How the PI Cognitive Assessment works
You get 50 multiple-choice questions on a single 12-minute clock, and the three question types come mixed together rather than in sections. PI draws each candidate’s set from a pool of items, matched for content and difficulty, so you will never see the same test twice. The test is available in more than 60 languages, and you can switch the language yourself.
Only correct answers count. PI scores the number you get right, so a wrong answer costs nothing more than a question you never reach. The average across PI’s data is about 20 correct out of 50, a scaled score of 250, so finishing is not the aim.
Back and Next buttons are reported, so you can pass over a question and return to it if time allows. Calculators are reportedly not allowed; scrap paper is.
Your invitation may include a link to PI’s official sample questions. They are timed, cover the same three areas, show you the right answers at the end and do not overlap with the real pool. You get one attempt by default; an employer can allow up to three, and then only your highest score counts.
How to approach the 12 minutes
With about 14 seconds a question, the strategy matters as much as the maths and vocabulary:
- Treat 14 seconds as an average. A synonym can take five seconds; a word problem can take thirty.
- Every question is worth the same, so answer the quick ones first. If a question will clearly take more than half a minute, move on.
- Never leave a question blank when time is short. An answer costs nothing if it is wrong and can only add to your score.
- Work numbers on scrap paper rather than in your head when there are more than two steps.
- Aim to get as many right as you can in 12 minutes, not to reach question 50.
Verbal reasoning questions
The verbal questions are reported to be analogies, synonyms and antonyms, and short logic statements where you decide whether a conclusion follows.
Analogy. Thermometer is to temperature as odometer is to: speed, distance, fuel, time. A thermometer measures temperature and an odometer measures distance travelled, so the answer is distance. Speed is the trap: that is a speedometer.
Synonym. Which word is closest in meaning to TERSE: lengthy, curt, polite, careful? Terse means brief to the point of rudeness, so curt.
Logic. All the auditors passed the exam. Some people who passed the exam were promoted. Does it follow that some auditors were promoted? No. The people promoted could all be non-auditors who passed, so the conclusion is uncertain.
Numerical reasoning questions
The numerical questions are reported to be number series, short word problems and number comparisons, with no charts or data tables.
Series. 3, 6, 11, 18, 27, ? The gaps are 3, 5, 7 and 9, so the next gap is 11 and the answer is 38.
Word problem. A jacket costs $80 after a 20% discount. What was the original price? $80 is 80% of the original, so the original is 80 ÷ 0.8 = $100. The trap is $96, which adds 20% to $80.
Comparison. Which is largest: 0.6, 5/8, 62% or 3/5? As decimals they are 0.6, 0.625, 0.62 and 0.6, so 5/8 is largest.
Abstract reasoning questions
PI describes the abstract questions as recognising patterns or differences in shapes on screen. The reported types are the next shape in a series, shape analogies and the odd one out.
Series. Four frames show a square with a black dot in one corner and lines drawn inside it. The dot moves clockwise from top left to top right, bottom right and bottom left, while the number of lines goes 1, 2, 3, 4. Track one feature at a time: the dot returns to the top left, and there are five lines. Pick the option with both.
Tips for the real PI Cognitive Assessment
- If your invitation includes the official sample questions, do them first. They are timed and show which answers were right.
- If you need extra time, ask the employer before you start. The 18- and 24-minute versions are scored on the same scale.
- Sit it somewhere quiet, with a pencil and paper ready.
- Stay in the test window. If you navigate away, the screen blurs.
- No job knowledge is needed, so practise speed on the question types rather than revising content.
Practise the PI Cognitive Assessment on CogniPrep
We split the test into its three question types so you can drill each one. Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning are 15 questions each with 20 seconds a question; Abstract Reasoning is 15 questions with 30 seconds each. Each type draws from our own pool of 30. Unlike the real test, each question has its own clock: at zero it is marked wrong and the next appears, with no Back button.
Verbal covers synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd one out and sentence completion. Numerical covers arithmetic, number series, percentages and word problems. Abstract is four-frame series where you choose the fifth frame. Each game gives a score out of 100: for verbal and numerical, 85% accuracy and 15% for how many you completed; for abstract, mostly accuracy and how you do on the harder series, with a smaller part for speed.