PI Cognitive Assessment (Predictive Index) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: All systems updated last night are secure. The main accounting system was not updated last night. Which of the following statements must be true?

Only systems updated last night are secure.
No certain conclusion can be drawn about the security of the main accounting system. (Correct answer)
The main accounting system is not secure.
Some systems that are not secure were not updated last night.

Correct answer: No certain conclusion can be drawn about the security of the main accounting system.

The first statement says that if a system was updated, then it is secure (A -> B). The second statement says the accounting system was not updated (Not A). This scenario is a logical fallacy known as 'denying the antecedent.' We cannot logically conclude anything about the security of the accounting system. It might be secure for other reasons, or it might not be. Therefore, no certain conclusion can be drawn.

Question 2: Passage: 'Leadership style should be adaptive, shifting based on the experience level and motivation of team members. A highly directive approach works well for novices, while experienced professionals often perform better with greater autonomy.' What does the passage suggest about effective leadership?

Novice workers should be given full autonomy
Leadership should adapt to the team's experience and motivation (Correct answer)
Leaders should always use the same management style
Experienced workers require more direct supervision

Correct answer: Leadership should adapt to the team's experience and motivation

The passage explicitly states leadership style should be adaptive based on team members' experience and motivation.

Question 3: What comes next: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, ___?

45
63 (Correct answer)
62
47

Correct answer: 63

Each term is double the previous plus 1: 1×2+1=3, 3×2+1=7, 7×2+1=15, 15×2+1=31, 31×2+1=63.

Question 4: Passage: 'Escalation of commitment, sometimes called the "sunk cost fallacy," occurs when individuals continue to invest resources into a failing course of action because of the resources already committed. Rational decision-making requires evaluating future potential independently of past investments.' According to the passage, rational decision-making requires:

Always seeking the opinion of others before deciding
Evaluating future potential without regard to past investments (Correct answer)
Honoring past investments by following through on commitments
Avoiding all decisions that involve financial risk

Correct answer: Evaluating future potential without regard to past investments

The passage states rational decision-making means evaluating future potential independently of (not influenced by) past investments.

Question 5: In a class of 40 students, 22 play basketball, 18 play soccer, and 6 play neither sport. How many students play both basketball and soccer?

6 (Correct answer)
8
10
4

Correct answer: 6

Students who play at least one sport = 40 − 6 = 34. Using inclusion-exclusion: Both = Basketball + Soccer − At least one = 22 + 18 − 34 = 6.

Question 6: Consider the following set of three abstract relationships: [A->B, B->C], [X->Y, Y->Z], [M->N, N->O]. Which of the following items shares the same structural characteristic?

[G->H, H->I] (Correct answer)
[K->L, K->M]
[D->E, F->E]
[P->Q, R->S]

Correct answer: [G->H, H->I]

The common feature in the set is a linear, transitive sequence where the second element of the first pair is the first element of the second pair (e.g., A leads to B, and B leads to C). The relationship [G->H, H->I] is the only option that follows this exact sequential pattern. The other options show two disconnected pairs, a divergent relationship from one point, and a convergent relationship to one point.

Question 7: If some teachers are musicians and all musicians are creative, which must be true?

All creative people are musicians
No teachers are creative
All teachers are creative
Some teachers are creative (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Some teachers are creative

Some teachers are musicians, and all musicians are creative. Therefore, those teachers who are musicians must be creative — meaning some teachers are creative.

Question 8: Which word is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to BOLSTER?

Support
Reinforce
Strengthen
Undermine (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Undermine

Bolster means to support or strengthen; undermine means to weaken or erode.

Question 9: What comes next in the pattern: AZ, BY, CX, DW, ___?

FV
EU
EV (Correct answer)
EX

Correct answer: EV

The first letter advances forward (A,B,C,D,E) while the second letter moves backward (Z,Y,X,W,V). Next: EV.

Question 10: If sales exceed target, the team gets a bonus. If the team gets a bonus, morale improves. Sales did not exceed the target. What can be said about morale?

Morale did not improve
Morale always improves
Morale may or may not have improved (Correct answer)
Morale improved

Correct answer: Morale may or may not have improved

The chain only guarantees improvement when sales exceed target; other factors could affect morale.

Question 11: What feature is common to AUTOBIOGRAPHY, MEMOIR, DIARY, and JOURNAL?

They are all fictional works
They are all written by professional authors
They are all published books
They all describe someone's personal experiences (Correct answer)

Correct answer: They all describe someone's personal experiences

All four are forms of writing that record personal experiences and events from the writer's own life.

Question 12: AUTHOR is to NOVEL as COMPOSER is to:

Poem
Symphony (Correct answer)
Sculpture
Painting

Correct answer: Symphony

An author creates a novel just as a composer creates a symphony.

Question 13: Choose the word that best completes: 'The professor's lecture was so _____ that students struggled to follow along.'

Straightforward
Convoluted (Correct answer)
Simple
Clear

Correct answer: Convoluted

Convoluted means overly complex and hard to understand, which explains why students struggled.

Question 14: If no Blips are Blops, and all Blops are Blaps, which must be true?

All Blaps are Blips
No Blips are Blaps
All Blips are Blaps
Some Blaps are not Blips (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Some Blaps are not Blips

Since all Blops are Blaps but no Blips are Blops, Blops (which are Blaps) are not Blips, so some Blaps are not Blips.

Question 15: A school has 500 students. If 60% participate in sports and 40% of those sports participants are girls, how many girls participate in sports?

200
120 (Correct answer)
100
150

Correct answer: 120

Sports participants = 500 x 0.60 = 300. Girls in sports = 300 x 0.40 = 120.

Question 16: A report detailed the CLANDESTINE activities of a rival company. Which word is an antonym for 'clandestine'?

Overt (Correct answer)
Secret
Hidden
Covert

Correct answer: Overt

'Clandestine' means kept secret or done secretively. [2, 5] 'Overt' means done or shown openly; not secret or hidden, making it the direct antonym. [3, 19] 'Secret', 'Covert', and 'Hidden' are all synonyms.

Question 17: A symbol sequence uses ★, ●, ■ repeating in groups of three. What is the 20th symbol?

● (Correct answer)
■
Cannot be determined
★

Correct answer: ●

20 ÷ 3 = 6 remainder 2, so the 20th symbol is the 2nd in the cycle: ●.

Question 18: What comes next: 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, ___?

243
196
216 (Correct answer)
256

Correct answer: 216

Each term is a perfect cube: 1³=1, 2³=8, 3³=27, 4³=64, 5³=125, 6³=216.

Question 19: Observe the sequence of figures. Which of the answer choices is the correct next figure in the series? The series progresses as follows: Figure 1 is a large square containing a small black circle in the top-left corner. Figure 2 is a large square containing a small black circle in the top-right corner and a small white circle in the top-left corner. Figure 3 is a large square containing a small black circle in the bottom-right corner, a small white circle in the top-right corner, and a small black circle in the top-left corner.

A large square with a black circle in the bottom-left, a white circle in the bottom-right, a black circle in the top-right, and a white circle in the top-left. (Correct answer)
A large square with a white circle in the bottom-left, a black circle in the bottom-right, a white circle in the top-right, and a black circle in the top-left.
A large square with a black circle in the bottom-left, a white circle in the bottom-right, and a black circle in the top-right.
A large square with only a black circle in the bottom-left corner.

Correct answer: A large square with a black circle in the bottom-left, a white circle in the bottom-right, a black circle in the top-right, and a white circle in the top-left.

The pattern has two rules. First, the original black circle moves 90 degrees clockwise to the next corner in each step. Second, a new circle is added in the corner that the original black circle just vacated. The color of the newly added circle alternates, starting with white, then black, then white, and so on. In Figure 4, the original black circle moves to the bottom-left. A new, white circle is added in its previous position (the bottom-right). This results in four circles in total.

Question 20: Find the missing number: 4, 9, 16, 25, ___, 49

30
40
36 (Correct answer)
32

Correct answer: 36

The series is perfect squares (2², 3², 4², 5², 6², 7²), so the missing term is 6² = 36.

Question 21: If shapes rotate 90° clockwise each step: ↑ → → ↓ → ←, what comes after ←?

↑ (Correct answer)
↓
←
→

Correct answer: ↑

After four 90° clockwise rotations the arrow completes a full cycle and returns to ↑.

Question 22: In a group of 30 people, 18 speak English, 15 speak French, and 5 speak neither. How many speak both languages?

3
8 (Correct answer)
10
5

Correct answer: 8

People who speak at least one language: 30 - 5 = 25. Using inclusion-exclusion: 18 + 15 - both = 25, so both = 8.

Question 23: What is the missing number: 6, 11, 21, 41, ___, 161?

91
81 (Correct answer)
71
61

Correct answer: 81

Each term is found by doubling the previous term and subtracting 1: 41×2−1 = 81.

Question 24: What is the next term: 2, 5, 10, 17, 26, ___?

37 (Correct answer)
39
33
35

Correct answer: 37

The differences are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 — odd numbers increasing by 2, so 26 + 11 = 37.

Question 25: Each figure in a series shows an arrow rotating 90° clockwise per step, while the number of tick marks crossing the arrow shaft increases by one each step. Figure 1: arrow points right, 1 tick mark. Figure 2: arrow points down, 2 tick marks. Figure 3: arrow points left, 3 tick marks. What does Figure 5 show?

Arrow pointing up with 4 tick marks
Arrow pointing right with 5 tick marks (Correct answer)
Arrow pointing left with 4 tick marks
Arrow pointing down with 5 tick marks

Correct answer: Arrow pointing right with 5 tick marks

The arrow rotates 90° clockwise each step: right→down→left→up→right. Figure 5 completes a full 360° rotation and returns to pointing right. Tick marks increase by 1 each step, so Figure 5 has 5 tick marks.

Question 26: Which is larger: 40% of 3/5, or 3/5 of 40%?

Cannot be determined
They are equal (Correct answer)
40% of 3/5
3/5 of 40%

Correct answer: They are equal

Multiplication is commutative: 0.40 × 0.60 = 0.60 × 0.40 = 0.24 in both cases.

Question 27: What is the next number: 5, 10, 8, 16, 14, 28, ___?

24
56
26 (Correct answer)
30

Correct answer: 26

The pattern alternates: ×2 then −2, so 28 − 2 = 26.

Question 28: A car's value depreciates by 20% each year. If it's worth $25,000 today, what will it be worth after 2 years?

$15,000
$18,000
$17,000
$16,000 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: $16,000

After year 1: $25,000 × 0.8 = $20,000; after year 2: $20,000 × 0.8 = $16,000.

Question 29: A clock shows 3:15. What is the angle between the hour and minute hands?

15 degrees
0 degrees
90 degrees
7.5 degrees (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 7.5 degrees

At 3:15, the minute hand is at 90° (pointing at 3). The hour hand has moved past 3 by 1/4 of the way to 4, which is 7.5° past the 90° mark. The angle between them is 7.5°.

Question 30: To persist is to persevere, just as to reject

Tolerate
Deny (Correct answer)
Insist
Inject

Correct answer: Deny

This is a synonym analogy. 'To persist' means to continue steadfastly, which is synonymous with 'to persevere.' Similarly, 'to reject' means to dismiss or refuse to accept, and a synonym for this action is 'to deny.' Both pairs represent words with very similar meanings.

Question 31: What comes next: 100, 81, 64, 49, 36, ___?

30
25 (Correct answer)
20
16

Correct answer: 25

These are perfect squares in descending order: 10², 9², 8², 7², 6², 5²=25.

Question 32: Five books are stacked. Book A is above Book B. Book C is between A and B. Book D is on top. Book E is below B. From top to bottom, what is the order?

D, C, A, B, E
D, A, C, B, E (Correct answer)
A, D, C, B, E
D, A, B, C, E

Correct answer: D, A, C, B, E

D is on top. A is above B with C between them: A, C, B. E is below B. Order: D, A, C, B, E.

Question 33: What is the next term: 10, 10, 20, 60, 240, ___?

1200 (Correct answer)
720
1440
480

Correct answer: 1200

Multiply by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — the next multiplier is 5, so 240 × 5 = 1200.

Question 34: A series reads: 7, 14, 28, 56, ___. What comes next?

96
102
120
112 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 112

Each term doubles the previous one, so 56 × 2 = 112.

Question 35: 4, 9, 16, 25 — what rule connects these to 2, 3, 4, 5?

Addition
Squaring (Correct answer)
Division
Multiplication

Correct answer: Squaring

Each number in the first series is the square of the corresponding number in the second series.

Question 36: HYPOTHESIS, THEORY, LAW, and EXPERIMENT are all part of which common field?

They are all mathematical principles
They are all types of research papers
They are all philosophical concepts
They are all components of the scientific method (Correct answer)

Correct answer: They are all components of the scientific method

Hypothesis, theory, law, and experiment are all key components of the scientific method used to investigate and understand the natural world.

Question 37: Exactly three people — X, Y, Z — are standing in a line. X is not first. Z is not last. Y is not second. What is the order?

Z, Y, X
X, Y, Z
Y, Z, X
Z, X, Y (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Z, X, Y

Z must be first or second; since Y is not second and X is not first, the order is Z, X, Y.

Question 38: A series of figures shows a star gaining one point each step: 4-point, 5-point, 6-point, ___-point.

8
9
7 (Correct answer)
6

Correct answer: 7

Each figure gains one point, so after a 6-point star comes a 7-point star.

Question 39: Compare 1/3 + 1/4 with 1/2. Which is greater?

They are equal
1/3 + 1/4 (Correct answer)
Cannot be determined
1/2

Correct answer: 1/3 + 1/4

1/3 + 1/4 = 4/12 + 3/12 = 7/12 ≈ 0.583, which is greater than 1/2 = 0.500.

Question 40: Three sequences are shown: 2-4-6, 10-12-14, 8-10-12. What rule do all three sequences share?

Numbers increase by 2 (Correct answer)
All numbers are under 20
Each number is even
First number is even

Correct answer: Numbers increase by 2

In all three sequences, each subsequent number increases by 2. While all numbers happen to be even, the common structural rule is the increment of 2.

Question 41: A store sells 3 types of bags priced at $12, $18, and $24. A customer buys 2 of each type. What is the total cost?

$72
$108 (Correct answer)
$84
$96

Correct answer: $108

2×$12 + 2×$18 + 2×$24 = $24 + $36 + $48 = $108.

Question 42: Assumptions: Tickets in economy class are all inexpensive. No Christmas-sale tickets may be canceled. Tickets that cannot be changed cost a lot of money. Conclusion: No economy class tickets are Christmas sale tickets.

Correct (Correct answer)
On the basis of the information at hand, cannot be determined
Incorrect

Correct answer: Correct

Let's analyze the premises: (1) Economy class tickets are inexpensive. (2) Christmas-sale tickets are not cancellable. (3) Tickets that cannot be changed are expensive. From (3), the contrapositive is: if a ticket is inexpensive, it is changeable. Combining this with (1), we get: Economy Class -> Inexpensive -> Changeable. From (2), Christmas Sale -> Not Cancellable. If we assume 'not cancellable' implies 'not changeable' (a common interpretation in such puzzles, as both relate to restrictions), then Christmas Sale -> Not Changeable. From (3), Not Changeable -> Expensive. Therefore, Christmas Sale -> Expensive. Since Economy Class tickets are Inexpensive and Christmas Sale tickets are Expensive, they cannot be the same, so no economy class tickets are Christmas sale tickets. The conclusion is correct.

Question 43: SUMMIT is to MOUNTAIN as MOUTH is to:

Valley
Ocean
Lake
River (Correct answer)

Correct answer: River

The summit is the endpoint (top) of a mountain just as the mouth is the endpoint (outlet) of a river.

Question 44: Passage: 'Students who study more than 20 hours per week tend to achieve higher grades. However, students who study more than 40 hours per week show increased stress levels without proportional grade improvement.' Based on this, studying 25 hours per week likely results in:

Maximum possible grades
No improvement in grades
Severe stress and burnout
Higher grades with manageable stress (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Higher grades with manageable stress

25 hours falls in the 20-40 range: above the threshold for improved grades but below the level causing excessive stress.

Question 45: Look at these three groups of numbers: {3, 6, 9}, {5, 10, 15}, {7, 14, 21}. What rule do all three groups share?

Each group contains only odd numbers
Each number in a group is a multiple of the first number (Correct answer)
Each group sums to the same total
Each group has exactly four members

Correct answer: Each number in a group is a multiple of the first number

In every group, the second and third numbers are exact multiples (×2 and ×3) of the first number, so each group is a set of multiples of its starting value.

Question 46: Compare: the average of {4, 8, 12} vs. the average of {5, 7, 12}. Which is greater?

They are equal (Correct answer)
Average of {5, 7, 12} (8)
Cannot be determined
Average of {4, 8, 12} (8)

Correct answer: They are equal

(4+8+12)/3 = 24/3 = 8 and (5+7+12)/3 = 24/3 = 8, so both averages are equal.

Question 47: Five tasks must finish before task 6. Tasks 1 and 3 depend on task 2. Task 2 depends on task 4. What must be done first?

Task 6
Task 3
Task 1
Task 4 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Task 4

Task 4 has no listed dependencies and must precede task 2, which precedes tasks 1 and 3.

Question 48: Which word does NOT belong: Maple, Oak, Rose, Elm?

Elm
Rose (Correct answer)
Maple
Oak

Correct answer: Rose

Maple, Oak, and Elm are all trees, while Rose is a flowering shrub.

Question 49: Which word is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to NOVEL?

Original
Innovative
Fresh
Conventional (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Conventional

Novel means new and original; conventional means following accepted standards.

Question 50: COPPER, IRON, GOLD, and SILVER share which common feature?

They are all found in the same ore
They are all metals (Correct answer)
They are all precious metals
They all have the same melting point

Correct answer: They are all metals

Copper, iron, gold, and silver are all metals, though only gold and silver are classified as precious metals.

Question 51: All A are B. No B are C. Therefore:

All C are A
Some A are C
Some B are A
No A are C (Correct answer)

Correct answer: No A are C

All A fall within B, and no B are C, so no A can be C.

Question 52: What do the numbers 16, 25, and 36 have in common?

They are all even numbers
They are all perfect squares (Correct answer)
They are all divisible by 4
They are all prime numbers

Correct answer: They are all perfect squares

16 = 4², 25 = 5², 36 = 6². All three are perfect squares. Note that 25 is odd, so they're not all even, and 25 is not divisible by 4.

PI Cognitive Assessment (Predictive Index)

The PI Cognitive Assessment (Predictive Index) exam validates essential knowledge and skills required for certification or licensure in this field.

Questions

12 min

Time Limit

70%

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