Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in the NFL. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football.
The Passer Rating is calculated from four components using each quarterback’s (1) completion percentage, (2) passing yardage, (3) touchdowns and (4) interceptions . The NFL’s current “passer rating” or “quarterback rating” system (the former term being the official one) was conceived by Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Don Smith in 1973. The rating was applied retroactively to all previous seasons. The system is of a sliding-scale design, where outstanding performances meet diminishing returns faster than sub-par ones. The best passer rating that a quarterback can obtain under it is 158.3 (technically 158.333→), while the worst is zero. Conceptually, the average rating would be 79.2 (technically 79.166→), since this is equidistant between zero and 158.3, but the architects of the rating had 66.66→ in mind as the “average” score (100 * [1.00*4]/6).

Cumulative League-wide Average
The cumulative league-wide average passer rating for the years 2000 through 2003, all inclusive, was 78.9 (the figure is typically rounded to the nearest 1/10 of a point); however in 2004 the league average was 82.8, the highest ever recorded. This may be due, at least in part, to stricter rules regarding pass interference.

Details on Components and Formulae

C = Completion Percentage

((Completions/Attempts) x 100 – 30)/20

Y = Passing Yardage or Yards per Attempts

(Yards/Attempts) – 3) x .25

T = Touchdowns per Attempts

(Touchdowns/Attempts) x 20

I = Interceptions per Attempt

2.375 – (Interceptions/Attempts) x 25

The four components are combined in the following formula:

((C + Y + T + I) / 6) x 100

See also FitnessMath.com NFL Quarterback Passer Rating

The Wonderlic Personnel Test is a 12-minute test of cognitive ability, or general intelligence, which has been taken by more than 125 million people since 1937. Wonderlic serves thousands of clients, including the NFL Combine, which has used the Wonderlic Personnel Test for more than 30 years as part of its draft selection process. Wonderlic tests are referenced in hundreds of books on psychology and have been featured on Dateline, CNBC, Lifetime, CNNfn, and 20/20. More than 130 million people have taken Wonderlic assessments.

The score is calculated as the number of correct answers given in the allotted time. A score of 20 is intended to indicate average intelligence (corresponding to an intelligence quotient of 100; a rough conversion is accomplished via the following formula: IQ = 2WPT + 60).

Scores for NFL Player Positions
The following average scores correspond to examples from Paul Zimmerman’s The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football. According to Zimmerman, examples of average scores include for each position correspond to the following examples:

Offensive Tackle ….. 26
Center …………… 25
Quarterback ………. 24
Guard ……………. 23
Tight End ………… 22
Safety …………… 19
Linebacker ……….. 19
Cornerback ……….. 18
Wide receiver …….. 17
Fullback …………. 17
Halfback …………. 16

Scores for Occupations
While an average football player usually scores around 20 points, Wonderlic, Inc claims a score of at least 10 points suggests a person is literate [2]. Furthermore, when the test was given to miscellaneous people of various professions, it was observed that the average participant scored a 24. Examples of scores from everyday professions included,

Chemist ………….. 31
Programmer ……….. 29
Newswriter ……….. 26
Sales ……………. 24
Bank teller ………. 22
Clerical Worker …… 21
Security Guard ……. 17
Warehouse ………… 15

Perfect Score Equals 50
Harvard graduate and Cincinatti Bengals Punter Pat McInally is the only NFL player confirmed to score a perfect 50.

The Wonderlic Employment Test and other products and services are administered by …

Wonderlic, Inc.
1795 N. Butterfield Rd
Suite 200
Libertyville, IL 60048  •  800.323.374

Website: wonderlic.com