How to Prepare for the Predictive Index Test

A Predictive Index Test is a personality test that companies give to evaluate how well a candidate will fit with their company. The two main types of predictive index tests are the Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment (PICA) and the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment (PIBA).

The PICA tests a candidate’s cognitive ability to help the employer determine how quickly a potential new employee will learn new skills if they’re hired. It also helps them evaluate how likely an employee is to excel in a specific role. The PIBA is focused on evaluating the candidate’s personality and consider how well they will fit into a company’s culture. It also offers insight into how well they will succeed in the role and workplace environment.

Learn More: 10 Career Quizzes to Help You Find a New Job for the New Year

Follow these steps to prepare for your predictive index assessment:

1. Research the company

Before taking either of the Predictive Index Tests, it can be helpful to first spend some time researching the company you’re considering working for. This can help you to learn more about the organization’s strategy, its customers, and the people who work there. While you always want to give honest answers to the questions, if you know information about the organization and its values, you can understand which of your strengths might be most important to them, which can help you better prepare.

2. Practice

If you’re preparing for the PICA test, the best thing you can do is to practice. There are a lot of online resources available that provide practice tests. One of the keys to effectively practicing for this test is to mimic the conditions in which you’ll take the test as much as possible. This means setting a time limit for yourself to help you understand how well you will perform when under the pressure of time constraints.

If you’re preparing for the PIBA, the Behavioral Assessment, preparing can be a bit more challenging, since ultimately the employer is just looking to understand your behavior and what motivates you. That said, taking practice tests can help you feel more relaxed and confident since you’ll know what to expect when you sit down to take the test.

3. Review your results

If you took a practice test for the PICA test, review your results to better understand areas where you performed well and where you may need to work a bit more on your skills. Once you identify areas in which you need to improve, you can then work on those in detail before you re-take the practice test. The more practice tests you take and the more time you spend working on those areas, the more confident you will be on the day you take the actual test.

When you’re reviewing your test results, start by reviewing the answers you got wrong and identifying why exactly you got them wrong. For example, it’s possible that you just didn’t know the answer because of the type of question. However, it’s also possible that you made a mistake because you were rushing. Be honest with yourself about the reason why you missed the question.

Next, review the questions you got right. This will help you increase your confidence levels and give you insight into the areas where you don’t need additional practice. Keep an eye out for questions you guessed at and got correct. For the sake of practice, you should consider these guesses as incorrect and work on them later to reduce the likelihood that you’ll have to guess in the future.

Learn More: Beating the Test: How to Master the Pre-Employment Assessment

• Avoid distractions: If you’re preparing for the Predictive Index Test, it’s important to find a location to practice where you won’t be disturbed by family, pets, or others. Put your phone on silent and even away from you so that it won’t cause a distraction when you’re taking a practice test.
• Take proper care of yourself: A good night’s rest can have a big impact on your performance. Be intentional about going to bed early the night before the test to get at least eight hours of sleep. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast as well so you can focus on the task at hand more easily.
• Practice specific skills: After taking your first practice test you should have a general idea of the areas of your performance that you need to improve upon the most. Then make those areas the primary focus of your practice to have the greatest impact on your overall test score.
• Identify shortcuts: One of the most challenging aspects of this test is being able to complete it within the allotted amount of time, which is why it’s important to use shortcuts whenever possible. For example, if you aren’t sure about an answer, use the process of elimination to identify the ones that definitely aren’t right and then make the best choice from there.