A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Wonderlic Test Scores and School Success

This meta-analysis examined the validity of an alternative to traditional assessments called the Wonderlic which is a brief measure of general mental ability. Our results showed significant, positive correlations between Wonderlic scores and academic performance in general ([r-bar] = 0.26), between Wonderlic scores and undergraduate GPA in particular ([r-bar] = 0.27, [p-bar] = 0.33), and between Wonderlic scores and retention ([r-bar] = 0.09, [p-bar] = 0.12). We also identified several significant moderators of the relationship between Wonderlic scores and relevant outcomes (e.g., test publisher reported coefficients were larger than those reported by other sources). Subgroup differences in test scores were in the same range as other post-secondary admissions assessments (e.g., ACT and SAT scores). Overall, the Wonderlic has similar levels of subgroup differences and is less strongly related to GPA than traditional assessments but still retains useful levels of predictiveness and is a shorter, less expensive assessment that requires less preparation than the ACT or SAT.