Have you ever heard of the Wonderlic Test?

It’s a fifty question test that the NFL gives to incoming player prospects prior to the draft every year. It’s supposed to test a players cognitive abilities and give the teams an idea of how a player  might process complicated play formations.

Players have twelve minutes to complete the test. The average score on the Wonderlic is twenty-one.

The Wonderlic is not a sure thing. Scoring a high score doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be a star in the NFL, nor does scoring low mean you’ll be a bust.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick score a perfect fifty on the test and although he is currently a starter for the Buffalo Bills, he is playing for his third team and mostly as a back-up. Hall of Famer Steve Young scored thirty-three, while another Hall of Famer Dan Marino scored 16.

So what’s the point?

It reminded me of a quote from the book, “Gracenomics” (which you can get by clicking on the graphic to your right)…

Sometimes I act as though it is somehow my job to determine people’s worth.

Good looks, lots of cash, a likable personality and the potential to help me in life? I whip out my pricing gun and tag them with high value.

– Mike Foster (pg. 63)

To add to that, how about a high Wonderlic score?

Have you ever used a worthless measure to attribute value to or withhold it from another person?