PI Cognitive Assessment Practice (Updated for 2020) - JobTestPrep
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David CEO Author

Hi, I’m David, JobTestPrep’s CEO and a PI Cognitive Assessment Test Expert. Have a question about your upcoming test? Feel free to contact me at askdavid@jobtestprep.com

Why Is the PI Cognitive Assessment So Challenging?

In one word:


Want to see for yourself? Check out this sample question:

A shop owner bought some shovels for £5,500. The shovels were sold for £7,300, with a profit of £50 per shovel. How many shovels were involved?

  1. 18
  2. 36
  3. 55
  4. 73

Have you noticed how long it took you to answer this?

On the real test, you’ll have approx. 14 seconds per question. And since more than half of this time is needed just for reading the question, you must learn how to quickly process the presented information and choose the correct answer.

💡 Within our PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™, you’ll learn advanced problem solving techniques that will help you answer questions lightning fast.

Here’s another sample question. Set a stopwatch and check how long it takes you to solve this:

PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Question

Did you get it in 14 seconds?

Now think about 50 such questions being thrown at you one after another. Not only that, but they will also bounce between numerical, verbal and abstract.

So, you won’t have any time to get comfortable on any topic before you’re challenged to solve something entirely different.

Why Is it Important to Score High on the PI Cognitive Assessment?

Since there are often dozens and even hundreds of other candidates who compete for the same job opening, merely passing this assessment isn’t enough.

Therefore, to advance to the next hiring stage, it’s crucial that you get one of the highest scores among other candidates.

💡 Scoring high on the PLI test may carry weight on other important things (aside from getting a job offer), such as your starting salary and future promotions!

With the Right Practice, You Can Definitely Pass the PI Cognitive Assessment

Fortunately, it’s not all bad news.

Even though the PLI really is a difficult test, it is totally manageable if you come properly prepared.

The extensive research our test experts have conducted has helped them create an accurate and tailored preparation pack for the PI Cognitive Assessment.

This preparation pack consists of 3 key elements. When you follow these key elements precisely, you can be well on your way to ensure a high score on this challenging test.

So, here they are:

Let’s tackle them one-by-one:

#1 Get to Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The PI Cognitive Assessment preparation pack starts with a diagnostic test.

This test is a short version of the PI Cognitive Assessment and it includes the same question types and tight time limit you’ll encounter on the real test

The diagnostic test has one crucial purpose: to identify your weak areas that could potentially hurt your chances of success on the test.

💡 The PI diagnostic test developed by JobTestPrep is an exclusive practice assessment found nowhere else on the web. Fully adopting its insights can mean the difference between success or failure on the test.

Once you discover your weak areas, you get accurate instructions regarding the test sections you should focus in your practice sessions.

#2 Get to Know the Questions Types and Test Format

The first thing to do after you get your personal diagnostic report is to gain a deep understanding of the test structure and question types.

Here’s an overview of the PI Cognitive Assessment structure (a more detailed explanation can be found on the introduction video below):

Numerical Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning

Abstract Reasoning

Number series


Visual series

Math problems


Visual analogies

Word problems

Formal logic

Common features


Once you familiarize yourself with the test format, you can move on to the practice tests.

To ensure that you make the most out of this PrepPack™, first focus on your weaker spots (as mentioned on your diagnostic test report). Improving these weak areas is key to boosting your test score.

Now, let’s take another sample question. This time, from the numerical section of the PI Cognitive Assessment:

What is the following number in the series?

8 / 3 / 9 / 10 /17 / ?

  1. 11
  2. 15
  3. 19
  4. 25

A challenging one, right?

On this test, such a question will be considered a medium-difficulty one and most people won’t be able to get to the right answer in 14 seconds.

Research has shown that improvement on cognitive ability tests is possible only when practicing the exact same tasks as on the real test.

Therefore, to pass the PI Cognitive Assessment, you must set your practice focus on these types of questions.

💡 On the full PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™, you’ll get plenty of practice opportunities using dozens of practice questions that highly resemble the ones you’ll face on the actual test.

#3 Learn Effective Solving Methods for Every Question on the Test

Let’s get back for a moment to that visual analogies question you’ve seen before. Now, take as much time as you need to solve (spoilers ahead!):

PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Question

The relationship between figure X and figure Y is as follows: Each line that appears only in one shape in figure X also appears in figure Y.

When encountered with such a question for the first time, most people take much longer than 14 seconds to find out that relationship.

This is because they don’t know what to look for. They get creative, trying to spot any possible relationship as the clock keeps on ticking…

💡 It’s almost impossible to solve such questions in 14 seconds using “standard” methods. Therefore, in the full PrepPack ™ we’ll teach you unique solving strategies that will greatly shorten your problem-solving time.

So, in the question above, the correct answer must have the same relationship with figure Z. That is shape E:

Answer for PI Cognitive Assessment Sample Question

28+ Years of Experience Comes Down to This

Since 1992, JobTestPrep has been successfully preparing hundreds of thousands of job candidates for their pre-employment tests. The PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™ that you see on this page was developed after months of deep research and analysis. Additionally, the practice tests were validated by our test experts to be as similar to the actual test as possible.

Post Purchase Instructions

After purchasing your PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™, you will receive a purchase authorization and access to your personal page. Your personal practice page will include a listing of all tests, instructions, and suggestions of where to begin practicing.

If you have any technical difficulties or if any questions arise, you can always contact our 24/7 customer support team. For further assistance regarding your upcoming PI Cognitive Assessment, feel free to send me a personal email.

PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™ Customer Feedback

Here’s what some of our customers had to say about the PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™:

Rene S. | Verified Reviewer

I have only had two days to practice on the website, but I feel it helped a lot. The math, and graphical problems in the actual PLI test I took have been easier than on the site, which is good. Then it has been possible to choose my native language on the actual test which of course helped on the synonym questions. My result on the test was above average, so I am very happy!

Petros K. | Verified Reviewer

I was informed by the employer to conduct the test just 4 days before the actual day of the test. I only had 4 days to get prepared. PLI is not an easy test cause we have to answers as many questions as possible within 12 min. Total number of questions 50. Job test prep PLI Test was a very helpful tool that helped me adjust with the requirements of the test and with the level of difficulty. If I hadn’t prepared with job prep I would have failed the test for sure.

Ken W. | Verified Reviewer

I had no idea what to expect when told to take a PI IL test for an employment opportunity. Taking the practice tests and studying the formats greatly helped me out...I scored high and was given the offer I was hoping for. Thanks!

Margareth O. | Verified Reviewer

I took a PLI two years ago and got an ok result. Now I needed to take another PLI test, only this time I used the TestPrep and got a much better result.

Money-Back Guarantee and 24/7 Customer Support

We have full confidence in our PI Cognitive Assessment PrepPack™ as we’ve invested tremendous efforts in creating an accurate preparation that simulates the real test experience.

If for any reason, you find that some of the questions you encountered on the actual PI Cognitive Assessment weren’t similar to the ones you practiced in our PrepPack™, our customer support will fully refund your order.

Speaking of which, we have a 24/7 (including holidays) customer support team that answers within 30 minutes. You can easily contact them here.

PI Cognitive Assessment FAQ


Why do employers use the PLI test?

The overall purpose of the test is to provide the employer with a broad holistic evaluation of the cognitive capacity of incoming job applicants.

The test aims to reveal how your brain functions in terms of attention, speed, memory, and visualization.

These skills are necessary to ensure that you are capable of handling certain roles and their complexities.

How many people other than me take the PLI test?

Over 7,600 people look to us for PI Cognitive Assessment practice material every month from all around the world.

We also know that the test is accessible in over 70 languages and is offered in over 50 countries worldwide.

So... we can safely assume that about 5 times the people that come to us actually take the test. Maybe around 35,000 every month. 

This is good news, because only the a 5th of test-takers take the time to prepare, and that gives them a huge advantage in test performance over their competition that decided to just wing it.


Is the PLI test hard?

The PLI is a standard Cognitive Ability Test and isn't considered especially difficult in this category. 

However, cognitive ability tests are designed to be challenging, and the PI Cognitive Assessment is no exception.

The challenge lies in the test's format, which requires you to answer a large amount of questions in a very limited time span.

The challenge is staying calm and not sacrificing accuracy for speed (i.e. answering quickly but incorrectly).

We have helped tens of thousands of job seekers before you to prepare for this type of test, and we can help you too!

Check out our tailored PLI practice pack if you're serous about preparing.

Does the test score indicate my IQ level?

The PI Cognitive Assessment test does not test your IQ level.

Its purpose is to check your adaptability and assess your ability to handle complex problems deemed necessary for certain jobs.

What does the PI Learning Indicator measure?

The test measures your ability to do the following:

  • Understand complex ideas
  • Adapt effectively to a new environment
  • Learn from experience
  • Reason
  • Overcome obstacles

The PI Cognitive Assessment is backed by science and meets the standards of both the APA (American Psychological Association) and the SIOP (Society of Industrial & Organizational Psychology).

Don't disregard the challenge this test represents - it may not be fun, but you may learn a lot about yourself from the process.

Where and how will I take the test?

You will most likely receive an email with a link to a PI Learning Indicator online testing platform containing instructions for your specific test.

Some employers choose to conduct the test in a controlled environment at their offices or at a testing center. 

If you have to take the test at a testing center, you'll be notified and given a date and location.

Can I improve my score on the PLI test?

Yes you can, and you should. After all, your future employment depends on it.

The test provider, PI Learning Indicator, discuses the benefits of preparation on its website:

"Experience shows that if someone is used to these types of assessments, he or she will be able to get consistently closer to his or her ‘capacity’ or maximum score.

In other words, it is actually ideal when an assessment taker is trained or familiar with the PI Learning Indicator item types, as it gives the company the best possible insight into the candidate’s true potential."

You can reach your full capacity within just a few days  by preparing with our specially tailored PLI test simulations and practice drills. 

This way, by the time you do the test you'll be very familiar with the questions and format.

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