Updated
Practice Aptitude Tests is not associated with The Predictive Index. We provide preparation services for The Predictive Index psychometric tests. Our tests are not designed to be identical to any style, employer or industry. Visit https://www.predictiveindex.com/ to find out more.
What is a Predictive Index test?
A Predictive Index test is one of two screening assessments from US publisher The Predictive Index, founded in 1955. The PI Behavioral Assessment is an untimed, free-choice adjective checklist measuring four workplace drives: dominance, extraversion, patience and formality. The PI Cognitive Assessment is a timed ability test with 50 verbal, numerical and abstract questions in 12 minutes; the average candidate answers around 20 correctly.
| Test types | PI Behavioral Assessment (personality), PI Cognitive Assessment (ability) |
|---|---|
| Format | Online, unsupervised; Behavioral is a two-question adjective checklist, Cognitive is 50 multiple choice questions |
| Typical time limit | Cognitive: 12 minutes; Behavioral: untimed, about 6 minutes |
| Used by | Employers worldwide for hiring and team fit, delivered in more than 60 languages |
Facts checked August 2026.
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What is the Predictive Index?
The Predictive Index is a US assessment publisher founded in 1955 by Arnold S. Daniels and headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts. Employers use its two candidate assessments together: a short personality measure that maps how you naturally behave at work, and a fast-paced cognitive test that measures how quickly you learn. You will usually receive both as online links to complete remotely, unsupervised.
The PI Behavioral Assessment
The PI Behavioral Assessment is unlike most personality questionnaires. It is untimed, takes around six minutes, and consists of just two questions, each showing the same list of 86 adjectives. The first asks you to tick the words that describe how you feel others expect you to act; the second asks which words describe you in your own view. You choose as many or as few as feel true.
Your selections are scored against four primary workplace drives: dominance, extraversion, patience and formality, and your pattern is matched to one of PI’s Reference Profiles. There are no right or wrong answers, and it cannot be failed. The best preparation is familiarity: knowing the format stops you second-guessing the checklist on the day.
The PI Cognitive Assessment
The PI Cognitive Assessment is the timed half. You get 50 multiple choice questions and 12 minutes, covering verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning. That is roughly 14 seconds per question, and the test is designed so that most people do not finish: the average candidate answers around 20 of the 50 correctly. Your raw score is converted to a scaled score between 100 and 450 and compared against a target the employer has set for the role, not against a pass mark.
The question set is assembled fresh for each sitting at an equivalent difficulty, so memorising answers is pointless, but practising the three question styles under time pressure genuinely moves your score. The Predictive Index allows up to three attempts on the cognitive test, though whether you are offered a retake is the employer’s decision.
How to prepare
Start with our free PI style behavioural assessment to experience the two-question adjective checklist exactly as it works in the real thing. Then drill the cognitive side with timed numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning practice, focusing on quick decisions and moving on: at 14 seconds a question, hesitation costs more than the odd wrong answer.
Practise The Predictive Index style tests
The Predictive Index assessments draw on the test types below. Each link takes you to free practice questions in the same format, so you can get comfortable before the real thing:
