Pros and Cons of Predictive Index Assessments in Hiring

Hiring the right person has never been easy — and if you're reading this, you're probably weighing whether assessments can make that process any easier. Maybe someone recommended Predictive Index (PI). Or maybe you're just tired of relying on resumes and gut instinct and hoping for the best. Either way, you're wondering: is PI worth it?

As the founder of The Metiss Group and recovering HR professional, I’ve spent decades helping companies make smarter hiring decisions. Predictive Index was my first certification. I was genuinely impressed with how it added structure and insight to the hiring process. But over the years, I’ve seen both the strengths and the limitations of tools like this one. 

In this article, I’ll walk you through both — the good and the not-so-good — so you can make the best choice for your team (note: I’m reviewing the PI without the cognitive test).

What Is Predictive Index (and Why Use Assessments in Hiring?)

Predictive Index (PI) is a behavioral assessment that helps organizations understand how a person naturally operates: how they communicate, how they handle rules or structure, and how quickly they make decisions. The core idea is simple: if you know what a job requires and how a candidate behaves, you can make better hiring decisions.

I still remember my first exposure to PI. It completely shifted how I looked at the hiring process. Before then, I was doing behavior-based interviewing on instinct alone (what I call playing hiring detective). PI gave me a structured way to assess behavior that went deeper than just a resume or a good handshake.

Candidate assessments like PI have gained popularity because they offer something hiring managers are desperate for: clarity. 

Resumes can be inflated, interviews can be misleading, and first impressions are notoriously unreliable. Tools like PI aim to provide a more objective way to evaluate whether someone is a good fit—not just for the job, but for the team and company culture too.

The Pros of Predictive Index

Predictive Index has a few standout features that make it appealing to organizations looking for a simple, scalable entry point into behavioral assessments.

Fast and Easy for Candidates

One of PI’s biggest advantages is its simplicity. The behavioral assessment takes about 10 minutes for a candidate to complete. That low time commitment makes it easy to implement early in the hiring process without adding friction or delay.

Clear and Understandable Framework

PI evaluates four behavioral factors: dominance, extraversion, patience, and formality. This gives hiring teams a shared language for discussing candidates. You don’t need to be a psychologist to understand what it means when someone’s more dominant or detail-oriented. And if you're a hiring manager just trying to make better decisions without reading a 50-page report, PI won’t overwhelm you.

Job Targeting Feature

One unique feature of PI is the ability to create a “job target.” A manager takes the assessment on behalf of the role, defining the behavioral traits they believe are necessary. While this method depends heavily on the manager’s self-awareness and understanding of the job, it still provides a baseline to interview candidates against.

All-You-Can-Eat Pricing Model

Predictive Index offers unlimited assessments under a flat annual fee. This pricing structure encourages companies to assess broadly without worrying about incremental costs, which can be a major advantage during high-volume hiring or when building large teams.

Optional Cognitive Component

PI has added a cognitive assessment component similar in structure to the Wonderlic test. This can be helpful for evaluating how quickly someone processes information or adapts to new situations. While it’s not required, it gives hiring managers another data point to assess.

The Cons of Predictive Index

Despite its strengths, PI has some clear limitations that hiring teams should be aware of before adopting it as a core hiring tool.

Single-Science Limitations

While PI is effective in measuring behaviors, that’s all it measures. It does not assess workplace motivation, emotional intelligence, or values. 

Over time, I realized this limitation firsthand. I would see three candidates with nearly identical PI profiles, but I knew — just from talking to them — they were entirely different people. 

Humans are multi-dimensional. Once I began using multi-science assessments, it became clear behavior alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

Risk of Oversimplification and Labels

Because PI presents profiles in a simplified, visual way, there’s a tendency for hiring teams to over-rely on labels. 

I’ve seen companies say things like, “We only hire Mavericks for sales roles,” which reduces candidates to stereotypes and overlooks individual strengths. People are complex, and a one-dimensional snapshot can lead to pigeonholing or missed opportunities.

Potential Misuse as a Go/No-Go Filter

Because Predictive Index uses a flat annual pricing model, companies often send the assessment link to every qualified candidate early in the process, sometimes before they’ve even had a phone screen. From a cost perspective, it makes sense: you're not paying per assessment, so why not cast a wide net?

The problem is what happens next. Too often, hiring teams start treating the results as a go/no-go gate. If someone doesn’t match the job target exactly, they’re quickly screened out, without ever having a real conversation. 

People can adapt. Someone might not be a perfect behavioral fit on paper but could still thrive because of experience, motivation, or sharp problem-solving skills. 

And sometimes, the “ideal candidate” you think you’re looking for isn’t actually what the job needs. Behaviors don’t tell the whole story. I’ve seen fantastic leaders who were outgoing and charismatic — and others who were quiet, reflective, and led through deep one-on-one relationships. Both styles worked because leadership isn’t about fitting a behavioral mold. It’s about aligning the whole person to the role, the team, and the bigger picture.

Job Targeting Is Subjective

While PI offers a job-targeting feature, its accuracy depends heavily on who’s setting the benchmark. If the hiring manager lacks clarity or self-awareness, they may unintentionally inject personal bias into the job profile. And without a proven benchmarking process like the one we use at The Metiss Group, it’s difficult to validate whether the target actually reflects the needs of the role.

Challenges with Cognitive Testing

Although the cognitive piece is a welcome addition, it’s important to know what it’s really measuring. Cognitive capacity, IQ, EQ, and critical thinking are all distinct. If your team isn’t clear on what you're trying to assess, you could end up with misleading results or unintentional bias.

Final Thoughts

Predictive Index is a user-friendly tool that gives hiring teams a practical framework to evaluate candidate behaviors. It offers speed, accessibility, and a helpful starting point — especially for companies that have no assessment strategy in place.

But it’s not without its limits. PI looks at one slice of a person (how they behave) and ignores what motivates them at work, how they understand emotions, or whether they’ll grow into the role long-term. And when companies treat PI like a definitive answer instead of one piece of the puzzle, they risk making short-sighted hiring decisions.

At The Metiss Group, we use a multi-science approach, incorporating behavior, workplace motivation, and more to get a clearer picture of who someone really is.

Now that you understand the Pros/Cons of Predictive Index, next you should compare Predictive Index to the tool we use at The Metiss Group, TTI Success Insights TriMetrix.