Every spring, draft hopefuls head to Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, a… Every spring, draft hopefuls head to Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, a week-long examination that puts each prospect through a battery of jumping, running and cone-weaving.

The overlooked event in this football-free test of football skill, though, is the Wonderlic Personnel Test.

The nationwide Wonderlic assesses the aptitude of its subject through a 50-question, 12-minute exam. Subjects receive one point per question, and a perfect score is 50.

The test pops up in the news every year, usually in the headline, “Quarterback X scores in single-digits on Wonderlic.”

I used to wonder how Vince Young could allegedly score a six, or how Marcus Vick — remember him? — could score an 11.

Keep in mind that a score of 20 translates to an IQ of 100. The average chemist scores a 31. The average journalist — and the average offensive lineman — scores a 26. Security guards and wide receivers average a 17.

I recently found out how.

While going about my daily Googling of what Conor Lee is up to, I stumbled upon some Wonderlic sample questions. They are tricky.

One question: “Assume the first two statements are true. Is the final one true, false or uncertain? All the players on the Pirates wear black socks. Johnny plays for the Pirates. Johnny wears black socks.”

Well, of course the answer is true — until you apply the question to the sports world.

If Johnny is any good, chances are the Pirates will trade him to a team that wears blue or red socks. So I could see why a pensive Young would answer “uncertain.”

Whether you need a semiproductive break from cramming for the MCAT, PCAT or LSAT or you’re just bored over Thanksgiving break, take 12 minutes and subject yourself to the Wonderlic.

Sit down next to Grandma and Uncle Barry and make it a party. It beats canned cranberry sauce and the Detroit Lions, too.

Before you dive in, though, be wary of the Wonderlic’s tricks.

Take it from a guy who scored only slightly lower than Donovan McNabb’s 13 on his Wonderlic and follow my Official Wonderlic Review Guide. (Warning: The Official Wonderlic Review Guide is neither official nor accurate.)

“Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. How much do four pads cost?”

Problem strategy: You might be tempted to write down 84 cents as the answer. If you forgot your multiplication table, you might even be tempted to write down 82 cents.

But both are wrong.

Paper will quickly opt for free agency and cost more than four dollars and, like Scott Gomez, will still be worth only about one-quarter of what it makes.

“Randolph has eight ties, six pairs of pants and four dress shirts. How many days could he possibly go without wearing the same combination of these three items?”

Problem strategy: This problem gives you a reason to watch the Memphis Grizzlies, or at least the postgame press conferences. Keep careful track of what Zach Randolph wears.

If you run out of time, do not go back and change your answer. This will result in an invalidation of your score.

“Arnold is about to go on a 500-mile car trip. His mechanic recommends that he buy a special highway engine oil that will save him 50 cents in gas for every 25 miles of the trip. This new oil, however, will cost $20. Is it worthwhile for Arnold to buy the oil if he has a coupon for $4 off the price?”

Problem strategy: It all depends if Arnold’s crew chief wants to play the race conservatively or go for the win and move up in the Sprint Cup standings. Ask yourself, “Is Arnold in the top 12 for points?”

“A basketball player averaged 20 points per game over the course of six games. His scores in five of those games were 23, 18, 16, 24 and 27. How many points did he score in the sixth game?”

Problem strategy: Instead of solving the formula (108 + x)/6 = 20, take the shorter route of finding out who the player is.

This should be on your equation sheet. If the player is J.J. Reddick, he’s due for a letdown game.

“Look at the row of numbers below. What number should come next? 8 – 4 – 2 – 1 – ½ – ¼ – x.”

Problem strategy: Think of this problem not in algebraic terms but in terms of how to circumvent the NHL’s salary cap properly.

Marian Hossa signed for nearly $8 million this season, but he will receive just $750,000 in the final year of his contract. Follow this pattern for these kinds of problems.

Hopefully, these words of sporting wisdom will help you when you sit down and take the Wonderlic.

Even if you bomb it, remember that everybody fails, but only the strong rise up and become English majors.