quiet concerns that it has a racial bias.

So the players at this week’s combine are facing a new segment in their extended job interviews: an hourlong psychological assessment designed to determine and quantify the nebulous qualities that coaches have long believed make the most successful players — motivation, competitiveness, passion and mental toughness — and to divine how each player learns best. The new test, like the Wonderlic, is mandatory for the more than 300 players who attend, and it will be given for the first time Friday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/sp...20130222&_r=1&