For a Day, Reporters Turn Into Guinea Pigs to Take Test

Not that three members of The Times sports staff were surprised by the linebacker-like ferocity of the Wonderlic Personnel Test given annually to potential NFL draftees. But one missed the first question.

They can now sympathize with Ki-Jana Carter, the Penn State running back who said he and fellow prospects shared one sentiment after taking the test in February.

“We all said, ‘What do we need to know all that stuff for?” Carter said.

The staffers complained about the number of math questions, even though there were only six among the first 40. They were particularly irked by the one geometry question.

They also suffered from reading the directions, which recommend against skipping questions you do not understand because the questions are increasingly difficult.

“You have to skip,” said Kerry Collins, the Penn State quarterback who scored a 30. “I just went to every question that I knew. That’s the only way to do it.”

All three staffers scored over 21, the average NFL prospect’s score on the 12-minute, 50-question exam.

Deputy Sports Editor John Cherwa and staff writer Bill Plaschke scored 29; staff writer Elliott Almond scored 24.

Their scores would not have qualified them to become chemists (mean score 31) or electrical engineers (30).

They are, however, within the range of news writers (26).