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Predictive Index cognitive assessment: 50 questions in 12 minutes
The Predictive Index (PI) Cognitive Assessment is a timed test some employers send alongside or instead of other screening. Its publisher describes 50 multiple-choice questions in 12 minutes, covering verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, and says most people will not finish. As with other short mixed tests, pace matters as much as knowing the question types.
The test at a glance, from the publisher
| Questions | 50, multiple choice |
|---|---|
| Time | 12 minutes. The test ends automatically at 12 minutes. The publisher also lists 12-, 18- and 24-minute versions, so check which one you have |
| Content | Verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, with a subscore for each as well as the overall cognitive score |
| Finishing | You answer as many as you can. The publisher's guide says most people will not be able to answer all 50 and that this is an intended part of the design |
| Scoring | Based on the number of correct answers within the time limit. Incorrect answers do not count against you |
| Calculator and paper | Up to the employer: the administrator's guide says the employer decides whether to allow things like scratch paper and calculators |
What to practise, and where
- Verbal: vocabulary, sentence completion and passages.
- Numerical: word problems, percentages and ratios, data tables and number series.
- Abstract: matrices, visual series and odd one out.
Every practice question here is generated and checked to have exactly one right answer, and none is copied from the Predictive Index. preplaud's mixed mocks are 50 questions in 15 minutes, or 20 in 6, so they are for pacing across question types, not a copy of PI's 12-minute clock.
How to prepare
- Learn each question type once in untimed practice.
- Practise against the clock. 50 questions in 12 minutes is about 14 seconds each.
- Answer everything you reach. The publisher says wrong answers do not count against you, but check your own instructions. Make a call on a stuck question and move on.
Start now
Practice here is free up to level 3, with 15 new questions a day on a free account and no account needed to try. Levels 4 to 6 and the full 50-question mock come with paid access.
Sources
- Predictive Index: Administrator's Guide to the PI Cognitive Assessment (12 minutes, 50 multiple-choice items, most people will not finish, automatic end, correct answers counted, wrong answers not counted against, calculators and scratch paper)
- Predictive Index: What is the PI Cognitive Assessment? (50 questions, 12 minutes, three subscores, 12-, 18- and 24-minute versions)
- Predictive Index: Cognitive assessment (verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning; scores reflect speed and accuracy)