The Wunderlic Test, officially known as the Wunderlic Personnel Test, is a highly reliable and brief measure of general cognitive ability, testing verbal, numerical, and spatial abilities as well as problem-solving skills. The entire test takes twelve minutes and consists of fifty questions, with a perfect score being fifty points.
This test is somewhat similar to the IQ tests people are familiar with in daily life, but it's simpler and more specific. A score of twenty is considered an average intelligence, equivalent to a score of one hundred on an IQ test.
In professional football games, the playbook is complex and varied, possibly containing as many as twenty thousand plays. A single offensive or defensive play can involve countless combinations of plays, which requires every player to fully master the playbook—master, not just read. This places a strict demand on the players' intelligence.
Among all positions, the quarterback is undoubtedly the most important, as he is the only person required to master the entire playbook, from offense to defense. Of course, the defense part is only for reading, while the offense must be fully understood.
As the commander on the field, the quarterback is the only player who can communicate with the coaching staff in real-time through an earpiece during the game. At the same time, all kinds of unexpected situations may arise during the game, and the quarterback must make a decisive judgment immediately. When necessary, he has the power and responsibility to change the play on the fly. Overall control, instant reaction, and problem-solving skills are all of the utmost importance.
College football relies on talent, while professional football relies on intelligence. In the NFL, there are quite a few quarterbacks who are eliminated or even forced to retire because they could not master the playbook or keep up with the team's tactical changes. All of this makes the Wunderlic Test increasingly important.
Of course, this is just a measure of data. Getting a perfect score of fifty doesn't mean you're a genius quarterback; likewise, a score below the average of twenty doesn't mean your professional career is completely ruined. Ultimately, it still depends on the individual.
After years of evaluation and accumulation, each position on the field has an average score. As long as a player reaches this level, there's basically no problem.
The highest average score is not for quarterbacks but for offensive tackles, with an average score of twenty-six. The average score for quarterbacks is twenty-four. Among the entire team, the lowest average score is for running backs. Depending on their function, running backs are divided into fullbacks and halfbacks. The average score for fullbacks is seventeen, while for halfbacks, it's sixteen.
For reference, in other professions in real life, the average score for journalists is twenty-six, and for programmers, it's twenty-seven.
The twelve-minute test went by faster than expected. With fifty questions, there wasn't much time to think about each one. Before he even realized it, Lu Ke had finished the entire test. The test score came out immediately and was instantly recorded in his file—like other test data, this information would follow the quarterbacks throughout their professional careers.
Afterward, Lu Ke also received a certificate, printed on-site, officially certifying that he had taken the Wunderlic Test. After a series of basic information like his date of birth, the score Lu Ke received was at the bottom.
"Congratulations!" The staff member in charge of the test smiled, carefully looked at Lu Ke's certificate, and said word for word, "Lu... Ke... right? Did I pronounce that correctly?" After receiving an affirmative answer, the staff member nodded again. "This is a moment worth remembering. Congratulations again!" He then handed the certificate to Lu Ke.
Lu Ke looked down at the score and burst into a wry laugh, feeling both amused and helpless.
"Top-heavy," was the first word that came to Lu Ke's mind, and it meant exactly what it said: fifty points. Lu Ke had received a perfect score of fifty on the Wunderlic Test!
He wasn't sure if this was just an IQ score or a number reflecting the mental fortitude and willpower shown by the system. After completing the special mission yesterday, his mental fortitude had increased by two points, and now these two stats were eighty-three and eighty points.
From elementary school to middle school and then to college, throughout his football career, Lu Ke knew his strengths and weaknesses. He had a natural disadvantage in physical fitness and was often at a disadvantage in confrontations. The nickname "Bambi" was not a popular one on the field. On the other hand, his strengths were in tactical distribution, on-the-spot decision-making, reading the defense, and choosing passes. He could be considered a "cerebral" quarterback.
Although he wasn't sure if there really was such a thing as a "cerebral" quarterback in professional football, that's what his situation was.
He understood it, but before today, it was just a personal feeling and guess. Now it was completely confirmed—his physical data was weak, and even without the trouble of injuries, he still couldn't form an effective confrontation. And the Wunderlic Test... was a perfect score.
If this isn't "top-heavy," what is?
"Hey, hey, Bambi, did you hear?" In the crowded room, Logan ran over, his face filled with an excited gossip-fueled smile. He couldn't help but bump Lu Ke's shoulder. "Did you hear that a player got a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test today? Everyone's talking about it. It's so exciting. I wonder which pervert it is!" After saying that, Logan looked around, trying to find this "pervert" in the crowd.
"You heard too?" Another stranger with an unfamiliar face also came over, bringing a small circle of people with him. "This is only the second player in the league's history since 1975 to get a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test. Thirty-five years, and only the second one! Pat McInally back then got a lot of attention."
Lu Ke was not born in 1975. To be precise, none of the rookies in the draft training camp today were. "Did he get drafted?" Lu Ke couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"The fifth round," another person answered loudly. "After all, we're here to play football, not to go to Harvard, right? A perfect score is just a gimmick; it has no practical use."
"That's not necessarily true. Back then, McInally was just a wide receiver, so he wasn't that important. The average score for a wide receiver is only seventeen. Getting a perfect score doesn't give him wings. Just imagine if it were a quarterback. That would be sensational!"
"It probably wouldn't be as sensational as a quarterback getting a score of sixteen."
"Just now, Blaine Gabbert, the quarterback from the University of Missouri, got a score of forty-two, and everyone was talking about it. I don't know if that will raise his draft position this year, he might even get into the first round! I didn't expect a perfect score to come out now. Wow, the competition this year is really intense."
...
The chattering discussion and excitement grew. The physical parameters and injury evaluation tests, without any major surprises, could be completed in just a few minutes. However, the Wunderlic Test required a mandatory twelve minutes, which led to a large number of rookies gathering outside the test room.
In just a few minutes, the news that the second player in history to get a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test was officially born spread throughout the stadium.
"Cam, what was your test score?" A question came from not far away, followed by Cam's slightly nervous voice. "It's not important. For me, this test is useless. I didn't take it before and I still won the Heisman Trophy, didn't I?" The harsh voice didn't seem as loud anymore, and it was a bit restrained and stiff.
"That's true. The average score is enough. What's the average score for a quarterback?"
"Twenty-four points."
"Right, and for a running back? Sixteen points is enough for a running back. Haha, I got nineteen points!"
"Idiot, nineteen points just proves you're a dumbass. What's there to be happy about?"
"A dumbass can still get a first down and still crush you, and that's enough!"
...
In the midst of all this noise and banter, Cam's voice completely disappeared, as if he were invisible and had no intention of voicing any opinion. This was truly unusual.
Since arriving in Indianapolis yesterday, Cam had been trying to emphasize his presence, constantly making an appearance. He had talked to almost every rookie in the training camp face-to-face, so that everyone knew that the new Heisman Trophy winner was officially participating in this year's draft.
But now, Cam was trying to erase his presence?
However, it was not an easy thing for this "Mr. Focus" to hide his whereabouts. After all, his large frame was a beacon wherever he was, not to mention that his abnormal behavior made people suspicious. "Cam, what's wrong? You don't look so good."
"Nothing... nothing..." Cam stuttered. "It's just a bit stuffy in here."
"Haha! Cam Newton! You only got twenty-one points? Jesus Christ, I got twenty-one points, too. Are you sure you're a quarterback? Not a running back? We got the same score! Hahahaha!" A shocking voice suddenly made everyone's eyes focus on him. The first thing they saw was Cam's flushed face, as if he might explode at any moment, and then they saw who came out from behind Cam—Marcus Lynch.
Marcus grabbed the certificate from Cam's hand, waved it constantly, and laughed hysterically. "This is too funny, it's really too funny! Cam, you should be a running back, right? Hahahaha." Marcus laughed uproariously without any regard for Cam's feelings.
The next second, Cam snatched the certificate from Marcus's hand and raised his fist, about to lose his temper. Marcus ran to Lu Ke's side, and his laughter continued all the way. "Cam! Cam! Cam!" No more words were needed; the humiliation was enough.
Cam stood there, clenching his fists. He could clearly feel everyone's eyes on him, but not in a way he liked: mockery, ridicule, disdain, shock, sympathy, and pity.
Damn it! Damn it!
Cam looked up and saw Lu Ke standing in the crowd. The Asian face was really conspicuous among a group of white and black people, and his anger got out of control. "What are you looking at? You damn Asian, what score did you get? It can't be only ten points, right!"
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