The PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Questions

How can I access or share the sample questions?

The PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Questions are found in the administrator’s invitation, if the administrator chose to include them. Anyone with this link may complete the sample questions. No personal information is requested or stored in association with the sample questions.

PI account owners can include the link in their default PI Cognitive Assessment invitation by customizing the email message under their account settings.

How should the sample questions be used?

The primary purpose of the PI Cognitive Assessment sample questions is to provide an idea of what the assessment experience is like. For instance, the sample questions can be used to show internal stakeholders what the experience is like and to help job candidates prepare for the full assessment.

The sample questions should not be used to make talent-related decisions or to help candidates figure out how they will score on the PI Cognitive Assessment.

How do the sample questions improve the testing experience?

The sample questions give candidates the opportunity to get familiar with test content, structure, and format prior to taking the actual test. This gives all participants a comparable baseline level of familiarity with the test prior to its high-stakes administration. Sample questions should also help eliminate the “shock” that some participants can face with a cognitive ability assessment, making test scores more reflective of actual cognitive ability and potentially eliminating some of the effects associated with nerves or novelty.

Should all job candidates take the sample questions?

Your organization should set a policy regarding the use of the sample questions. Be consistent: If one candidate is given the opportunity to complete the sample questions, all candidates should be given the same opportunity.

My company administers the PI Cognitive Assessment twice to each candidate. Should we also send the sample questions? If so, should we only send the PI Cognitive Assessment once?

Your organization should set a policy about this as well. You may wish to provide candidates with extra preparation by asking them to complete the sample questions even if you’re administering the PI Cognitive Assessment twice. Doing so increases the chances of candidates feeling well-prepared when completing the final PI Cognitive Assessment. However, it also adds to the overall time that a candidate must spend preparing for and completing assessments — and some people won’t like that.

When should I send the sample questions?

While it’s ultimately up to your company to set a policy regarding if and when candidates will receive the sample questions, the simplest method is to send the sample questions along with the email that contains the invitation to complete the PI Cognitive Assessment. This can be done by using the “Invite by email” function of the PI Software. Please note that account owners can also set a custom message on the “Administration” page, which will override any custom email settings under “Send an Assessment.”

However, if you choose to customize your email invitation the PI Cognitive Assessment, you can add the option to complete the PI Cognitive Assessment sample questions by inserting the link into the custom text field of the email invitation.

Do candidates receive a score at the end of the sample questions?

Candidates do not receive a score at the end of the sample questions. However, they will be able to see which questions they answered correctly and incorrectly, as well as the correct responses to all questions.

The sample questions are not meant to serve as a preview of PI Cognitive Assessment performance; rather, they are meant to help the candidate become familiar with assessment content and format, including taking the test under timed conditions.

While it’s possible that a candidate who answers all sample questions correctly will also score well on the PI Cognitive Assessment, these tests have not been equated. As mentioned previously, performance on the sample questions is not a valid indicator of cognitive ability or performance.The questions are intended to increase accessibility of test content and format, making the test more fair and enhancing the test taking experience for all candidates.

Are any of the sample questions the same as the questions in the item pool for the PI Cognitive Assessment?

While sample test questions cover the same content domains and style as the PI Cognitive Assessment item pool, they’re unique questions—there is no overlap.

Does taking a sample test or completing sample questions give candidates an unfair advantage?

The use of sample questions is a standard sample for many assessments, including academic assessments such as the SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT, among hundreds of others. In fact, many of these assessments have a whole industry of paid exam preparation materials and education just to help individuals prepare for the exam. Despite the fact that such preparation materials are available, these exams are trusted by many institutions, such as college and university admissions offices. Sample tests are no different. Providing candidates with a sample test actually serves to increase fairness for all candidates by providing everyone with the same preparation.