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Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 25, 2022

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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I was curious about the Wonderlic test after seeing it referenced in a comment sometime this week, so I took a look. Is this practice website actually accurate to the content of the test? I found it really quite easy, some trouble with not being familiar with Imperial units and American coinage aside.

Yes. Bear in mind that, like most motteizeans, you’re probably well above average in IQ, so it should be easier for you.

The wonderlic test is more about finishing questions- it’s a timed test and in practice most people do not finish- than about correct answers. It’s a proxy for IQ score for average Americans and doesn’t have much utility outside of them, and like many proxies, tends to break down at the tail ends(famously it has no ability to distinguish low IQ from actually literally retarded- although, it doesn’t seem like conventional IQ tests are great at doing that either).

I got 48/50 while having to look up what exactly a nickel or a dime was or how many ounces were in a pound, or having to think back to what other historical events were near the Declaration of Independence (before realizing that the question gave other dates that were obviously wrong), which I assume most Americans wouldn’t need to. I suppose it’s the typical mind fallacy at work, but I was astonished to read that the average IQ=100 person would score 20.