PLI Test Questions and Answers Explained: From an Official PLI PDF

Hi there, this is the second article in which we provide detailed explanations for official PLI Test questions and answers. The Professional Learning Indicator (PLI) is now known as the Predictive Index Learning Indicator (PI LI). Today we refer to the sample questions that appear in this PDF. If you’re looking for the more recent sample questions for the PILI, head over to our free PDF, called  PILI questions and answers explained but please note that it is best to review both articles in order to see as many example questions as possible.

Disclaimer: 12MINPREP is not affiliated nor belongs to the PI company which are the owners of the PILI test (formerly known as the PLI test). This website solely provides information on how to prepare for cognitive ability tests.

 

Explanations to Official PLI Sample Questions

In order to start, please open this webpage in a separate tab in your browser, or simply download it to your computer. Scroll to page 16, where you will find 9 sample questions, with no answers. 

Sample Question 1 – Number Series

Level of difficulty: ◒ Medium

3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | ?

Series	3	5	9	17	?
Difference		+2	+4	+8	+(8X2)
Logic		X2	X2	X2
?Solution: The differences between the numbers form a series, where each number is multiplied by 2. We thus need to multiply the last difference (8) by 2  as well, 8*2=16. And now add this to the last item in the original series: 17+16=33					33

 

Sample Question 2 – Number Value

Level of difficulty: ◔ Easy

1/2+1/4=3/4=0.75 The lowest value

0.51+0.3=0.81

0.3+1/2=0.3+0.5=0.8

0.26+0.61=0.87

 

Sample Question 3 – Math Word Problem

Level of difficulty: ◒ Medium

If we turn the sentences of this problem to equations, we can write:

X = total amount of surveyed customers

3/5X via email

60 via telephone

Therefore, 60 =2/5X

5*60=2X

5*30=X=150

 

Sample Question 4 – Antonyms

Level of difficulty: ◔ Easy

What’s the opposite of elated? Elated means thrilled, and the correct word with an opposite meaning is Dejected.

 

Sample Question 5 – Verbal Reasoning

Level of difficulty: ◒ Medium

The sample question starts with the sentence “Sally laughs every time the bell rings”.

?Solution: We are presented with two assumptions, which makes it easier to digest.
The first assumption can be rephrased to:
Bell rings → Sally Laughs
Bell rang twice – sally laughs twice

However, we weren’t told if Sally only laughs when the bell rings. She might be laughing when other things occur as well. Therefore, we can only be certain of two cases, which leads us to choose answer choice B.

 

Sample Question 6 – Analogies

Level of difficulty: ◒ Medium

Car is to convertible as artist is to ….
The options are painter; sculpture; sedan; oil

It’s easier to describe the relation by starting with the second term.
Convertible is a type of car. Since we switched places, we must keep this order when inspecting the next pair of words.

“X is a type of artist”. The only answer that fits this relationship is painter. Sculpture is the only potential distractor that may trick people whose mother-tongue language is not English or are just in a rush during the test.

Tip: Test samples are usually easy and do not fully represent the real test’s difficulty levels. It does not mean the real test will not include easy-level questions, but it does mean you should prepare to see more complex ideas popping up in the real test, and this is exactly where paid practice resources are worth every bit.

Sample Question 7 –  Shape Analogies

Level of difficulty: ◔ Easy

The question presents this pair of images:

The second image is the three-dimensional form of the first image, which is a parallelogram.
Therefore, when being presented with a circle/ellipse, we should expect to see a cylinder. However, there are two cylinders in the answer options. Answer choice B is the correct answer because it maintains the same direction in space. Answer choice C should be paired with a circle/ellipse with a 90-degree rotation.

Answer choice B’s paired image:

Answer choice C’s paired image

 

Sample Question 8 – Shape Series

Level of difficulty: ◔ Easy

Here we are presented with a sequence of arrows:

The first arrow rotated 90° counterclockwise. The second arrow also rotated 90° counterclockwise. So we should expect the next arrow to point downwards. Therefore, answer choice C is the correct answer.

→  ↑  ← ….. ↓

 

Sample Question 9 – Common Features

Level of difficulty: ◕ Advanced

Here are the 6 images that show up in the question. While the question asks which shape does not belong with the first two, we can just ask, which image is the odd-one-out? We can do that because if there’s only one distractor that doesn’t share a common feature, the rest of the distractors necessarily share that feature!  

When looking at these shapes, the first thing that comes to mind is to count the number of sides each shape has. There’s a rectangle(4), a hexagon (6), a triangle (3), a pentagon (5), a rhombus (4). So nothing consistent or a numerical rule that shines out. One could claim that the triangle is the odd-one-out because it’s the only shape with less than 4 sides.

Another option is if we take a look at the shapes again, there’s one thing in which the rhombus is different, and that is its position on the page. It’s the only shape that “stands” on its vertex, while all other shapes stand on their sides. I would, therefore, pick the rhombus.

But you’re probably asking, how can I decide which rule is stronger? As there is no official answer to this question (the file does not provide it) we will try to explain why the rhombus is, in fact, the odd-one-out, and not the triangle.

The proposed common feature of having more than 4 sides is problematic because it does not cause all those shapes to follow a concrete rule which cannot be violated. If the rule is “more than 3 sides”, we could have endless members in this group. But when we choose to focus on the position, we get 5 members of the group following the EXACT same feature. And that’s what it’s all about. Find the most general rule which applies to all items.

 

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