Arbel, PI Cognitive Assessment expert at JobTestPrep.
Have a question? Contact me at: ask_arbel@jobtestprep.com
What is the PI Cognitive Assessment
The Predictive Index cognitive assessment is a demanding 12-minute test that has 50 questions of several types: numerical, verbal, and abstract reasoning, assessing your cognitive ability. It is used to predict job candidates' ability to make decisions, learn, and adapt to different roles and situations.
What separates the PI cognitive assessment from other cognitive assessments is its high difficulty level, which stems from a combination of its tight 12 minute time limit and the complexity of the questions. To get a taste of the level of the questions and the time pressure, take Our Free PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Test, or keep scrolling to the sample question section.
Check out our video, where we'll go over PI cognitive assessment questions, features, and preparation tips:
Predictive Index also provides the PI behavioral assessment to help companies predict job performance in their hiring process, commonly given complementary to the PI cognitive assessment test.
Visit our PI Behavioral Assessment page to see how this challenging assessment is built, and how you can best prepare for it. If you are going to be taking both the PI Cognitive Assessment and the PI Behavioral Assessment, our PI Bundle Page is what you're looking for.
PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Questions
The PI Cognitive Assessment consists of multiple-choice questions that assess three types of cognitive abilities: numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and abstract reasoning. Set a timer to 14 seconds to simulate the 12 minute time limit of the real test, and try solving the following sample questions to get an idea of the PI Cognitive Assessment experience:
PI Cognitive Assessment Practice Questions - Numerical
Numerical reasoning questions require performing basic calculations in math problems such as number series and word problems. Since you are not allowed to use a calculator, we recommend using scrap paper over trying to calculate everything in your head.
1. What is the next number in the series?
3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 33 | __
The answer is 65.
The series in this question advances according to the pattern: *2 -1
whereby: :
1st term = 3 and then: preceding term*2-1
2nd term = 3*2-1 = 5
3rd term = 5*2-1 = 9
4th term = 9*2-1 = 17
5th term = 17*2-1 = 33
6th term = 33*2-1 = 65
Another way to look at the logic of this series is that the difference between two adjacent terms doubles as the series progresses:
2. Ann, Matt, and Zack are working for a cleaning company. Together, they can clean a house in 2 hours. If Ann does the job alone, she can finish it in 5 hours. If Matt does the job alone, he can finish it in 6 hours. How long will it take Ann and Zack together to complete the job?
PI Cognitive Assessment Practice Questions - Verbal
Verbal reasoning questions will test both your vocabulary and ability to analyze new information and draw conclusions. These include Word Analogies, Antonyms, and Formal Logic. The following sample question is a logical reasoning question, on which you'll be given several assumptions and be required to determine whether the conclusion is correct.
Read the facts and determine if they prove the conclusion or not:
FACTS: If Jason is late to the meeting, Kevin will have to work late. Lois will not cook dinner for Kevin unless Kevin gets home from work on time. If Lois does not cook dinner for Kevin, Kevin will order pizza for dinner. Lois cooked dinner for Kevin.
CONCLUSION: Jason was late to the meeting.
choose the correct statement:
PI Cognitive Assessment Practice Questions - Abstract reasoning
Abstract reasoning questions will examine your ability to mentally rotate images, spatial awareness and to analyze and identify visual patterns. These include Visual Series, Visual Analogies and Odd One Out questions. Try the following shape analogy example:
Choose the correct shape:
About Predictive Index
Predictive Index (or PI for short) is a leading psychometric assessment company from the United States which was founded over sixty years ago in 1955. Although Predictive Index began as a company that offers behavioral assessment tools (PI Behavioral Assessment), they have since grown and now also offer a leading cognitive assessment tool (PI Cognitive Assessment) as well as a tool used by organizations to internally analyze their positions and the attributes they’re looking for in applicants (Predictive Index Job Assessment).
These three assessments together mean that Predictive Index offer tools for comprehensive, in-depth analysis when it comes to a company’s HR needs, and it’s no surprise that these are used by some of the job market’s leading employers, including IBM, Canon, Nissan, and more.
The Predictive Index Test is as tough as it is respected, so being well prepared is crucial. Our test development team have learned the tests in and out to make sure that we can offer accurate and thorough Predictive Index prep which guarantees you get the score you need.
What Does the PI Cognitive Assessment Look Like?
The PI test is done online, and upon beginning the test you will be presented with the following screen:
The main challenge of PI cognitive assessment questions is answering both quickly and accurately to collect as many correct answers as you can in the 12 minutes time limit. So, practicing free questions is a great start, but in order to improve your solving speed timed cognitive ability tests are extremely important. You can find timed PI tests for each type of question, and full simulations, on our complete PI Test Preparation Pack.
Free PI Cognitive Assessment Resources
To get familiar with all the PI test question types, we recommend first trying to solve PI's official published sample questions. These 20 questions are a great starting point for your practice:
The Official predictive index Sample Questions (updated- 2022).
To get a feeling of the actual PI Cognitive Assessment, try our free PI practice test. it contains 12 questions, takes a few minutes, and contains feedback and full answers for every question:
Our Free PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Test
What Is a Good Score on The PI Cognitive Assessment?
PI Cognitive Assessment scores are calculated based on the number of questions you get right, and the relative percentile score- how many people (out of a large, similar pool of candidates) scored below you. The score you need to pass to the next stage of the hiring process depends on the position you’re applying for and on other candidates’ scores.
The average PI cognitive assessment score is 20/50 correct answers (that is 250 in terms of the scaled score). So, a score of 40/50 is considered a very high score- in fact, it is a higher score than ~98% of all test taker's scores. Getting a score higher than that would increase your chances of getting hired.
How to Prepare for the PI Cognitive Assessment?
- Practice the most relevant questions
Research has shown that cognitive ability test results improve greatly when practicing the required task in different variations, and the PI test is not exception.
Practicing questions that accurately resemble the PI cognitive assessment questions, such as those in our prep pack, will help you dramatically improve your score even with short practice.
- Personalize your PI cognitive assessment practice
To make the most out of your PI cognitive assessment practice, you should start by identifying your weaknesses and strengths. Then, conserve your energy by focusing your effort on the question types that are most difficult for you, in which you the highest potential to improve.
- Focus On Speed
The main challenge of the PI cognitive assessment is its TIME LIMIT.
Answering 50 questions in 12 minutes means you'll have approx. 14 seconds per question.
Practicing accurate PI cognitive assessment questions and answers will help improve your time management skills and allow you to solve questions more quickly, even when encountered for the first time. This is because you'll learn to quickly identify those details you need to solve in each type of question.
Why Practice with JobTestPrep?
Our Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment Practice Pack was created by experienced experts to accurately resemble the questions you’ll face on the PI Cognitive Assessment. It includes full simulations, as well as personalized feedback and targeted tests with detailed answers to help you improve your weaker subjects. This practice has helped hundreds of candidates get the score they need and pass the PI assessment, even with just a couple of days of practice.
5 Tips to Boost Your PI Cognitive Assessment Score
Use these tips to skyrocket your PI assessment test score:
- Take the test on your first language
You can choose the language in which you’ll take the test. Choose your first language, in which your verbal skills- reading speed and understanding, are the highest. - Don’t be afraid to guess
Answering questions wrong doesn’t cost you points; you can only gain points on this test. Therefore, even if you’re not sure, try and take your best guess. - Manage your time
As mentioned, time is the most important and challenging aspect of this test.
- Aspire to SEE all 50 questions to “collect” as many questions you’re confident about as possible within the time limit.
- As you go through questions, first answer those you’re most confident in.
- Don’t spend more than 25 seconds per question. If you feel stuck, take a guess and try to go back to the question later on.
- Answer ALL questions, even if you’re not sure of the answer. For questions you are not sure about, write down the question number so that you can go back to it later.
- Get familiar with the personality assessment
In many cases, candidates are given a supplementary personality test. If this is the case for you, read more about the behavioral test on our Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment page. - Reduce stress
The PI Cognitive Assessment time limit can make it quite stressful. There are a couple of important ways to deal with this stress:
- Get familiar with the test questions, that is by practicing sample questions and full PI Cognitive Assessment tests.
- If you’re taking the test online, make sure to find a comfortable environment in which you feel relaxed and undistracted.
- Before taking the real test, take a break from practicing for as much time as you need, so that you feel fresh before starting the test.
- When facing questions, make sure to fully read the instructions. If you feel overwhelmed at the beginning of the test, take a guess, and start with a simple question to boost your confidence.
FAQs
Getting a question wrong doesn’t cost you points, and in multiple choice tests you always have a good chance of guessing correctly. In other words, if you don't know the answer or don't have much time, go ahead and guess. It's a good way of getting a few more correct answers.
Most people DO NOT answer all 50 questions in 12 minutes. In fact, only 1% of the population answers more than 40 questions correctly in the allotted time.
You should aim to answer as many questions as you can. This means taking a guess even if you’re not sure of the answer, and especially when you feel like you’re stuck. You can always go back to earlier questions, so try to first move forward and solve questions you feel confident with.
The overall purpose of cognitive tests such as the PI test is to provide the employer with a broad holistic evaluation of the cognitive capacity of incoming job applicants.
The test aims to reveal how your brain functions in terms of attention, speed, memory, and visualization.
These skills are necessary to ensure that you are capable of handling certain roles and their complexities, and that you are able to solve problems.
The PI Cognitive Ability Test isn't considered much more difficult than other cognitive tests.
However, cognitive ability tests are designed to be challenging, and the PI Cognitive Assessment is no exception.
The challenge lies in the test's format, which requires you to answer a large number of questions in a very short time span.
The challenge is staying calm and in the right mindset and not sacrificing accuracy for speed (i.e., answering quickly but incorrectly).
We have helped tens of thousands of job seekers before you to prepare for this type of test, and we can help you too!
Even though the PI Cognitive Assessment shares some common features with IQ tests, it does not examine your IQ level.
Its purpose is to check your adaptability and assess your ability to handle complex problems deemed necessary for certain jobs.
The test measures your ability to do the following:
- Understand complex ideas
- Solve problems
- Adapt effectively to a new environment
- Learn from experience
- Reason
- Overcome obstacles
The PI Cognitive Assessment is backed by science and meets the standards of both the APA (American Psychological Association) and the SIOP (Society of Industrial & Organizational Psychology).
You will most likely receive an email with a link to a PI Learning Indicator online testing platform containing instructions for your specific test.
Some employers choose to conduct the test in a controlled environment at their offices or at a testing center. If you have to take the test at a testing center, you'll be notified and given a date and location.
Yes you can, and you should. After all, your future employment depends on it.
The test provider, Predictive Index, discusses the benefits of preparation on its website:
"Experience shows that if someone is used to these types of assessments, he or she will be able to get consistently closer to his or her ‘capacity’ or maximum score.
In other words, it is actually ideal when an assessment taker is trained or familiar with the PI item types, as it gives the company the best possible insight into the candidate’s true potential."
You can reach your full capacity within just a few days by preparing with our specially tailored PI test simulations and practice drills.
This way, by the time you take the test you'll be very familiar with the questions and format.
Related PI Cognitive Assessment Test Pages
There is a huge variety of cognitive ability tests used in the hiring process of the job market's leading employers. the PI Cognitive Assessment for example is often used by Maersk to select candidates and predict their job performance. Other similar pre-employment cognitive ability tests are the CCAT test, the Wonderlic test, and Saville.
Looking for comprehensive practice questions and answers in one place? get our full preparation pack and start practicing for your upcoming PI Cognitive Assessment, with 843+ more practice questions, full PI assessment simulations, answers, and solving tips.
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