Hold up for a second–be very careful not to confuse the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test with the Wonderlic Personnel Test.
The WBST is just what it sounds like–a basic skills test. It contains questions on rudimentary high school-level mathematics and verbal reasoning skills. While the test is timed, the limit is reasonable, and most people have at least enough time to read all of the questions before the clock stops.
Straightforward and to-the-point, the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test, unlike many of the other Wonderlic psychometric assessments, doesn’t contain any surprises.
Usually given to prospective employees during the hiring process or administered to eager students as part of the college application process, the WBST helps institutions determine whether applicants have the essential skills they’ll need to either perform well in an office or engage in more intensive training in the pursuit of a certain career path.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test including a general overview, the material covered, the required passing score, and even some sample questions to get you started.
I was able to double my score from just a weeks worth of studying. They bring up very easy ways to get to the solution of the problem. Would recommend to anyone who has to take this test!
This was a great program. As an adult learner, I found it a wonderful test-taking resource, and the explanations were helpful.
I found the course to be very helpful. I like how they made it crystal clear on how to solve every problem. They also provide sample test that you can take until you get good with time management. The course is very detail of what you should expect to be see on the real exam.
Great explanations on every module. Course helps you boost your confidence and most importantly your speed. 10/10 all the way
This test prep helped me in a crunch. I had two days to review prior to taking the test as part of a job interview process. I was able to quickly learn the process and shortcuts for some of the questions and GREATLY improve my time.
I’ve been studying for my test and most of the questions are on here and they break down every question you get wrong so it will become easier for you to solve its definitely worth it
Easy to comprehend lessons/ breakdowns of potential Wonderlic tests. I was pressed for time to prepare for the Wonderlic and this test prep was a huge help in my time of need!!
Very user friendly to begin with and the test actually helped me improve my score by at least 5-10 pts
This wonderlic test prep prepared me to have a better test grade that helps to get College admission.
I am starting a new career and Wonderlic helped me greatly to get back into my college for preparing for my entrance examination. I found the testing to be extremely helpful and actually contributed to my passing the examination. I would recommend this program to everyone both young and people who are starting a new career.
The material was just like the actual test. The tips provided for each type of question were spot on. If you need to take the Wonderlic, this prep is worth the money.
I could not have completed the Wonderlic exam without the help of Wonderlic Test Prep tutorials and practice tests. Great experience, materials are accurate and it gave me the confidence to finish the exam. Thank you Wonderlic Test Prep!
The Wonderlic Basic Skills Test lasts a total of 40 minutes and contains 90 questions divided into two separate sections. On the first half, you’ll be given 50 multiple choice questions on reading and language, and on the second half, you’ll be asked to complete 45 questions on basic mathematics and numerical reasoning.
Each section lasts 20 minutes, and you’ll be given four answer choices for every question. Plus, the entire assessment can be completed online either at an assessment center or even in the comfort of your own home.
Widely used in businesses and colleges across the U.S., the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test evaluates how well you’ve acquired general knowledge and fundamental life skills through your education. While you won’t see any questions on quadratic equations or dangling modifiers, you will be expected to calculate percentages, analyze short texts, and extract information from simple graphs.
Essentially, you’ll be asked to answer questions involving situations you probably encounter on a regular basis. If you have to calculate tax, make a payment in another currency, write a report, or even send a professional email, you’ll need to prove that you can manipulate numbers with some degree of ease, extract important information from a body of text, and express your thoughts logically and articulately in writing.
Put another way, the skills tested on this exam are skills that you’ll be using anyway to navigate all sorts of everyday situations. So if you haven’t learned these skills by now, you’ll need to pretty soon anyway. So if you haven’t learned these skills by now, you can start by taking our free wonderlic practice test now.
Just like colleges want to know that incoming students can handle basic arithmetic, companies don’t want to find out that the secretary, for instance, that they hired to write up reports doesn’t know how to use prepositions properly or can’t read a line graph. Businesses need to know that they can rely on all of their staff members to handle data with care and communicate clearly and effectively.
Officially, the test breaks down as follows, as you can see in the sample report posted down below. You’ll see exactly how all of this plays out in the Basic Skills test sample questions we’ve included for you at the bottom of the page, but for now, we’ll just provide you with a general outline.
Grammar: Verb tenses, identifying errors, pronoun-antecedent agreement, capitalization
Sentence Construction: rearranging words to form a sentence.
Vocabulary: Completing sentences with the proper word, defining given vocabulary words
Information Retrieval: recording important facts.
Reading Comprehension: Answering basic questions about a short text.
Numbers & Operations: Performing basic operations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Fractions: Comparing and manipulating fractions
Algebra: Write and solve simple one-variable equations
Geometry & Measurement: find perimeter, area, distance, angle measurements
Data Interpretation: Reading graphs and charts
Applied Word Problems: Rates, time, percentages, ratios, and decimals
Applied Business Problems
Students and professionals from all over the United States take the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test for various different reasons. While usually companies use the test to fill entry-level positions, it’s actually used in a variety of ways.
For instance, many nursing and nurse’s assistant programs require applicants to take the WBST. Anyone working with patients in a hospital needs to know how to perform calculations in their head quickly and accurately.
While a large percentage of nursing programs ask for the Wonderlic SLE or Wonderlic Personnel Test, other institutions prefer the basic skills assessment because it’s more straightforward and provides colleges with a very detailed report explaining exactly where a certain candidate compares academically in relation to his or her peers.
You might be surprised to learn that the WBST is also given to anyone who wants to open up a Subway franchise. While the employees who work at the restaurant may be paid minimum wage, running a fast food restaurant isn’t easy. By requiring businessmen to take the WBST, Subway hopes to scare off any hopefuls who cannot balance a checkbook or generally manage their finances.
Lastly, the test, or at least a very similar version of the test is required for any students applying to receive ATB status. The Ability to Benefit program is a government initiative that helps students without a high school diploma or equivalent certificate to attend a post-secondary degree-granting institution and apply for federal aid.
On the WBST, you’ll receive separate scores for both the verbal and quantitative sections. Both tests are graded out of a total score of 500, and the grade and GED level equivalent will be marked along the top of the document for both subjects. If you’d like to receive ATB status, you’ll need at least a 200 on the verbal section and a 210 on the quantitative section.
In most cases, the school to which you’re applying will list the passing score it accepts on its website. If the exam is used as a general admissions exam, the school should list different scores for different programs depending on the level of difficulty.
Because each school is unique, it’s impossible to generalize. What may be an excellent score at one school will be rejected somewhere else. So, you should make sure to check the website of your top schools. Thankfully, even if you fall short on your first attempt, you can take the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test a total of three times before submitting your application.
If you’re applying for a job, there’s unfortunately no way to ask the interviewer what score he expects from you, but you can get a general idea of what to expect by taking a look at this sample score report.
I was able to double my score from just a weeks worth of studying. They bring up very easy ways to get to the solution of the problem. Would recommend to anyone who has to take this test!
This was a great program. As an adult learner, I found it a wonderful test-taking resource, and the explanations were helpful.
I found the course to be very helpful. I like how they made it crystal clear on how to solve every problem. They also provide sample test that you can take until you get good with time management. The course is very detail of what you should expect to be see on the real exam.
Great explanations on every module. Course helps you boost your confidence and most importantly your speed. 10/10 all the way
This test prep helped me in a crunch. I had two days to review prior to taking the test as part of a job interview process. I was able to quickly learn the process and shortcuts for some of the questions and GREATLY improve my time.
I’ve been studying for my test and most of the questions are on here and they break down every question you get wrong so it will become easier for you to solve its definitely worth it
Easy to comprehend lessons/ breakdowns of potential Wonderlic tests. I was pressed for time to prepare for the Wonderlic and this test prep was a huge help in my time of need!!
Very user friendly to begin with and the test actually helped me improve my score by at least 5-10 pts
This wonderlic test prep prepared me to have a better test grade that helps to get College admission.
I am starting a new career and Wonderlic helped me greatly to get back into my college for preparing for my entrance examination. I found the testing to be extremely helpful and actually contributed to my passing the examination. I would recommend this program to everyone both young and people who are starting a new career.
The material was just like the actual test. The tips provided for each type of question were spot on. If you need to take the Wonderlic, this prep is worth the money.
I could not have completed the Wonderlic exam without the help of Wonderlic Test Prep tutorials and practice tests. Great experience, materials are accurate and it gave me the confidence to finish the exam. Thank you Wonderlic Test Prep!
We’ve included a short Wonderlic Basic Skills Assessment practice test for you here. You can try each of the questions on your own and then check your answers against the ones listed at the bottom of the page.
Which of the underlined portions, if any, contains an error?
Living in Alabama, Lisa was never seeing snow in her life, so she was amazed when the small white flakes started drifting down from the sky. No error.
Answer: A
You should really say “had never seen” here and not “was never seeing.
Select the word that best completes the sentence.
We thought he had made his connecting flight, but then he called to ____ us that he was still in the airport.
Answer: D
While tell works, inform is really more accurate.
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word.
He couldn’t distinguish the shadowy forms at the end of the corridor.ה
Answer: C
If you can distinguish something, you can perceive it clearly.
91/7=
Answer: A
If Lisa’s sister is 5, Lisa is 15, which means they are 10 years apart. So, when her sister is 25, Lisa must be 35.
Lisa is three times her sister’s age. If Lisa’s sister is currently only 5, how old will Lisa be when her sister is 25?
Answer: E
If Lisa’s sister is 5, Lisa is 15, which means they are 10 years apart. So, when her sister is 25, Lisa must be 35.
While the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test may seem intimidating, you can rest assured that with a bit of practice, you should have nothing to worry about.
Note: Wonderlic Inc. and other trademarks are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Wonderlic Test Prep or this website.
Discover what our students said about this course.
I was able to double my score from just a weeks worth of studying. They bring up very easy ways to get to the solution of the problem. Would recommend to anyone who has to take this test!
This was a great program. As an adult learner, I found it a wonderful test-taking resource, and the explanations were helpful.
I found the course to be very helpful. I like how they made it crystal clear on how to solve every problem. They also provide sample test that you can take until you get good with time management. The course is very detail of what you should expect to be see on the real exam.
Great explanations on every module. Course helps you boost your confidence and most importantly your speed. 10/10 all the way
This test prep helped me in a crunch. I had two days to review prior to taking the test as part of a job interview process. I was able to quickly learn the process and shortcuts for some of the questions and GREATLY improve my time.
I’ve been studying for my test and most of the questions are on here and they break down every question you get wrong so it will become easier for you to solve its definitely worth it
Easy to comprehend lessons/ breakdowns of potential Wonderlic tests. I was pressed for time to prepare for the Wonderlic and this test prep was a huge help in my time of need!!
Very user friendly to begin with and the test actually helped me improve my score by at least 5-10 pts
This wonderlic test prep prepared me to have a better test grade that helps to get College admission.
I am starting a new career and Wonderlic helped me greatly to get back into my college for preparing for my entrance examination. I found the testing to be extremely helpful and actually contributed to my passing the examination. I would recommend this program to everyone both young and people who are starting a new career.
The material was just like the actual test. The tips provided for each type of question were spot on. If you need to take the Wonderlic, this prep is worth the money.
I could not have completed the Wonderlic exam without the help of Wonderlic Test Prep tutorials and practice tests. Great experience, materials are accurate and it gave me the confidence to finish the exam. Thank you Wonderlic Test Prep!
