Kevin Curtis & The Wonderlic Test

An EXCELLENT write up if you are inclined to give this guy a chance...i for one, dig him, but that's just me ;)! peace out!!! here's a link to the test that the draft hopefuls take: the Wonderlic Test http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site297/2008/0222/20080222_035030_wonderlictest.pdf Of all the reasons to be impressed with Philadelphia Eagles receiver Kevin Curtis, this number is still the biggest of them all. Forty-eight. Having studied for and taken the Wonderlic Personnel Test that's administered to NFL draft hopefuls, I came away convinced I would have a better chance of matching Curtis' achievements of running the 40-yard dash in 4.2 seconds, signing a $32 million contract and catching 77 passes in an NFL season than scoring a 48 on the Wonderlic. That's what Curtis did five years ago, when he was subjected to the varied pushing, prodding and testing of the NFL scouts, impressing them enough to become a third-round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams and launch a successful pro career. His 48 is believed to be the second-highest score in league history, behind only Harvard graduate Pat McInally, a punter who posted a perfect 50. Actually, being familiar with Curtis' performance gave me some confidence. I remembered his glib explanation to me for his 48: "Utah State education." OK, then. Allowing for the fact he undoubtedly took more difficult courses in obtaining a marketing degree from USU, I must have acquired some of the same knowledge. "I don't know if I'm a genius or anything," Curtis added. "I'm a pretty bright kid, but nothing astounding." Curtis' example of taking practice tests taught me to prepare for the Wonderlic, at least to the extent of searching the Internet for sample questions that morning. That experience was valuable, telling me that any NFL prospect who cares enough to gear up for it could deliver at least something in the high 20s, and that if future law school grad Steve Young (33) of Brigham Young or Utah graduate student Alex Smith (32) had taken it more seriously, they certainly could scored in the 40s. But 48? No chance. Not even those guys could touch Curtis. Indeed, there was some suspicion about Curtis' results from the test he took at the combine in Indianapolis in February 2003. When scouts attended his subsequent workout in Logan, one of them insisted on watching him redo the test. Curtis apparently came close enough to satisfy everybody. The Wonderlic definitely has its place in the scouting process, considering the complexity of NFL offenses and the learning that's required in game preparation. More than that, I believe a low score demonstrates disdain for the predraft process, as much as Curtis' effort showed he wanted to make a good impression in all areas. While being reasonably proud of my 36, I was humbled by this calculation: With basically no preparation, or even being aware that guessing is encouraged because there's no extra deduction for a wrong answer, Tribune columnist Robert Kirby (25) came closer to me than I came to Curtis. Merely answering 48 questions, much less correctly, in 12 minutes is stunning to me. Do the math: That's 4.16 answers per minute, and some of the questions require calculation or at least careful reading, like this one: "For $3.60, a grocer buys a case of fruit which contains 12 dozen pieces. He knows that two dozen pieces will spoil before he sells them. At what price per dozen must he sell the good ones to gain one-third of the whole cost?" It's 48 cents, which took me about 30 seconds to determine, and ended up costing me a couple of unanswered questions. Without knowing how they translate into principles of learning, I easily recognized my strengths (arithmetic problems and word definitions) and weaknesses (shapes and sequences). But my strongest impression of the experience is that 12 minutes goes by quickly, and fighting that frantic feeling is a big component of the test. I later discovered somehow having never even looked at question 39: "When wire is selling at $0.125 a foot, how many feet can you buy for 50 cents?" That's easy; four feet. Of course, I'm writing this 12 hours after the test. With the clock ticking, it would have seemed tougher.