Wonderlic Sample Questions for Cognitive Ability Tests

Question 1

The sixth month of the year is
A. August
B. September
C. January
D. June

Answer 1

D (The sixth month of the year is June.)

Question 2

SCRUPULOUS is the opposite of
A. Rigorous
B. Punctual
C. Negligent
D. Conscientious
E. Meticulous

Answer 2

C (Scrupulous is a word used to describe someone who is punctual and precise, while negligent is a word used to describe someone who is lazily careless.)

Question 3

Does DIY mean “do it yourself”?
A. Yes
B. No

Answer 3

A (DIY is the acronym for “do it yourself”)

Question 4

In the following set of words, which word does not belong?
A. Sanction
B. Designation
C. Approval
D. Authorization
E. Permission

Answer 4

B (Designation is the act of indicating, while the other words mean allowance.)

Question 5

ANTECEDE PRECEDE
The meanings of these words are
A. Similar
B. Contradictory
C. Neither similar nor contradictory

Answer 5

A (To antecede and precede both mean to be earlier than something.)

Question 6

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is to CLEANING as MEDICINE is to CURING
A. Chore
B. Dirt
C. Soap
D. Germs
E. Shiny

Answer 6

C (Soap is used for cleaning as medicine is used for curing.)

Question 7

How many of the five pairs listed below are exact duplicates?
Truman. H.W. Trumen, H.W.
Salif, O.L. Salif, O.J.
Grinberg, A.L. Grinberg, A.L.
Havanos, B.G. Havanos, B.G.
Lichtenstein, D.W. Lichtunstein, D.W.

A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
E. 5

Answer 7

B (Grinberg, A.L. and Havanos, B.G. are the two pairs which have exact duplicates.)

Question 8

Arrange the following words so that they make a complete sentence. Is the rearranged sentence true or false?
not Winter seasons summer are and
A. True
B. False

Answer 8

B (The sentence is: Summer and winter are not seasons, which is false.)

Question 9

If the first two statements are true, is the final statement true? 
Black haired people are kind.
I am kind.
I have black hair.
A. Yes
B. No
C. Uncertain

Answer 9

C (According to the first statement we know that black haired people are kind, but kind people do not necessarily have black hair. Therefore we cannot know for sure if the third statement is correct.)

Question 10

Which one has the biggest diameter?
A. The sun
B. The moon
C. Earth
D. Venus
E. A basketball

Answer 10

A (The sun has a diameter over than 100 times larger than earth, which has a diameter larger than the all the other answers.)

Question 11

5 cookies cost $0.30, how much will 30 cookies cost?
A. $1.50
B. $1.80
C. $2.80
D. $5.30
E. $30.00
F. None of the above

Answer 11

B (Because 30 is 6 times more than 5, we also multiply the cost by 6, 0.3*6=1.80.)

Question 12

Sam and Edna have 56 marbles together. Edna has 6 times more marbles than Sam. How many marbles does Sam have?
A. 8
B. 12
C. 32
D. 46
E. 49
F. None of these

Answer 12

A (If Edna has 6 times more marbles than Sam, we can define Sam as X and Edna as 6X, and build the following equation: X+6X=56, therefore X=8.)

Question 13

A train travels 100 feet every 2 seconds. How far will it travel in 36 seconds?
A. 1670 ft
B. 1836 ft
C. 200 ft
D. 286 ft
E. 1480 ft
F. None of these

Answer 13

F (Because 36 seconds is 18 times more than 2 seconds we also multiply the distance traveled by 18, 100*18=1800, which does not appear in the answers.)

Question 14

What is the next number in the series?
24 28 32 36 40 44 \_\_
A. 40
B. 48
C. 24
D. 88
E. 42
F. None of these

Answer 14

B (We can see that numbers in the series constantly grow by 4, therefore the next number will be 44+4=48.)

Question 15

17 out of 20 lung diseases are curable; what is the percentage of lung diseases that are curable?
A.17%
B.72%
C.85%
D.87%
E.90%
F.None of these

Answer 15

C (In order to find out how much is 17 out of 20 in percentage, we need to reach a denominator of 100 (a percent is simply a fraction with a denominator of 100). In order to do this we multiply the fraction 17/20 by 5 and reach 85/100 which is 85%.)

Question 16

Ariel, Alex, and Dana form a business agreement in which Ariel receives 20% of profits, Alex receives 70% of profits, and Dana receives the remaining 10%. The total profits for the month of June were $6,600. How much more would Dana receive if the profits were divided equally?
A.$1,540
B.$1,820
C.$1,900
D.$2,180
E.$2,200
F.None of these

Answer 16

A (In the current agreement Dana receives 10% of $6600, which is $660010/100=$660. If the profits were divided equally between the three partners she would have received a third which is $66001/3=$2200. Therefore she would have made $2200-$660= $1540 more in the second case.)