If you were invited to take the PI Cognitive Assessment, you better prepare to answer some interview questions in relation to your performance and to your cognitive abilities in general. Here are some winning tips on how to answer such questions and how to create an attractive candidate profile.
Did you know that employers who make use of the PI cognitive assessment in their hiring process are advised to include interview questions that reflect and assess the cognitive success factors for the job e.g. learning capability, adapting to change, etc? You are welcome to read the official guidelines by the PI company in this document (page 5/5), but I have summarized them for you and added my own insights.
Scenario 1: High Score on the PI Cognitive Assessment (29/50 or above)
If you managed to score highly on the PI cognitive assessment, the employer will assume you can handle complex problems and that you will gain experience in different tasks within short time frames.
Therefore, it is recommended that during the interview you mention that you:
- are good at and enjoy solving complex challenges.
- wish to interact and learn from the best in the company (mentors).
- would like to manage people (optional).
Scenario 2: Above-average Score on the PI Cognitive Assessment (24-27/50)
With an above-average score, the employer would still assume you’re more likely to be able to adapt to a changing environment, to learn quite quickly and to process multiple tasks simultaneously.
Quite interestingly, the PI company informs employers that candidates who have an above-average score may have potential future behavioural issues if not stimulated enough at work! They specifically point at a long term impact of lack of motivation.
Therefore, it is recommended that during the interview you mention that you:
- like new challenges.
- are motivated by the job’s scope and potential.
- are able to maintain high levels of productivity over a long time.
Scenario 3: Below-average Score on the PI Cognitive Assessment (0-18/50)
If you scored lower than average, first ask yourself the following questions:
Have you done your best on this test? Did you prepare in advance? Were you in the right mindset when you took the assessment? If the answer to these questions is Yes, then you can tell the interviewer something in the lines of:
“I’m not performing well on tests and/or under pressure, but when I’m taught a new skill and am given some time to practice it, I can master it and carry out tasks professionally, at a high standard.”
If the answer to these questions is No, then perhaps you’re not really interested in this job, or maybe there’s something else that bothers you which you should open up for discussion with a friend or counsellor.
Was there anything that prevented you from scoring higher and can be resolved easily on a second attempt? For example, you took the test in English, but your mother tongue is actually French, or you were constantly disturbed during the real assessment and had to leave the computer a few times.
If the answer to this question is Yes, then make sure to inform the recruiter/interviewer as soon as possible and ask for a second round of testing to prove that you can perform much better.
I managed to find this goldmine resource by the Predictive Index company. It’s called PlayBook.
If you have the time, then you can get into the interviewer’s seat! That’s a very efficient way to prepare for your PI Interview. Look under the Conducting the Interview section, that’s where you’ll find all the goodies 🙂
PI Cognitive Assessment Interview Questions & Answers
Below I’ve highlighted some of the most important interview questions that show up on the official PI document (page 5/5). You can expand each question and see a list of interview preparation resources that provide answers to these questions. Hopefully, this will also help you prepare for the interview that will follow your PI cognitive assessment session.
What types of things do you learn quickly and what types of things take you longer to learn?
This question wants to assess your learning style. Here’s a nice resource that provides a few answer options for learning style questions: https://www.mockquestions.com/interview/Behavioral/Tell-me-about-your-learning-style-and-study-patter-GQT23231971.html
Provide an example of a time when you had to solve a very complicated problem in a short amount of time.
This question wants to further assess your problem-solving abilities. Here are some good resources that offer ways to answer such a question:
https://biginterview.com/blog/2014/02/behavioral-interview-question-problem-solving.html
https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-problemsolving-questions-youll-get-in-an-interviewand-how-to-answer-each-one
Describe an experience in which something unexpected happened at work and you needed to quickly adapt
This question wants to further assess your ability to adapt to change.
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/interview-questions-about-working-for-a-new-company-2060969
Summary
I hope this blog article was helpful. If you haven’t taken the PI cognitive assessment yet, make sure to use my resources:
PI cognitive assessment practice: Prep course ($29)
*The article’s photo is by Charles ?? on Unsplash.
Comments
Very Interesting and really helps, anyone that is doing a Cognitive Aptitude assessment test this is an eye opener.
this assement are very usefull for my knowledge and my performance