PI Cognitive Assessment (PLI Test)

The PI Cognitive Assessment, previously know as the PLI or Predictive Index Learning Indicator test, is a cognitive assessment exam that is used by employers worldwide, administered to measure potential employees’ skills and abilities against those required for the given position.  It empowers employers to feel confident that they are hiring capable, strong, skilled, top talent to fill open positions and help their companies grow.  

A standard version of the exam would contain 50 questions, which are to be answered within a 12 minute time period.  This assessment was designed to help employers learn more about job applicants than would typically be gleaned from a standard resume.  Anyone can make themselves look good on paper; the PI Cognitive Assessment puts qualifications to the test.  

What Should You Expect?

There are three topics, numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.  Each of these have their own subcategories.  Let’s give them a quick rundown.  

• Numerical Reasoning: This part of the test consists of number series, math problems, and word problems. Number series questions typically ask you to find a connection or pattern within a numerical sequence and fill in missing numbers, testing for logical reasoning skills.  Math problems are more general and used to simply test aptitude.  Word problems are typically math related questions that test your reading comprehension by asking a maths question in the form of a short text.  

• Verbal Reasoning:  Here, applicants answer questions having to do with analogies, formal logic, and antonyms.  Analogies are another form of word problem, used to test your ability to find relationships between ideas.  Formal logic questions present you with assumptions and a conclusion, testing for logic and reasoning skills.  Antonyms also test reasoning and comprehension skills.  

• Non-Verbal Reasoning: The goal here is to test spatial awareness, logical reasoning, and inductive reasoning.  Spatial awareness questions would typically present you with images and ask for you to identify one that does not belong or have a similar feature to the others.  Nonverbal analogies present you with images and ask you to look for relationships.  Inductive questions present you with images, ask you to find the pattern between them, and then identify the next in the sequence.  

The overall goal of this test is more geared towards the learning process, rather than the questions themselves.  When considering how to prepare for the test, this is the most important point of focus.  While yes, the answers to your questions are important, the process is more important.  

How to Prepare for the PLI Test

As with all learning, practice and study is what actually works.  It is important to approach this test with confidence and familiarity.  Get to know the subject matter so the test is not surprising when you are faced with ‘the real thing’, so to speak.  Take as many practice tests as you can to prepare.   

We offer practice tests on all the subjects listed above to help you succeed.  Start getting to know what kinds of questions to expect.  Learn about your weaker subjects so you can focus on studying those more.  

Timed testing inherently puts additional pressure on the test taker.  Whether the questions seem easy or difficult, it’s completely natural to worry about running out of time.  Train yourself pacing.  Start timing yourself to give you an idea of how long these types of tests will take you naturally and look for points to improve your timing.  Practice with a timer and improve your comfort of being timed as well as improve your time allowed per question.  

Don’t Get Stuck

We find it best to train yourself not to get stuck on one question.  That’s one of the most common ways people end up wasting time.  If you come across a question that takes more than 10 seconds (give or take) to comfortably answer, skip it, move on, and come back to it later with your leftover time.  Not only will this help you along through the rest of the assessment, but it will also allow you the opportunity to look at the question again with fresh eyes.  You’ll also feel less pressure under your 12 minute time limit because you’ve already completed the rest and just have the few you skipped to address.  

It’s All About the Learning Process

50 questions in 12 minutes is challenging, and that’s exactly the point.  Remember what we mentioned earlier, the test is about the learning process.  The answers themselves are not the priority.  The test is intended to see how fast you learn- whether you are a fast learner, slow learner, or steady learner.  The way we learn is indicative of how we would handle everyday work challenges.  After all, we’re not going to always have the answer to every question at work.  We’re not going to be able to solve every problem.  However, just like this test, the job is a process.  What’s important is how you approach it, how you adapt.

Practice, Practice, Practice

In order to practice and familiarize yourself with the test material, you can purchase our preparation package, which includes sample PLI assessments with questions that simulate the real thing.  Our package is uniquely designed to put you in the right mindset, under the right conditions so you’ll enter your real assessment feeling confident, calm, prepared, and ready to absolutely succeed.  

When preparing for your PLI, you may notice that a lot of the practice questions are taking you down avenues you have not been down academically in many years.  Becoming familiar with these subjects, focusing on and improving on your weak points, learning to work with and not against your time limit, and of course, adapting your behaviour to your challenges are the keys to succeeding on your PLI assessment, taking you one step closer to the position of your dreams.