PI Cognitive Assessment score: what is a good score?
A good PI Cognitive Assessment score is one at or above the target score the employer set for your role; there is no universal pass mark. Scores run from 100 to 450, the average is 250, and The Predictive Index says 250 corresponds to a raw score of about 20 correct answers out of 50.
Updated October 20, 2026 · by TimedPrep
- Scale: 100 to 450, in 10-point steps
- Average: 250, about 20 correct answers out of 50
- Pass mark: none; the employer sets a target score per role
- Wrong answers: do not count against you
- Your number: shared only if the employer chooses to
The scale: 100 to 450, average 250
Your raw score is the number of questions you answer correctly in 12 minutes. The employer does not use the raw number. It uses a scaled score from 100 to 450, reported in 10-point steps (Administrator's Guide).
The Predictive Index's blog on scores explains the anchor: the average scaled score is 250, which corresponds to a raw score of 20. The average was set during development on a reference group of more than 288,000 assessments, who scored 19.8 out of 50 on average. The same post describes the scaled score as a percentile rank of the raw scores. The one published example in the Administrator's Guide puts a score of 340 at the 86th percentile.
The full table that turns a raw score into a scaled one is not public, so nobody outside the publisher can tell you exactly which raw score gives, say, 300.
What counts as good: the target score
The employer decides. Before inviting candidates, the hiring team sets a cognitive target score for the role in its PI account. The blog explains how it is used:
- A score at or above the target gets the top match rating, ten. There is no penalty for being above it.
- A score below the target loses points on a sliding scale, so a little under is not the same as far under.
- The publisher does not recommend cut-off scores, and says the result should not be the only factor in a hiring decision.
The Administrator's Guide adds that when an employer has not chosen a job family, the starting target is the average, 250. The Predictive Index does not publish targets by job, and it asks employers not to call a score "good" or "bad", only a match or not a match. The prep-site tables of "PI scores by job" are their estimates; we do not repeat them. How the targets of the three common hiring tests compare is in what score is good for which job.
Free PI Cognitive Assessment practice test. 50 questions on a 12-minute clock, no sign-up. Score, estimated standing and where your time went.
Start the free testWhat the employer sees
The publisher's scoring page lists what is on the report:
| On the report | What the publisher says about it |
|---|---|
| Scaled score, at the top | The only number intended for decisions |
| Raw score and number attempted | Not for decisions; not comparable across test versions or extended-time sittings |
| Correct answers per category | Up to 16 verbal, 18 numerical and 16 abstract reasoning; not for decisions |
| Percentile rank | Shown for context only |
Because only the overall scaled score counts, a weak category does not sink you on its own. Every correct answer counts the same, wherever it comes from.
Raw score and rough standing: our estimate
Our practice result shows your raw score out of 50 and an estimated standing. The estimate assumes a bell curve around the publisher's average of about 20 correct, with a spread of 8.3 correct answers, which is our assumption; it is our estimate, not a PI table, and it does not convert to the 100 to 450 scale.
| Correct out of 50 | Share of people below, est. |
|---|---|
| 10 | 11% |
| 15 | 27% |
| 20 | 50% |
| 25 | 73% |
| 30 | 89% |
| 35 | 96% |
| 40 and above | 99% |
Read it as a sense of scale: near the middle, five more right answers move you past about a fifth of test takers.
How to raise your score in the time you have
The PI rules make a few habits worth several points:
- Answer everything. Wrong answers cost nothing, so a blank is the only answer that certainly scores zero. In the last 30 seconds, fill every gap you can see.
- Use the pages. The test shows five questions per page and lets you go back. Take the quick ones first and return to the slow ones.
- Keep a pace. 12 minutes for 50 questions is 14.4 seconds each. Aim to be around question 17 at minute 4 and question 33 at minute 8.
- Know the nine question types before the day, so no format costs you reading time. They are all in PI Cognitive Assessment sample questions.
More on pacing and guessing in 50 questions in 12 minutes; the format in full in the PI Cognitive Assessment guide.
Will you see your score?
Only if the employer shares it. The Administrator's Guide tells employers to say before the test whether results will be shared, and the publisher's own sample set gives no score. The way to know your level beforehand is a timed practice test in the same format, such as our free PI-format test. Our questions are written by us, so a practice score is a guide to your level, not a prediction of the publisher's number.