No small Wonder: We put our guys to the Test

With the NFL Combine beginning this week, a few of us around the office were wondering how would we stack up against some of the best players college football has to offer.

Throw as far as Brady Quinn? Run the 40-yard dash as fast as Ted Ginn, Jr.? Bench press as much as Alan Branch?

Forget that.

I can't speak for the rest of my colleagues, but this 35-year-old body can't take running around the parking lot doing something called The Three Cone Drill.

But we can test our intelligence (or lack their of) with the Wonderlic Test.

The Wonderlic is a 12-minute, 50-question exam given to assess aptitude and measure intelligence. You know, the same one Vince Young supposedly scored an 15 on, while Eli Manning recorded a 39.

I couldn't get my hands on the exact test, but Michael Callans, President of Wonderlic Consulting, was able to give us an online timed test that is similar to the ones given at the NFL Combine.

Great. I didn't like tests in school and I surely don't like them now. Maybe running around parked cars trying to catch a pass with a bad knee might be a better way to go.

"No one really likes taking tests, unless you are strange like me and you are in the testing industry," said Callans, who has a Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola of Chicago. "The complaints we hear are 'I don't take tests well, I wasn't prepared or I was overly anxious to take the test.'"

Damn, there go my three best excuses.

Before we round up a handful of CBS SportsLine.com employees, it was time to check out the average scores for NFL athletes (according to Wikipedia):

• Offensive Tackle - 26
• Center - 25
• Quarterback - 24
• Guard - 23
• Tight End - 22
• Safety - 19
• Linebacker - 19
• Cornerback 18
• Wide receiver - 17
• Fullback - 17
• Halfback - 16

The average overall score is 21. Here are scores from everyday professions:

• Attorney - 29
• Chemist - 28
• Accountant - 26
• Teacher - 26
• Registered nurse - 24
• Secretary - 22.5
• Police Officer - 21
• Security Guard - 18
• Janitor - 15

Let it be known that our test was slightly different than the one given at the Combine. In the NFL they take a paper test in a classroom environment and everybody has alternate tests so they can't cheat. We took a Web-based version that required us to click buttons to read the next or previous set of questions. A timer also was present at the top right-hand side of the screen letting us know how much time we had left. The athletes are told when to start and when to "put your pencils" down.

Ready to take the test for yourself? Click here to take a sample 12-question Wonderlic test. You can also check your answers and read about our impressions on taking an eight-minute, 30 question Wonderlic test. Good luck!