PI Test Scores: The Full Guide [2024]

The PI cognitive assessment is comprised of fifty numerical, verbal, and abstract reasoning questions that measure cognitive ability and your ability to solve problems. Your PI score depends on how many of these questions you can answer correctly in 12 minutes, and the number of answers you get right, 20/50 for example, is referred to as your raw score.

Your raw PI score is then compared to the scores of over 288,000 previous test takers who compose what's known as the norm group, or reference group. The Predictive Index cognitive assessment scoring is based on comparing your raw score with the scores of the norm group - providing your scaled score. The scaled score ranges from 100 to 450, and represents where your raw score ranks in percentile compared to the PI scores of the norm group.

The reason scaled scores are used in Predictive Index cognitive assessment scoring is that raw scores can't always be compared fairly between test takers, for instance a person with extended time won't gain an unfair advantage over someone who takes the fast-paced 12-minute version. 

Another important aspect of Predictive Index cognitive assessment scoring is that unlike many cognitive ability tests, the scoring is criterion-based, not normative. This means that PI test scores are compared to preset criteria or minimum score required for a specific position, as opposed to comparing one candidate's score to the next one's. 

The average score was calculated based on the scores of the norm group, and taking into account approximately 288,000 scores, the average PI score (raw) is just under 20 correct answers. In scale score, this translates to 250 out of 450 (the lowest score being 100). To put this into perspective, getting forty answers right gives you a 98th percentile score!

As a personality test, the PI results for the behavioral assessment have a fundamentally different meaning and theory behind them. In the PI behavioral assessment, you must select adjectives from a list of 86 words and create two lists - one that describes how you perceive your behavior, and another that describes how you perceive what the expected behavior is at work. Through the words you select, as well as other factors such as the number of words and the ratio between the two lists, your PI behavioral assessment results are calculated.

Similarly to the PI cognitive assessment results, a norm group is used in order to calculate the results. In this case, the norm group is made of approximately 10,000 respondents representing over 126 countries around the world in order to avoid cultural bias. Each of the PI test results is calculated according to its relative score in four factors representing related personality traits: dominance, extraversion, patience, and formality.

Then, a hierarchy, or ranking, is created between the four factors that determine your profile type.

Below is an example of how a different hierarchy between the four factors, creates 2 distinct personality profiles.

The left profile describes people who naturally take charge and 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 self-disciplined and proper way. 

PI behavioral scores are grouped into 17 different types of personality profiles, each with its own work style, social attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. Read more about them in our PI Personality Types guide!

Although both tests we reviewed on this page are fundamentally different, no matter which Predictive Index test you are taking there is one golden rule - preparation. 

Behavioral assessments, for instance, have most people believing that there are no wrong answers, but this is a misconception. The truth is, the right answers are simply more difficult to understand. In this PI test, the scores represent soft skills, and the trick to passing them is understanding the theory behind the test, and how your answers reflect your personality. Visit our free PI test practice to find out what we mean!

In cognitive ability tests, such as the PLI test, the scoring is more straightforward - answer as many questions correctly to get a high raw score that translates into a high scale score. Easier said than done! To stand out above the competition, you need to learn how to work both quickly and accurately while having a deep understanding of each question type. 

Headed toward a managerial position? Learn everything you need with our Leadership Assessment Test guide.