Why is the NFL allowed to use an IQ Test (The Wonderlic Test) as one of the factors considered in their hiring decisions. As I understand, all prospective NFL draftees are required to take the Wonderlic test, a test that is supposed to be a test of general cognitive abilities. Since this goes to general intelligence and not specific abilities – why doesn’t the holding found in Griggs v. Duke Power ban the use of Wonderlic testing being a part of hiring decisions? This is a factual question – I mean there is a case out there – right?
For those interested – here’s a link to the Griggs case synopsis –
Since this case goes to the use of arbitrary test to discriminate against certain groups, I’d say the first part is that it’s pretty clear that the test is not used to discriminate or screen out certain racial/ethnic subgroups. It is used as an indication of whether (a) the athelete is smart enough to understand an NFL rulebook and (b) potentially whether an athelete is too smart to be in the NFL (You want me to do what, Coach? Are you out of your freakin’ mind!?!)
I suppose I understand and probably agree with your post ShibbOleth but I still have to wonder if the NFL administration of this test squares with Griggs. Since the test is used to measure specific abilities, (i.e. understanding/applying NFL rules) it would appear that a more direct test would be to have the draftee actually ear/read and understand the football rules, apply the football rules, or show their history of applying those rules ----- rather than take a test of general mental abilities. Yet, in the NFL potential draftees are required to take a general test of cognitive abilities that may either 1) lower the draft position of the draftee – potentially costing millions to that draftee OR 2) preventing that football player from being drafted. After doing some research however – that except for quarterbacks, I doubt that a Wonderlic score has ever really barred that many prospects since the base standard (if one exists) appears pretty low – players with scores of 5 out of 50 have been drafted. A Wonderlic score of 21 is considered ‘average.’
A couple of things: in my first post I said “rulebook”, I meant “playbook”. The rules are fairly simple, some of the playbooks are fairly complex and there may not be a simple, quick way to test on real playbooks.
Second, I was going to say that if you can score somewhere above “Spanish moss” on the Wonderlic you can probably get drafted. Even then, undrafted players do frequently make squads, so even the draft is not a pure barrier to employment. I’d guess that some of the lower scores go to higher draft choices who know that they are not going to be skipped over, probably scarcely ever took a test in school, and really didn’t give a damn.
FWIW, the Fortune 50 company that I used to work for has their own version of the Wonderlic known as the “M test”. It is used to weed out prospective employees and even though I did recruiting I never heard anything about it being potentially illegal to use it. So it’s also possible that if a test can be proved to be race “blind” that it’s not illegal to use it.