How the Wonderlic motivation assessment works
Each of the 58 questions shows three short descriptions of common work activities. You choose the one you would most like to do as part of your job, then your favourite of the two that are left. The activities are not tied to the job you applied for; they cover a wide range so that your preferences show through. It is untimed and takes about 20 minutes.
Your answers are scored on six characteristics from the RIASEC model: Practical (hands-on, physically demanding work), Investigative (analytical and scientific work), Artistic (imaginative, creative work), Supportive (teaching, caring for and serving others), Enterprising (persuading, revenue and the bottom line) and Traditional (structured, repeatable, predictable work).
The six are ranked and matched against the profile for the job. Wonderlic’s own example: an analytical operations manager role in a structured setting might weight practical, traditional and investigative interests, while a music teacher role might favour artistic, enterprising and supportive ones.
How to choose in each set
Every answer is a preference, so the only way to get it wrong is to stop answering for yourself:
- Picture a working day spent on each activity and pick the one you would enjoy most.
- Ignore whether you have the training for it or what it might pay. Wonderlic’s instructions say to think only about how much you would like or dislike doing it.
- When you would happily do all three, or none, still choose. Ask which you would rather spend tomorrow afternoon on.
- Make the second pick just as quickly. It decides which of the other two activities comes last.
Worked example
A set offers: A, service a delivery van’s brakes; B, analyse the results of a customer survey; C, run a training day for new staff. These lean practical, investigative and supportive respectively.
If you pick B first and then C, you have ranked investigative work above supportive work, and both above practical work, for this set. Across all 58 sets, those choices add up to the ranking of your six interests that the employer sees.
Tips for the real motivation assessment
- Answer for yourself, not for the job advert. The activities are deliberately not about the role.
- Go with your first reaction. There are no right or wrong answers here.
- Allow about 20 minutes and do it in one block, somewhere quiet.
- Be ready to talk at interview about the kind of work that keeps you interested.
Practise the Wonderlic motivation assessment on CogniPrep
Our practice has 58 sets of three work activities written to the same six interest types, each type appearing 29 times. You pick only your favourite in each set; the real test also asks for your favourite of the other two. We add a 20-minute clock, where Wonderlic’s is untimed, and there is no Back button. You get a ranking of the six interests, with your top three as a code, rather than a score.