FIGURE B.2 Sample Items from Two Cognitive Ability Tests Cognitive ability tests can measure either general intelligence or specific cognitive skills, such as mathematical ability. (a) These two items are from the Wonderlic Personnel Test, which is designed to assess general cognitive ability. Employers assume that people who cannot answer most questions correctly would not be good candidates for jobs that require general knowledge and reasoning skills. (b) The chart is from the Non-Verbal Reasoning Test. It assesses reasoning skills apart from the potentially confounding factor of skill with the English language.

Sources: Corsini (1958); Wonderlic (1998).