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What is the Predictive Index?

The Predictive Index is W Talent Solutions’s “not-so-secret sauce.”

by Lauren Fenech

As a company, we reviewed many different types of psychometric tools. Predictive Index stood out the most to us because (1) it takes about five minutes to complete and it’s spooky, scary accurate, (2) it reveals a lot about our candidates before they even walk in the door for an interview, and (3) it helps us place candidates in roles that they are naturally hardwired for. 

The first part of The Predictive Index is the behavioral assessment.

The  behavioral assessment measures four key drives: 

  1. Dominance: the drive to influence people or work
  2. Extraversion: the drive for social interaction
  3. Patience: the drive for consistency and stability
  4. Formality: the drive to conform to rules and structure

We help our clients understand how “high” or “low” a person falls within these drives, and then they can predict how employees will carry themselves on the job. For example, someone with high formality will want a crystal clear understanding of the task at hand. This provides he/she with confidence and comfort in his/her role. Someone with low formality can take on a task with little to no direction and get started with ease. This individual is inherently flexible and is more concerned with the outcome of a task, rather than how the results are achieved. 

The second part of The Predictive Index is the cognitive assessment.

The cognitive assessment is timed at 12 minutes and there are 50 questions. Think of a sponge. The size of that sponge is how much knowledge the individual knows. How quickly this individual soaks up new information and processes – that is what the cognitive assessment measures. An individual with a high cognitive ability can naturally adapt to changing environments, and in doing so, will catch on to a new role and new processes more quickly than someone with a lower cognitive ability. A low cognitive ability certainly doesn’t mean a person isn’t intelligent, it just means it takes them longer to process new information. There are plenty of successful people out there that might not have the highest cognitive ability. 

So why use the Predictive Index?

Below are some ways that the tool has saved our clients time and money:

  1. It’s reliable and valid. It’s been tested and proven to measure what it says it measures! There is no need to use multiple assessments. In total, this assessment takes candidates 20 minutes for the behavioral and cognitive assessment combined. 
  2. It prevents turnover. Because you’ll be hiring employees who are naturally hardwired for his/her job, they will be more likely to stay in that role. The tool allows our clients to hire confidently and have the predictability of a long-term fit. 
  3. The cognitive assessment is perfect for high-stakes projects. When our clients need to assemble a team who can get up to speed fast and move quickly, we highly recommend utilizing the cognitive assessment. 

Want to try out the assessment for yourself? You can try it for here at no cost! Do you already know your Predictive Index type, but aren’t sure what that means for your career? Here are the best jobs for each Predictive Index type.

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