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The Methodology

What is Predictive Index?

The Predictive Index (PI) is a workplace behavioral assessment developed in 1955 and continuously validated since. It measures four core behavioral drives: Dominance (the need to exert influence), Extraversion (the need for social interaction), Patience (the need for consistency and stability), and Formality (the need for structure and process).

PI has two main components. The Behavioral Assessment takes roughly six minutes using a free-choice stimulus-response format — not forced-choice ranking. The Cognitive Assessment, which takes twelve minutes, measures learning agility. Used together, they give organizations a data-driven view of how a person will behave at work and how quickly they can learn in a specific role.

PI is purpose-built for talent decisions. It is EEOC-compliant, validated across thousands of organizations and role types, and designed to be administered repeatedly without test-learning distortion. Source: The Predictive Index.

Who is it best for?

PI works best for organizations making frequent hiring decisions and wanting a structured, data-informed process. It is especially powerful for companies scaling management layers — PI's reference profiles help managers understand how to motivate and retain each direct report based on their behavioral pattern.

Companies that benefit most are typically in growth mode (Series A through mid-market), experiencing high early-stage turnover, or building new functions from scratch. PI's Job Assessment feature lets teams define the behavioral profile of the ideal candidate before reviewing any résumés.

What to expect in an engagement

A typical PI engagement runs 8–16 weeks. It begins with a leadership workshop where executives and managers learn to read behavioral profiles. This is followed by baseline assessments of the existing team, job benchmarking for open roles, and a debrief series where findings are translated into management and hiring actions.

Ongoing PI retainers are common for organizations making three or more hires per quarter. Many companies embed a PI consultant as a talent advisor who reviews candidate profiles before final interviews and coaches managers through difficult personnel decisions.

Fit Check

Is Predictive Index Right for Your Team?

This methodology works best when:

✓ You're making multiple hires per quarter and want to reduce time-to-productivity
✓ Your managers struggle to adapt their style to different employees
✓ You have a high-performing team you want to replicate — or a struggling team you want to diagnose
✓ You're designing new roles and want to define behavioral requirements before writing job descriptions
✓ You want to cut early-stage turnover by improving role-fit before extending offers

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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Predictive Index legally defensible for hiring?

Yes. PI is EEOC-compliant and independently validated across a wide range of job types and industries. It must be used as one factor among several — not as the sole hiring criterion. A certified PI consultant will walk your team through proper usage guidelines and help document your process for compliance.

How long does the PI assessment take?

The PI Behavioral Assessment takes approximately 6 minutes. The PI Cognitive Assessment takes 12 minutes. Individual debriefs with a consultant typically run 45–90 minutes, depending on the depth of discussion and seniority of the role.

How does PI compare to DISC?

Both measure workplace behavior, but PI is specifically designed for repeated use in talent decisions and includes a job benchmarking tool. DISC focuses more on communication styles and is typically used in team workshops. Many organizations use both.

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