Predictive Index Test: What's on the PI Assessments and How to Prepare

The Predictive Index test is really two assessments. The PI Behavioral Assessment is an untimed adjective checklist that takes about six minutes, with no right or wrong answers. The PI Cognitive Assessment gives you 12 minutes to answer as many of 50 verbal, numerical and abstract questions as you can. Neither one is pass or fail, PI says.

Below, we cover each part, scoring, what employers see and how to prepare. We aren't connected to The Predictive Index. We make a different free test, the Career Potential Test (CPT), and near the end we explain where it can help.

Key takeaways

• The PI test has two parts: the Behavioral Assessment (untimed, about 6 minutes) and the Cognitive Assessment (50 questions in 12 minutes).
• There's no passing score. Employers compare your results with targets they set for the job.
• Don't try to game the behavioral part. PI's own advice is to not overthink it and be yourself.
• For the cognitive part, PI encourages practice tests. PI says the average scaled score, 250, equals 20 correct out of 50.
• PI encourages employers to share behavioral results with you but discourages sharing cognitive scores.

What's on this page

• What the Predictive Index test is
• The PI Behavioral Assessment
• The PI Cognitive Assessment
• Behavioral vs cognitive table
• How PI scores work
• How to prepare
• Test-day tips
• What employers see
• Where the Career Potential Test fits
• FAQ

What Is the Predictive Index Test?

The Predictive Index test is a pair of hiring assessments from The Predictive Index (PI), a company that sells assessments and hiring software to employers. If you got a PI invite, the employer uses PI somewhere in its hiring process.

PI avoids the word "test." Its explainer on how the PI test works says "the word test implies you can pass or fail," and that's not how its assessments work. Most candidates still say "PI test," so we use both terms.

The behavioral part looks at your work style. The cognitive part looks at how quickly you learn and solve problems. PI's help docs cover sending each one separately, so you might get one or both. Invites expire after a number of days the employer sets, so don't sit on one.

The PI Behavioral Assessment: What's on It

The Behavioral Assessment is an untimed checklist of adjectives. PI says it takes an average of 6 minutes, and there are no right or wrong answers.

The two adjective lists

You answer two questions, each with a list of adjectives. According to PI's introduction to the assessment, you first pick the words you feel describe how others expect you to act. Then you pick the words you feel really describe you.

PI's help docs say each list has 86 adjectives. You must check at least 6 and no more than 79 per list.

The four factors

PI's Behavioral Assessment page says it measures four drives:

• Dominance: your drive to influence people or events.
• Extraversion: your drive for social interaction with others.
• Patience: your drive for consistency and stability.
• Formality: your drive to follow rules and structure.

Reference Profiles

Your answers produce a behavioral pattern, and PI assigns you one of 17 Reference Profiles, such as the Analyzer, the Captain or the Scholar. PI says the scores show differences "within people rather than between people," so your pattern isn't a ranking against other candidates.

The PI Cognitive Assessment: What's on It

The Predictive Index cognitive assessment is 50 multiple-choice questions in 12 minutes. That's under 15 seconds a question. PI says the average raw score is 20, so don't panic if you don't finish.

The three question types

PI's Cognitive Assessment page lists three areas, and PI's help docs say employers can view a subscore for each:

• Verbal reasoning: understanding and analyzing written information.
• Numerical reasoning: working with numbers, reading data and solving math problems quickly.
• Abstract reasoning: spotting patterns and solving new problems with logic.

How the test is built

• A unique set of questions. PI pulls from a larger question pool, so each candidate gets a different set.
• Anti-cheating features. PI says the test blurs the screen and blocks copy-paste if you leave the test window.
• Extended time. For accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, PI offers 18-minute and 24-minute versions.

Can you use a calculator or scratch paper?

PI's accommodations page doesn't mention calculators. It says "there are no restrictions" on extra tools and names scratch paper as one you're welcome to use. Ask the employer if you're unsure, and practice mental math anyway.

PI Behavioral vs Cognitive Assessment: Side-by-Side

The behavioral part is untimed with no wrong answers. The cognitive part is a fast, scored test.

How Predictive Index Scores Work

There's no passing score on either part. PI's article on PI scores says "neither the behavioral nor the cognitive assessment is a 'test' that you pass or fail." Employers compare you with targets they set for the job instead.

Behavioral results: the hiring team builds a behavioral target for the role. PI's hiring software page says teams can use a benchmark library, stakeholder input or data from current top performers.

Cognitive results: PI makes four points.

• Only correct answers count. Scores are "solely based on the number of questions the participant answers correctly." The number you attempt doesn't matter, so a wrong answer costs you only time.
• The scale runs from 100 to 450. The average scaled score is 250, which equals a raw score of 20.
• Each job has its own target. PI tells employers not to use one baseline target for every job.
• It's one data point. PI's docs on cognitive targets say it "should not be weighed more or less heavily than other criteria."

How to Prepare for the Predictive Index Test

Prepare differently for each part. For the behavioral part, don't try to game it. For the cognitive part, timed practice gets you used to the pace.

Preparing for the Behavioral Assessment

1. Read both instructions slowly. One list is how others expect you to act. The other is how you really are.
2. Go with your honest first reaction. PI's post on faking personality tests says the best advice is "to not overthink it and be yourself."
3. Don't pick words you think the employer wants. A PI support article says faking takes the right combination of words, not just the right words, and that PI periodically removes adjectives that are clearly socially desirable or undesirable.
4. Remember who honesty protects. PI calls landing a job with faked results "nothing short of self-sabotage," since you might have to keep up the act indefinitely.

Preparing for the Cognitive Assessment

1. Do PI's free sample questions under a timer. PI says its sample questions help you learn the format, including timed conditions. You'll see what you missed, but no score, and PI says sample results are "not a valid indicator" of how you'll do.
2. Drill quick mental math. Percentages, fractions, ratios and short word problems.
3. Practice pattern puzzles. Try number, letter and shape series.
4. Set a pacing rule. If a question isn't clicking after about 20 seconds, guess and move on. Only correct answers count.

PI says the test doesn't require preparation, but its blog also encourages practice tests. You can't study the content, but you can get used to the clock.

Try a few practice-style questions

These are our own questions, not PI questions. Give yourself about 15 seconds each.

• Verbal: Which word is the opposite of "scarce"? (a) rare (b) plentiful (c) costly (d) hidden. Answer: (b).
• Numerical: A $40 shirt is 25% off. What's the sale price? Answer: $30.
• Pattern: What comes next: 3, 6, 12, 24, ? Answer: 48. Each number doubles.

Test-Day Tips for the PI Assessments

Set things up so nothing breaks your focus during the 12-minute cognitive part.

1. Find your invite early. PI's docs suggest candidates safelist PI's email address so invites don't land in spam.
2. Pick a quiet spot. PI says the cognitive part "should have your full concentration." Silence your phone and close other tabs.
3. Choose your device. PI says its assessments work on computers, tablets and phones. We'd use a computer for the cognitive part, since a bigger screen is easier to scan.
4. Keep scratch paper and a pencil nearby.
5. Stay in the test window. PI says leaving it blurs the screen.
6. Ask about accommodations first. If you need extra time, tell the employer before you start.

What Employers See on the Predictive Index, and What You Can Ask

Employers see your behavioral and cognitive results next to the targets they set for the job. You'll often see less.

PI says its software "automatically scores each candidate's behavioral and cognitive alignment with the role." Its Interview Builder also suggests interview questions based on where your pattern matches the target and where it doesn't. So expect questions where you differ from the target, and have a real example ready.

PI's cognitive assessment FAQ says the score is "not intended as the sole determining factor" in hiring. Your resume and interviews still count.

Questions you can ask the employer

• "Can I get a copy of my Behavioral Report?" PI encourages sharing behavioral results, and employers can send you a copy.
• "Is a retake possible on the cognitive part?" The default is one attempt. Employers can allow up to 3 in total, and PI tells them to consider only your highest score.

Don't expect your exact cognitive score. PI recommends keeping cognitive scores confidential and talking about job fit instead.

Where the Career Potential Test Fits

The Career Potential Test isn't the Predictive Index test and won't replace it. If an employer sent you a PI invite, take the PI. The CPT tests some overlapping reasoning skills and gives you a score you can share.

We make the CPT, and it's free. It has 55 questions on critical thinking, reading, writing and math, with up to one hour to finish. You see your percentile and section breakdown right after you submit, and retakes are free. See how the Career Potential Test works for more.

• Overlap: both test reading, math and problem solving under a time limit.
• Pace: the CPT averages a little over a minute per question. The PI gives you under 15 seconds, so use PI's sample questions for speed.
• Content: the CPT has a writing section, no abstract section and no behavioral part.

Some employers may accept a CPT score as an optional qualification, sometimes in place of a degree or experience. That's a "may," not a promise. The CPT is new, and we haven't published validation studies. For research on cognitive tests in general, read can aptitude tests predict job performance? Facing other hiring tests? See how the Wonderlic and CCAT compare or what sales aptitude tests cover.

Our recommendation: Do PI's sample questions under a timer, and answer the behavioral part honestly. For a score you can share, take the free Career Potential Test, find your weakest section and work on it. Then add your percentile to your resume or LinkedIn if it helps. Here's how to use the Career Potential Test to get noticed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you fail the Predictive Index test?
Not in the usual sense. PI says neither part is pass or fail. But employers compare your results with job targets, so a poor match can affect whether you move forward.

How long does the Predictive Index test take?
The Behavioral Assessment is untimed and takes about 6 minutes on average. The Cognitive Assessment takes 12 minutes, or 18 or 24 with an accommodation. We'd set aside 30 minutes for both.

Is there a Predictive Index practice test?
For the cognitive part, yes. PI offers free sample questions that show which answers you got right, without a score. The behavioral part has no right answers, so there's nothing to practice.

What is a good score on the PI cognitive assessment?
PI says the average scaled score is 250, which equals 20 correct answers out of 50. A "good" score depends on the target the employer set for that job.

Do you get to see your Predictive Index results?
Sometimes. Employers can send you a copy of your Behavioral Report, and PI encourages it. PI discourages sharing cognitive scores, so you probably won't see that number.

Sources

• PI: How does The Predictive Index test work?
• PI: Behavioral Assessment
• PI: Cognitive Assessment
• PI docs: What is the PI Behavioral Assessment?
• PI: Introduction to the Behavioral Assessment
• PI: Introduction to the Cognitive Assessment
• PI: Cognitive Assessment sample questions
• PI: Assessment accommodations
• PI: Understanding the Predictive Index score
• PI: Common questions on faking assessments
• PI: Should organizations be concerned with faking?
• PI docs: Multiple Cognitive Assessment attempts
• PI docs: Sending the Behavioral Assessment
• PI docs: Sending the Cognitive Assessment
• PI docs: Setting a Cognitive Target
• PI docs: Using the Interview Builder
• PI: Hiring software
• PI: Multiple Behavioral Assessments
• PI: Cognitive Assessment FAQs
• PI docs: How to use the Cognitive Assessment
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test
• CourseCareers: CPT for employers