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PI Cognitive Assessment sample questions, explained

All nine question types of the PI Cognitive Assessment, with four answer choices (three on formal logic), each answered and explained. Tap an answer to check yourself.

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50 questions, 12 minutes, in the PI Cognitive Assessment format. Free, no sign-up.

Written by TimedPrep in the format of the PI Cognitive Assessment. These are practice questions, not questions from the real test.

Verbal

Analogies

Turn the first pair into a short sentence ("an author writes a novel") and drop the third word into the same sentence.

Sample · Analogies · by TimedPrep

CORK is to BOTTLE as LID is to ___

  1. glass
  2. shelf
  3. jam
  4. jar

Answer: D. A cork closes a bottle; a lid closes a jar. Fast method: turn the first pair into a short sentence, then drop the third word into the same sentence and test each option.

Antonyms (opposites)

Think of your own opposite before you read the choices. One choice usually means the same as the word: that is the trap.

Sample · Antonyms · by TimedPrep

Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to: SHRINK

  1. fold
  2. shrivel
  3. grow
  4. reduce

Answer: C. Shrink means to become smaller, so its opposite is "grow". Watch for options that mean the SAME as the word: they are the usual trap. Fast method: think of your own opposite before reading the options, then find the closest match.

Logic statements (true / false / cannot tell)

Accept the statements as true, even if they sound odd, and sketch them. If you can draw the situation two ways, the answer is "cannot tell".

Sample · Logic statements · by TimedPrep

Assume the first two statements are true. All welders are first-aid volunteers. Mona is a welder. Mona is a first-aid volunteer. The third statement is:

  1. True
  2. False
  3. Uncertain

Answer: A. Everyone in the first group is in the second, and Mona is in the first group. The third statement is true. Fast method: a rule about a whole group lets you move a member of that group forward into the second group, never backward from the second group into the first.

Numerical

Number series

Check the differences between neighbors first. If the numbers jump up and down, read every other number: two series woven together.

Sample · Number series · by TimedPrep

What number comes next in the series? 16, 8, 4, 2, 1, ?

  1. 0.25
  2. 0.5
  3. 1.5
  4. 2.5

Answer: B. Each number is divided by 2. 1 ÷ 2 = 0.5. Fast method: a series that shrinks faster at the start than at the end is a division, not a subtraction.

Word problems

Round first and look at how far apart the choices are. Calculate exactly only when two choices are close.

Sample · Word problems · by TimedPrep

How many minutes does it take to drive 70 miles at a steady 40 miles per hour?

  1. 90
  2. 95
  3. 105
  4. 110

Answer: C. Time = 70 ÷ 40 = 1.75 hours = 105 minutes. Fast method: at 40 mph you cover 1 mile every 1.5 minutes; multiply by 70.

Lowest value

Put every choice into the same form before you compare: all decimals, or all fractions over one easy base.

Sample · Number comparison · by TimedPrep

Which of these values is the smallest?

  1. 31%
  2. 0.706
  3. 1/20
  4. 0.477

Answer: C. Turn everything into decimals: 66% = 0.66, 31% = 0.31, 1/20 = 0.05. The smallest is 1/20. Fast method: compare each value with 1/2 first to throw out most options, then convert only the survivors.

Abstract

Figure series

Follow one element across the frames (a dot, an arrow, a shading), cross out the choices that get it wrong, then check a second element.

Sample · Figure series · by TimedPrep

Which figure comes next in the series?

    Answer: A. The arrow turns 90° clockwise each step, and its color switches between solid and unfilled. Fast method: follow ONE element across the frames, eliminate the options that get it wrong, then check the second element.

    Figure analogies

    Say in words what changed from the first figure to the second (turned, shaded, a part added) and apply exactly that change to the third.

    Sample · Figure analogies · by TimedPrep

    The first figure is changed into the second. Which option shows the third figure changed in the same way?

      Answer: D. From the first figure to the second, the shape is turned 90° clockwise. Apply exactly the same change to the third figure. Fast method: name the change in words before you look at the options, then check each part of it.

      Common features

      Name what the two figures on top share, then read the question carefully: it asks for the figure that does not share it.

      Sample · Common features · by TimedPrep

      The two figures on top share a common feature. Which figure below does NOT share that feature?

        Answer: D. The two figures on top differ in every way except one: they have the same number of shapes. Three of the options share it; the answer is the one that does not. Fast method: list what the two top figures have in common (shape, shading, count); there is only one thing, so test just that on the options.

        Now try them against the clock

        On the real test you get 14.4 seconds a question, with the types mixed together. Knowing the method is half of it; the other half is the pace.

        Free PI Cognitive Assessment practice test. 50 questions on a 12-minute clock, no sign-up. Score, estimated standing and where your time went.

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        More: the full PI Cognitive Assessment guide (format, rules, scoring and a plan for the last two days) · the free PI Cognitive Assessment practice test.

        Common questions

        Are these real PI Cognitive Assessment questions?

        No. They are practice questions written by us in the PI Cognitive Assessment format: the same question types and the same number of answer choices. The questions on your test come from the publisher's own bank, which is not public.

        How many questions are on the PI Cognitive Assessment and how long is it?

        50 questions in 12 minutes, about 14.4 seconds a question. Most people do not reach the end, so pace matters as much as method.

        How do I practice these against the clock?

        Take the free PI Cognitive Assessment practice test: 50 questions on a 12-minute clock, no sign-up. When the clock stops you see your score and which question types cost you the most time.