Wonderlic Average Score by Profession: Occupational Norms for Real Jobs

If you took the Wonderlic for a job and want to know whether your number is good, the honest answer is: it depends entirely on your profession. The general-population average is about 20 out of 50, but occupational norms range from around 31 for a chemist to about 15 for a warehouse worker. So a 24 is comfortably above the bar for a support role and below the mark for an engineering role, using the exact same raw score. This guide gives you the average Wonderlic score by profession as a clean lookup table, explains how to read your own number against your field, and skips the NFL angle entirely, because if you are here for a real job, the football data is not your benchmark.

For the NFL scores-by-position data and famous player numbers, our Wonderlic test NFL guide covers that separately. And if you want the prescriptive cutoffs employers actually screen at (rather than the descriptive averages here), see what score you need on the Wonderlic. This page answers a narrower question: what is normal for your profession.

Quick takeaways

• The Wonderlic is 50 questions in 12 minutes, scored 0 to 50, and the general-population average is about 20.
• Occupational norms range from roughly 31 (chemist) down to about 15 (warehouse worker).
• These are descriptive averages, not employer cutoffs. Matching or beating your field's average is a solid result.
• The same raw score reads very differently by profession: 24 is strong for support, weak for engineering.
• These averages are Wonderlic occupational norms, published for the cognitive ability test, not sports data.
• Beating your profession's average is a clearer signal than any single "good score" number online.

Average by profession vs cutoff by role: two different questions

People mix up two distinct benchmarks, and knowing the difference tells you which number you actually need.

An occupational norm (this page) is descriptive: the average score people in a given profession actually earn. It answers "what is normal for a chemist" or "how do I compare to other nurses."

A cutoff is prescriptive: the minimum an employer will accept to advance you. It answers "what do I need to pass." Cutoffs are usually set a little below or around the profession's average, and they vary by company.

Use the norm to understand where you stand, and the cutoff to understand whether you advance. This page gives you the norms; the cutoffs live on our what score do you need guide.

Wonderlic average score by profession

Wonderlic publishes occupational norms for its cognitive ability test (see wonderlic.com for the vendor's own candidate guide). The figures below reflect the widely cited average score in each field. Find your role, and matching or beating that average is a strong result.

The spread is wide because different jobs demand different levels of fast reasoning. A systems analyst role averages higher than a warehouse role, so the same raw score reads very differently depending on the position you are applying for. If your target job sits around 23 and you scored 25, you are comfortably above the bar for that field.

How to read your own number against your field

Your raw score is just the count of questions you answered correctly, out of 50. To know whether it is good, run it through three quick checks.

1. Start from the population average. About 20 is the general-population midpoint. Anything above it is above average in the broadest sense.
2. Compare to your profession, not the crowd. This is the number that matters. If your field averages 23 and you scored 25, you have cleared the bar for that job family. If your field averages 29 and you scored 25, you are below the typical hire for that role.
3. Use the percentile context. A score of 21 is roughly the 50th percentile of all test-takers. Scores of 30 and up are strong for almost any white-collar role. A 40 sits in the top 1 percent.

The rough "IQ estimate" you will see online (score times five) is popular but crude, and experts disagree on it, so treat it as a party fact rather than a hiring benchmark. Your profession's average is the number that actually shapes a hiring read.

Why the same score means different things by industry

Two candidates score exactly 26. One is applying to a warehouse team; the other to an engineering group. The warehouse applicant is 11 points above their field's norm of 15, an outstanding result that will stand out. The engineering applicant is 3 points below their field's norm of 29, a below-typical result for that role. Same number, opposite read.

This is the single most useful thing to understand about Wonderlic scoring for real jobs: the test is a general cognitive measure, but employers interpret it against the demands of the specific role. A high raw score is never wasted, but a "good" score is always relative to what the profession requires. That is why chasing a universal "good number" online is the wrong move; find your field's average and aim to beat it.

Worked example: is a 24 good?

Say you scored 24 and you want a plain answer. Run the three checks.

• Against the population: 24 is above the ~20 average. Above average, full stop.
• Against your profession: if you are applying to be a bank teller (norm ~22) or a nurse (norm ~23), a 24 is at or above the typical hire. Solid. If you are applying to be an engineer (norm ~29), a 24 is several points under the typical hire, so you would want to raise it.
• In percentile terms: a 24 sits comfortably in the upper-middle of all test-takers.

So "is a 24 good" has no single answer, and any page that gives you one is guessing. For a teller or nurse role it is good; for an engineering role it is a signal to prepare more. The profession norm is what decides it.

If your score is below your field's average

If your number sits under your profession's norm and you have a retake or a related role coming, the good news is that Wonderlic scores move with focused practice, because the test rewards pacing as much as knowledge. The fastest gains come from timed full-length runs (the clock is the real difficulty, not the questions), drilling the three dominant question types, and learning to guess on every unfinished item since there is no penalty for a wrong answer.

This is where depth beats a single free sample. PrepClubs pairs full-length Wonderlic mocks with topical drills and role-specific target calibration, so you can aim directly at your profession's norm instead of a generic number, and prove you can hit it under a real 12-minute clock.

FAQ

What is the average Wonderlic score by profession?

Occupational norms range from roughly 31 for a chemist and 29 for an engineer or programmer down to about 22 for a bank teller, 17 for a security guard, and 15 for a warehouse worker. The general-population average across all fields is about 20 out of 50. These are descriptive averages, so matching or beating your field's number is a strong result.

What is a good Wonderlic score for an engineer?

The average for engineers and programmers is around 29, so a good score for an engineering role is roughly 29 or above. A 25 would be below the typical hire for that field even though it is above the population average of 20. Engineering and other technical roles sit near the top of the occupational norms.

What is the average Wonderlic score for a nurse?

The occupational norm for nurses is about 23, a little above the general-population average of 20. So a nurse who scores 23 to 25 is at or above the typical result for the field. Nursing sits in the middle band of the profession norms, above clerical and manual roles and below technical and engineering ones.

Is my Wonderlic score good for my job?

Compare it to your profession's average, not to a universal number. If your field averages 23 and you scored 25, you are above the typical hire and in good shape. If your field averages 29 and you scored 25, you are below the norm for that role and would benefit from more practice. The profession norm, not a one-size number, is what decides whether your score is good.

What is the average Wonderlic score overall?

The general-population average is about 20 out of 50. That figure blends every profession together, which is why it is a weak benchmark for any specific job. Your own profession's average, ranging from about 15 to 31 depending on the field, is the number that actually matters for a hiring decision.

Related on PrepClubs

• The Wonderlic test format and prep
• What score do you need on the Wonderlic? for prescriptive employer cutoffs
• Wonderlic test NFL for the sports scores-by-position data

Preparing for a real Wonderlic?

If your own employer uses the Wonderlic, your profession's average above is your target, and the way to hit it is timed practice. PrepClubs gives you full-length Wonderlic mocks plus topical drills for every question type, with role-specific target calibration, for $39, so you can aim straight at your field's norm and close any gap before test day. It is backed by our 30-day Pass Guarantee: prepare with PrepClubs and if you do not pass your real test, we extend your access at no extra cost, no fine print. Get Wonderlic access.