Predictive Index Cognitive Practice Test

What the real test usually looks like

The Predictive Index publishes the format of its Cognitive Assessment (PI):

• 50 multiple choice questions in 12 minutes, about 14 seconds each, taken online.
• Three kinds of question: verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, mixed together.
• A different set for each candidate. PI says the 50 questions are drawn from a larger pool, so no one gets exactly the same assessment twice (PI support).
• Most people do not finish, by design. PI's administrator guide says the timing introduces a speed factor and that most respondents will not be able to answer all 50 questions in 12 minutes (administrator's guide).
• No calculator. The same guide says PI's instructions prohibit calculators. Other aids such as scratch paper are up to the employer, who should tell you in advance.
• Longer versions for candidates with approved accommodations: 18 minutes (time and a half) and 24 minutes (double time), scored on the same scale (PI accommodations).

What it measures. PI says the test does not measure IQ or knowledge you already have; it indicates how fast you can be expected to pick up new knowledge. PI also says the assessment can be proctored or unproctored, and that it blurs the screen and blocks copy and paste if you navigate away during the test.

Sample questions. PI offers sample questions that cover the same content and style as the real item pool, but only through the employer's invitation if the employer chose to include them. You will not get a score, but you will see which ones you got right (PI sample questions). If your invitation includes them, do them.

Question types with worked examples

The PI Cognitive Assessment mixes three families of question. These original examples cover the common types in each, with the method and the trap.

Syllogism (verbal). "All managers attend training. Some engineers are managers. Do some engineers attend training?" Yes: the engineers who are managers attend training. The trap is concluding that all engineers attend; the statements only cover the ones who are managers.

Opposites (verbal). "Which word is most nearly the opposite of EXPAND?" Contract. The trap is "extend", which is close to the same meaning. When a question asks for an opposite, cross out any option that means roughly the same thing first.

Number series (numerical). "2, 6, 18, 54, ..." Each number is multiplied by 3, so the next is 162. Test the simplest rule first: add, subtract, multiply, divide, then alternate.

Proportion word problem (numerical). "If 4 notebooks cost $6, how much do 10 cost?" One notebook costs $1.50, so 10 cost $15. The trap is adding instead of scaling: 10 is 6 more than 4, but the answer is not $12.

Quick percentage (numerical). "What is 35% of 80?" 10% is 8, so 30% is 24 and 5% is 4: 28. Building from 10% and 5% is faster than multiplying by 0.35.

Letter pattern (abstract). "Which comes next: AZ, BY, CX, ...?" The first letters go forward (A, B, C) and the second letters go back (Z, Y, X), so DW. Split the pattern into its parts and solve each one on its own.

Odd one out (abstract). "Square, rectangle, rhombus, triangle, parallelogram: which does not belong?" Triangle: it is the only one with three sides. The trap is hunting for a subtle feature when a simple count settles it. Try the obvious rule first.

How to prepare

1. Practice at full speed. 12 minutes is 720 seconds, and 720 / 50 = 14.4 seconds a question. At that pace you would be near question 21 after 5 minutes. Use the free sample above with its timer, then full mocks.
2. Answer, do not stall. PI's administrator guide says incorrect answers do not count against your score, and the score rises with each correct answer. So a stuck question is best answered with your best guess and left behind.
3. Do not worry about how many you attempt. PI says the number of questions attempted is irrelevant to interpreting the score. What counts is how many you get right.
4. Warm up your mental math. Fractions, percentages and simple series come up throughout, and calculators are not allowed. Our number series guide and percentage questions guide cover the fastest methods.
5. Learn the common abstract patterns. Rotation, adding or removing a part, alternating shading and counting sides cover most shape questions. Our abstract reasoning test has more.
6. Ask what aids are allowed. PI leaves aids such as scratch paper to the employer. If the invitation does not say, ask before you start.
7. Ask about extra time if you need it. PI offers 18-minute and 24-minute versions. PI says it is mainly up to the candidate to tell the employer, and that the process varies by company and country.

How scoring usually works

PI turns your answers into one number. Your raw score is the number of questions you got right, and PI converts it to a scaled score (PI support). PI's administrator guide explains the rest (guide):

• Scaled score: from 100 to 450, in 10-point steps, with a global average of 250. The scale is the same whatever version or time limit you took.
• Percentile: the report also shows where your score falls compared with the working population, but PI says this is for context.
• Target score: the number that matters. Each employer sets a target for the role based on its demands, and compares your scaled score with it. PI's scoring page gives a job with a target of 270 as an example and says a job's norm may differ from the population norm.
• No section scores for decisions. PI says the verbal, numerical and abstract subscores are not reliable enough for hiring decisions, so do not worry if one area feels weaker.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you got right. It is not a PI score, and it cannot be converted to the 100 to 450 scale.

Retakes and what the employer decides

PI leaves most policies to the employer. Its administrator guide says (guide):

• Retakes are the employer's choice. If allowed, PI says no one should take the assessment more than three times, you get a different set of questions each time, and the decision should use your highest score.
• A retest may be fair after a technical problem, such as an internet disconnection. Tell the employer straight away if that happens.
• Whether you see your score is the employer's policy. PI says employers should tell candidates in advance if they will not see it.
• The score is one data point. PI says someone may still be hired with a lower score, because the employer also looks at the rest of your application.

If you are unsure about any of this, it is fine to ask the recruiter before you start.

Common mistakes on PI-style tests

• Treating 50 questions as a target. Most people do not finish. Rushing the last questions to reach the end trades accuracy for nothing.
• Leaving questions blank while the clock runs. Wrong answers do not count against you, so a reasoned guess is better than sitting on a question.
• Reaching for a calculator. PI's instructions prohibit them. Practice mental math from the start.
• Reading too much into a letter or shape pattern. Most abstract questions follow one or two simple rules. If your rule needs three steps, look again.
• Assuming a syllogism says more than it does. "Some" means at least one, not all. Answer only what the statements guarantee.
• Starting in a noisy place. Twelve minutes is short; one interruption can cost ten questions.

A one-week study plan

About 30 minutes a day. If your test is in two or three days, do days 1, 5 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above with the timer on. If your invitation includes PI's own sample questions, do those too.
• Day 2: Numerical: percentages, fractions and proportions without a calculator, with the percentage questions guide.
• Day 3: Number and letter series with the number series guide.
• Day 4: Verbal: syllogisms with the syllogisms guide, plus opposites and analogies.
• Day 5: A full PI-style mock: 50 questions in 12 minutes. Review every miss and note where you were at 5 minutes.
• Day 6: Abstract patterns, then a second full mock.
• Day 7: Rest. Confirm the rules on aids and timing with the employer if the invitation is unclear.