Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment: Format and Scores

How many questions are on the PI Cognitive Assessment?

Fifty multiple-choice questions in 12 minutes, which is 14.4 seconds a question, mixing verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning; most people do not reach the end, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer.

The Predictive Index sells two assessments that often arrive together: a behavioral questionnaire, which has no right answers and no clock, and this cognitive test, which is timed and scored. PI says the cognitive score indicates how quickly someone is likely to pick up new knowledge, not IQ and not what they already know.

Each candidate gets a unique question set, so memorising answers from a forum gets you nowhere. Learning the question types and the pace does: those are the same for everyone.

The PI Cognitive Assessment, from The Predictive Index's own documentation
Questions	50, multiple choicePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "What is the PI Cognitive Assessment?"
Time limit	12 minutesPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "What is the PI Cognitive Assessment?"
Seconds per question	14.4 if you spread the clock evenlyLifeScore
Question content	Verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning: simple math, basic logic and language comprehensionPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Setting a cognitive target"
Do you finish?	Most people do not answer all 50Published by the ownerThe Predictive Index, official PI Cognitive Assessment sample
Wrong answers	No penalty, weighting or other adjustment: the score rests on the number rightPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Cognitive Assessment scoring"
Score scale	Raw score converted to a scaled score from 100 to 450Published by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Cognitive Assessment scoring"
Average	A scaled score of 250, which is a raw score of 20Published by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Understanding the Predictive Index score: is yours good?"
Calculator	Not allowed. Scratch paper is an aid the employer may permitPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Administrator's guide to the PI Cognitive Assessment" (2019, PDF)
Same questions for everyone?	No: each candidate gets a unique question setPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "PI Cognitive Assessment"
Extended time	18 minutes (time and a half) or 24 minutes (double), for approved accommodations; scored on the same scalePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Extended time for the cognitive assessment"
Retakes	The employer decides; PI advises no more than three attempts in total and using the highest scorePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Allowing and viewing multiple Cognitive Assessment attempts"
Former name	The Professional Learning Indicator (PLI), launched by PI in 2016 as the PI Learning IndicatorPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "The Predictive Index celebrates 70 years"
Pass mark	None: the employer sets a cognitive target for each jobPublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Setting a cognitive target"

How is the PI Cognitive Assessment scored?

PI counts your correct answers and converts that raw score to a scaled score from 100 to 450, with no penalty or weighting; 250, the average, corresponds to 20 correct, and the employer then compares your scaled score with its target for the job.

That last step is what makes the PI different from tests that report a percentile. PI calls the assessment criterion-referenced: you are measured against a target score for the role, not ranked against everyone else who took it. Reach the target and your cognitive match score is 10, the maximum. Fall short and points come off on a sliding scale.

In practice this means the number that matters is your employer's target, which it rarely publishes. Twenty correct is the average, so if you can reliably score in the mid-20s on a 50-question, 12-minute test you are above the average test-taker, and that is the margin worth building.

What PI publishes about scores and targets
Raw 20 of 50	Scaled 250, the averagePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Understanding the Predictive Index score: is yours good?"
At or above the job target	Match score of 10, the top of the scalePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Match score overview"
Below the target	Points come off on a sliding scale the further below you arePublished by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Match score overview"
No target chosen	The baseline target is the average, 250Published by the ownerThe Predictive Index, "Administrator's guide to the PI Cognitive Assessment" (2019, PDF)

How do employers use the PI cognitive test?

They set a cognitive target for each job, often with PI's own Job Assessment, send the test with the behavioral assessment, and use the resulting match score to decide whom to interview; PI says the match score should rank candidates, not decide alone.

By default the overall match score averages the behavioral and cognitive results equally, though an employer can change the weighting. If the employer skips the job assessment, PI sets the baseline target at the average score, 250.

PI also gives employers control over retakes. They may allow a second attempt, PI advises no more than three in total, and the highest score is the one to use. Extended time (18 or 24 minutes) is available as an accommodation, scored on the same scale, so ask early if you need it.

How does the PI compare with the Wonderlic and the CCAT?

The PI and the Wonderlic share the exact format, 50 questions in 12 minutes, and both average about 20 correct; the CCAT is gentler on time (15 minutes) and has a whole spatial-reasoning family, and the three report scores in different ways.

Each cell is the publisher's published figure unless marked reported. Seconds a question is our arithmetic.
	PI Cognitive	Wonderlic	CCAT
Publisher	PI CognitiveThe Predictive Index	WonderlicWonderlic	CCATCriteria Corp
Questions and time	PI Cognitive50 in 12 minutes	Wonderlic50 in 12 minutes	CCAT50 in 15 minutes
Seconds a question	PI Cognitive14.4	Wonderlic14.4	CCAT18
Content	PI CognitiveVerbal, numerical, abstract	WonderlicVerbal, math, logic, spatial, patterns	CCATVerbal, math and logic, spatial
Calculator	PI CognitiveNo	WonderlicNo	CCATNo
Average	PI Cognitive250 scaled (20 right)	WonderlicAbout 20 to 21 right (reported)	CCAT24 right (median)
What the employer sees	PI CognitiveScaled score against a job target, as a match score	WonderlicDepends on the product; Select results are read against the job	CCATRaw score and percentile

For practice, that makes the Wonderlic-style test the closest match: same count, same clock, same mix of quick verbal and number items. The CCAT-style test is still useful if the PI's abstract questions (letter and shape series) are your weak spot, because spatial reasoning is one of the CCAT's three question families. See CCAT vs Wonderlic for how those two differ.

What do PI Cognitive Assessment questions look like?

Short items of three kinds: numerical (compare fractions, work out a rate), verbal (analogies, word meaning) and abstract (letter or shape series), each meant to take about 14 seconds.

PI publishes an official 20-question sample with a 4 minute 48 second limit, which is the same pace as the real test; take it, it is free. The four below are ours, written in the same style. The first two are worked open.

Wonderlic-style question 1 · Comparing numbers · about 14 seconds on the real clock
Which of these is the smallest?
1. A0.58
2. B4/7
3. C3/5
4. D59%
Worked answer
B: 4/7. 4/7 is about 0.571, just under 0.58; 3/5 is 0.60 and 59% is 0.59.
1. Turn everything into decimals: 0.58, 4/7 = 0.571..., 3/5 = 0.6, 59% = 0.59.
2. The smallest is 0.571, which is 4/7.
The trap: Assuming the fraction with the smaller numbers is smaller. Convert, do not guess.
Wonderlic-style question 2 · Analogy · about 14 seconds on the real clock
MAP is to TERRAIN as SCORE is to ...
1. Amusic
2. Borchestra
3. Cconductor
4. Dticket
Worked answer
A: music. A map is a written representation of terrain; a score is a written representation of music.
1. Say the link as a sentence: "a map is a written version of the land".
2. Apply it: "a score is a written version of ..." music.
The trap: Orchestra or conductor, which are linked to a score but are not what it represents.
Wonderlic-style question 3 · Letter series · about 14 seconds on the real clock
Which letter comes next? A, C, F, J, O, ...
1. AS
2. BT
3. CU
4. DV
Show the worked answer
C: U. The jumps grow by one each time: +2, +3, +4, +5, so the next is +6, and O + 6 is U.
1. Count the jumps: A to C is 2, C to F is 3, F to J is 4, J to O is 5.
2. Next jump is 6: P, Q, R, S, T, U.
The trap: Counting the starting letter as one of the steps, which lands you on T.
Wonderlic-style question 4 · Rate · about 14 seconds on the real clock
A van covers 150 miles in 2.5 hours. At the same speed, how far does it go in 4 hours?
1. A200 miles
2. B220 miles
3. C240 miles
4. D260 miles
Show the worked answer
C: 240 miles. 150 / 2.5 = 60 miles an hour, and 60 x 4 = 240 miles.
1. Find the speed: 150 / 2.5 = 60 mph.
2. Multiply by the new time: 60 x 4 = 240.
The trap: Adding the extra 1.5 hours at the wrong rate. Get the speed first.

Train on the PI's exact clock

The Wonderlic Pass Pack's 8 mocks are 50 questions in 12 minutes, the same count and clock as the PI.

The Wonderlic Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

It is built for the Wonderlic, so the questions are Wonderlic-style; the format, pace and most question types carry straight over to the PI.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The Wonderlic Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the Wonderlic Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

How should I pace the PI Cognitive Assessment?

At an even 14.4 seconds a question you pass question 12 at three minutes, 25 at six and 37 at nine, but 20 correct is average, so you do not need to finish: careful answers to the questions you reach count for more than a rushed run at all 50.

Even-pace checkpoints: our arithmetic from the published limit
Time used	Question you are on
3 min	Question 12
6 min	Question 25
9 min	Question 37
12 min	Question 50

Wrong answers cost nothing on the PI, so never leave a question blank when you can eliminate even one option. If a question has not cracked in about 20 seconds, guess and move on; a stuck minute is four easier questions you never see. With extended time the pace is 21.6 seconds (18 minutes) or 28.8 seconds (24 minutes) a question.

How to pass the Wonderlic has the full skip rule and a seven-day plan for exactly this clock.

Which practice test is best for the PI Cognitive Assessment?

The Wonderlic-style test, because it has the PI's exact format; add the CCAT-style test if abstract and spatial items are what slow you down, and take PI's own free sample once.

Have you taken PI's official sample yet?
Yes
Good. Note how far you got in 4 minutes 48 seconds; multiply by 2.5 for a rough full-test pace.
No
Take it first: it is free, short and the only real PI material available.
Do you want a full 50-question, 12-minute run?
Yes
Take the free Wonderlic-style practice test. It is the closest full-length rehearsal.
No
Go to question 3.
Did letter or shape series cost you most?
Yes
Add the free CCAT-style practice test and the abstract reasoning test for more pattern items.
No
Go to question 4.
Do you have a deadline and want to know you are ready?
Yes
The Wonderlic Pass Pack gives you full mocks on the same clock and a predictor of where you will land.
No
Check with the person or company that sent you the link.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good score on the Predictive Index cognitive test?

One at or above the target your employer set for the job, which earns the top match score of 10. PI publishes the average, 250 on the scaled score or 20 correct out of 50, but not each employer's target. Roles that need fast learning tend to set higher targets, so aim to beat 20 correct with a margin.

How many questions do you need to get right on the PI cognitive assessment?

There is no fixed number. Twenty correct is the average (a scaled 250). Your employer's target decides whether that is enough, and most people do not reach question 50, so you do not need to finish to score well.

Is the PI Cognitive Assessment the same as the PLI?

Yes. PI launched it in 2016 as the PI Learning Indicator, formerly the Professional Learning Indicator (PLI), and now calls it the PI Cognitive Assessment.

Can you use a calculator on the Predictive Index test?

No. PI's administrator guide says calculators are the one aid the instructions ban. Scratch paper is an aid an employer may allow; check your invitation.

Can I retake the PI Cognitive Assessment?

Only if the employer allows it. PI leaves retakes to each company, advises no more than three attempts in total, and recommends using the highest score.

Does the PI cognitive test measure IQ?

PI says it does not. It describes the score as an indication of how quickly someone can be expected to learn new things, not a measure of IQ, knowledge, behaviour or effort.

Is the PI test harder than the Wonderlic?

They share the clock exactly, 50 questions in 12 minutes, and both report an average of about 20 correct. The PI adds abstract reasoning items that the Wonderlic uses less, so if shape and pattern questions slow you down, add some abstract reasoning practice.

Weak on shapes and series?

The CCAT Pass Pack has 8 mocks with a full spatial-reasoning family, on a 15-minute clock.

The CCAT Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CCAT Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the CCAT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

Sources

CCAT test guideFormat, scoring, sections and how employers use it
Wonderlic test guideFormat, scoring and what employers look for
ASVAB test guideSubtests, AFQT scoring, branch minimums and retests
TEAS test guideSections, scoring, levels and what nursing programs ask for
GED test guideThe four subjects, scoring, cost, retakes and how to book
HiSET test guideThe five subtests, scoring, states and a free drill for each
Reasoning tests explainedNumerical and verbal reasoning: formats, scoring and how to prepare
Watson-Glaser test guideThe five sections, 40 questions, scoring and which law firms use it
HESI A2 exam guideSections, timing, scoring and the minimums programs publish
CNA exam guideBoth parts, the 2024 NNAAP content areas, scoring and retakes