If you’re aiming for a university of good renown in the United States, then it is very likely that you have heard about their absurd college entrance exam score requirements.
To make things worse, many of these colleges are now shifting in order to utilize the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam (SLE) in its admissions process in order to improve its ability in making sure that only the brightest of would-be students can grace its alumni.
While it may be difficult at first to pass the Wonderlic SLE, this is because most test-takers either underestimated it, thinking that it’s just your run-of-the-mill entrance exam, or they just didn’t know how to tackle it effectively.
Designed to test a person’s cognitive abilities as a whole without needing specialized knowledge of a particular subject, the Wonderlic exam uses senior highschool-level difficulty questions.
This means that it is very likely that you just have recently studied the subject matter and might even have a good grasp on it.
Despite this, a lot of aspiring college students still fail or are unable to meet the minimum score of the educational institution that they yearn to be a part of.
Fortunately, we know a number of tips that can ease your Wonderlic test experience greatly, and with a bit of hard work, you might even go past the required score and be one of the top scorers!
1. Answer the Easy Questions First!
Due to the 12-minute time limit of the Wonderlic SLE, you can barely answer everything in its 50-item question bank.
If you tried to do so, then you will be forced to only spend 14 or so seconds per question, including reading through the choices as well as any calculations needed.
With this in mind, it would be economical for you to first go for the questions that are easiest for you to answer, then go back to the ones that are difficult.
By doing this, you can secure a solid amount of points early on in the exam then work to improve it by the time you return to the unanswered ones.
2. You’re not Supposed to Answer Everything…! Technically
If there’s one thing that can make the Wonderlic test stand out from other college admissions tests, it would be the fact that it is purposefully designed to contain questions that are meant to make the test-taker fail.
These are known as the ‘time trap’ questions.
Such questions serve no purpose other than to try and waste your precious time like its namesake either with how large the supplied passage is or with how many complex calculations you have to do.
The worst part? These questions provide the same points as the others, meaning you are only given one measly point for your trouble.
As a result, it would be in your best interest to skip over these questions or come back to them later.
3. There is No Penalty for Guessing!
Another effective way to tackle difficult questions is to make an educated guess.
While this may feel like cheating, this isn’t actually the case. In fact, this is necessary when dealing with the time trap questions of the Wonderlic SLE.
In doing so, you will at least give yourself the possibility of gaining a point compared to just leaving it blank or unanswered.
Why is this an accepted method of answering? This is because the Wonderlic also functions as a means to measure the test-taker’s critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Those skills are measured in a rather simple way as well: would you rather spend 2 minutes trying to secure one point on a single question or would you rather spend those minutes getting 15 or more easy ones?
4. Practice, Practice, and Practice!
Due to its unique exam format, the Wonderlic SLE can still be a challenging thing to tackle once the pressure of the time limit becomes apparent in the actual test.
In fact, it is not uncommon for bright and talented students to panic and pick the wrong choices in the exam once they realize that they only have a few minutes left, thus decreasing their chances of securing a slot at the college that they want.
By taking advantage of an online Wonderlic practice test of sorts, you will not only become familiar with the subjects and question formats that you can encounter in the actual exam, but you can also make yourself familiar with its timed nature.
Remember, a single point can make a difference, and colleges typically won’t care if you’re one point below the threshold to be admitted.
As a result, you need to do everything you can in order to pass the Wonderlic exam the first time around and bring yourself closer to achieving your dreams!
