Predictive Index - Behavioral Test Preparation

The Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment is a short personality test which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. In the test, you must create two lists of personality characteristics from a list of 86: one list for expected behavior, and one for your perceived actual behavior, or self concept.

The number and type of personality traits you choose, as well as the comparison between the two lists, reflect how well you interact with people, process information, and deal with structure - ultimately indicating whether or not you are a good fit for the job.  

The PI behavioral assessment is untimed, and you are not evaluated on the time it takes you to answer. However, it is pretty short relative to other personality tests, and will probably take you about 10-15 minutes to complete. The purpose is to help you answer quickly and spontaneously, as it is assumed that spontaneous reactions better reflect your true behavior.

Watch 3 simple steps to answer and pass the Predictive Index behavioral assessment:

In the first step of the PI Behavioral Assessment, you will see a list with 86 personality traits or adjectives and be asked to choose the qualities you think other people expect you to demonstrate. This represents your perception of the way you think you are supposed to act, for example how self confident or self disciplined you should be.

In the second step, you will see the same list, but this time you will be asked to mark the words that describe your actual behavior. This represents your self concept, who you feel you are in almost any situation. We’ll get into it in depth later on.

Want to try PI behavioral assessment sample questions that will give you a taste of what the test is all about? Go to our Free PI Behavioral Assessment page to practice. 

The PI Behavioral Assessment is frequently given together with the PI Cognitive Test. You can also access our Predictive Index Test Bundle that offers prep for both PI Tests.

On the PI Behavioral Assessment, employers are looking to assess your personality type, which is structured according to 4 primary characteristics: 

Personality theories that list the most fundamental traits in a limited number of domains are called "Trait Theories" in psychology. Each trait theory uses a statistical method known as factor analysis to arrive at a concise list of core traits.

Other tests that use this method include the SHL OPQ, MMPI, and 16 Personalities test.

For example, what is the ideal score in the extroversion for a management role? What is the appropriate score in patience for a technological position? What is considered a good score in dominance for a junior management position? Or, whether the score in formality for an administrative position should be higher than the extroversion’s score.

The PI behavioral assessment PrepPack™ focuses on teaching you the answers to these questions.

Each one of the adjectives in the Predictive Index behavioral assessment that you will choose falls into one of the four characteristics we reviewed earlier. Understanding this breakdown and being able to classify most of the adjectives is a vital step in passing the test.

You will also need to analyze the job description and discern which characteristics are the most desirable for the role and which ones are the least. It sounds a bit complex, but in the PI behavioral assessment PrepPack™ you will get a detailed guide that will teach you how to do just that.

Then, you will classify each adjective on the list and see if it matches the profile you built, helping you will understand which adjectives to choose that suit your job. What matters the most is the group that the adjective belongs to rather than the adjective itself.

Let’s practice a sales position example together:

It might look simple when only 6 qualities are presented. But things will get complicated when analyzing 86 qualities without practicing or thinking about them in advance. It gets even harder when you need to fill out 2 questionnaires with different instructions.

This is exactly the purpose of the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment PrepPack™, which sheds light on the test and make it simpler - helping you pass it successfully.

Now, let's do a mental exercise and think about how to answer the test for a clerk position:

Unlike a sales position, a clerical position demands higher levels of formality and patience and lower levels of dominance and extraversion. To build the ideal profile for this role, you should mark words such as conscientious, loyal, and tolerant while leaving out words such as brave, persuasive, and daring.

If you would like to try out some PI behavioral assessment sample questions that will demonstrate what the test is all about, go to our PI behavioral assessment questions page.

The Predictive Index reference profiles are workplace personality types that are based on the results of the PI behavioural assessment. Each reference profile describes the test takers based on the balance of the four factors that appears through their results, and helps the employer gain valuable insight into the workstyle preferences, social interaction, and personality traits - creating a better hiring process. 

Learn more about each PI reference profile and how you can use them to improve your chances of passing the PI behavioural assessment, on our Predictive Index Personality Types Page.

When the PI behavioral assessment is scored, each adjective chosen contributes a 'point' to its related characteristic.

Three profiles are generated. The first is based on your answers on the first list. It represents the way you think you are expected to behave in the workplace. The second is based on the second list and represents your self concept, or how you believe you act most of the time.

Both lists have equal importance in your score. Combining them together, by summing the points of each characteristic, creates your full profile, that predicts your actual performance at work.

Then, a hierarchy, or ranking, is created between the characteristics that determine your profile typecast.

You can see here an example of how a different hierarchy between the characteristics, creates 2 distinct personality profiles.

The left profile describes people who naturally take charge, lead, but sometimes can move too fast for others. They are very proactive and see risk as an opportunity.

The profile on the right describes a person who easily accepts other’s decisions and focuses on getting things done in a proper way. 

Learn more on our  Predictive Index Scores page!

For the Predictive Index, in order to control your score and prove your suitability, you must recognize which characteristic each adjective belongs to, with respect to the specific job you are applying for.

Also, there are no absolute high and low scores, and for each role and employer, the "passing profile types" change, as the requirements and values of the company are different.

Your full profile gives the employer insights into whether there is a match between the perception of how you are expected to be in the environment and your self concept.

Our guide will teach you how to avoid a situation where the two profiles are incongruent. If they aren’t aligned, it will be interpreted as you being ambivalent, which could make things tough for you.

Below are some free resources for common personality assessments:

Free Caliper Test

Free Hogan Test Sample

Free Korn Ferry Assessment Questions