Predictive Index (PI tests)
The Predictive Index (formerly PI WorldWide) is a talent optimization platform for predicting ability, personality and work-based preferences.
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Note: AssessmentDay and its products are not affiliated with Predictive Index. Our practice tests are intended only for candidate preparation, not for employee selection.
About Predictive Index
The Predictive Index is a talent optimisation platform that helps develop and determine the cognitive and behavioural qualities of candidates and employees via their PI tests. Formerly PI WorldWide, The Predicitve Index was founded six decades ago in the USA. It's mainly comprised of a personality questionnaire to help match job role requirements with compatible candidates. It's now been used to assess millions of candidates across the world.
PI tests - Evaluating cognitive and behavioural qualities
Predictive Index offer numerous assessments that look at one's cognitive ability, but particularly their behavioural qualities, their attributes and needs, and how they best fit for a role and workforce.
Here is a list of the PI tests:
- PI Behavioural Assessment: The PI Behavioural Assessment is a tool to determine what your motivations and needs are. It is untimed, you can choice any answer you wish, and helps businesses to understand what gives their employees and candidates their drive.
- Job Assessment: The PI Job Assessment is used after the data on the individual has been gathered. With this data, the assessment can then be used to match their tasks and skills (like a normal job description) but also the individual's behavioural traits and cognitive abilities (exclusive to PI) in order to ensure the candidate is a right fit for the role.
- Culture fit: This test evaluates candidates values in the work place, and compares these values with those held by the employing organisation.
- PI Cognitive Assessment: The PI Cognitive Assessment asks test takers to take 50 questions and to complete as many as they can in a relatively brief 12 minutes. The problems require the ability to process complex information and deal with different and various cognitively demanding situations - indicative of the role. The test contains a combination of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning questions. The ability to pay attention quickly and changing cognitive abilities and rapid knowledge acquisition is key.
We will cover each of these in more detail below. For more information on personality tests in general, check out our personality questionnaire with content on what they assess and a free personality test.
Predictive Index behavioural assessment
The PI Behavioural Assessment is a crucial PI test used to determine what your motivations and needs are. It is untimed, you can offer any answers you wish, and helps businesses to understanding what gives their employees and candidates the drive they need.
1. You will be asked what attributes and qualities you feel that other people expect of you. These may include things like 'reasonable', 'careful', 'analytical', etc. Likewise, you will be asked what you most identify with, things like 'polished,' 'understanding', and so on.
2. Once you are finished, you will be given one of the 17 personality categories that PI have determined. While a personality category may not reflect you perfectly, it is a good indication of where your personality attributes lie in relation to others. For example, you may get the personality category 'Promoter' which is extraverted, supportive and encouraging as a team member.
3. Each category has its key attributes. They are broken down into 3 boxes. For example, if you were a 'Promoter', your 'Behaviours' box would include attributes like: outgoing, patient etc. Your 'Needs' box would include attributes like: harmony, supportive, etc. And your 'Strengths' box would include attributes like: flexible with people, good listener, etc.
4. All of this culminates in the following four workplaces drives:
- Dominance: The drive for influence on people and events
- Extraversion: The drive for social interaction with others
- Patience: The drive for consistency and stability
- Formality: The drive for rules and structure
These behavioural drives provide a framework for understanding candidates' behaviour and potential fit within an organisation. The PI Behavioural Assessment's (PIBA) validity is supported by over 350 scientific studies, ensuring its reliability in predicting workplace behaviour.
Predictive Index cognitive assessment
The PI Cognitive Assessment is their self-acclaimed best tool to determine on-the-job success. This PI test is used to understand a candidate's cognitive ability.
Key features of the PI Cognitive Assessment:
- Verbal, Numerical, and Abstract Reasoning: This PI test consists of 50 questions designed to evaluate the candidate's verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning skills. These questions assess the ability to process complex information and handle cognitively demanding situations relevant to the role.
- Timed Assessment: Test-takers have 12 minutes to answer as many questions as they can. The time limit challenges candidates' ability to handle cognitive pressure and make quick decisions, reflecting real-world work scenarios.
- Objective Measurement: The assessment does not expect candidates to answer all 50 questions; instead, it measures their capacity to process information and answer correctly within the time constraint.
The PI Cognitive Assessment is a rigorous evaluation of a candidate's cognitive capabilities, helping employers identify individuals who can meet the intellectual demands of the job, leading to greater success in their roles.
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Job Assessment
The Job Assessment is an innovative approach that goes beyond traditional job descriptions and CV analysis to identify the most suitable candidates for a role.
Key features of the PI Cognitive Assessment:
- Objective Measures of Success: Before posting a job, organizations identify the specific measures of success required for the role. This enables them to make more informed hiring decisions and create job targets tailored to their unique needs.
- Behavioral and Cognitive Evaluation: Unlike conventional selection methods that primarily focus on skills and qualifications, the Job Assessment incorporates behavioral drives and cognitive ability to ensure a more comprehensive evaluation of candidates.
- Eliminating Bias: By emphasizing objective measures and assessing behavioral and cognitive qualities, the Job Assessment minimizes bias in the selection process, leading to more equitable and effective hiring decisions.
- Increased Likelihood of Success: PI believes that employing the Job Assessment will increase the likelihood of selecting candidates who will excel in their roles compared to traditional employment methods.
For a full list of assessments published by Predictive Index, candidates are encouraged to visit the official PI website, where they can access detailed information on each test, providing them with valuable insights into the evaluation process and the qualities organisations seek in potential candidates.
In conclusion, the Predictive Index assessments offer a comprehensive approach to evaluating candidates for job roles, considering not only their cognitive abilities but also their behavioural qualities. The PI tests are designed to ensure a strong fit between candidates and job requirements, ultimately leading to successful and fulfilling careers within organisations. By understanding the nature of each assessment, candidates can better prepare for the evaluation process and showcase their true potential in the workplace.
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