Viewing and interpreting cognitive fit data

This article applies to Hire users with cognitive access in the PI2 platform.

Once you've set a Cognitive Target for your job and sent the Cognitive Assessment to candidates, cognitive fit data will begin to populate as applicants complete the assessment.

Learn how to view and interpret a candidate's cognitive fit data in this article.

How to view a candidate's cognitive fit data

Log in to the PI software.
Select Hire from the top navigation bar.
You will land on the Hiring Center.
Search for and select the relevant job.
Select the "Candidates" tab (if not already selected).
Here, you will see a list of candidates associated with the job.
Under the header labeled "Cognitive Fit," you will see an overall rating of each candidate's cognitive fit (either cautionary, moderate, or strong).

Note: If you see a numerical number instead of colored bars, it means your organization admin has enabled the "Numerical" display for this data. There is no difference in the cognitive results or underlying science between these views; they're purely aesthetic.
At any time, you can filter cognitive fit ratings by clicking "Minimum Cognitive Fit" on the left-hand side, then selecting a minimum threshold.

Tip: You can use this filter together with the "Minimum Behavioral Fit" filter. Doing so will allow you to incorporate both data points when assessing potential strong-fit candidates.

Viewing Cognitive Fit from this page is useful for identifying candidates with potential strong fit ratings for the job.

That said, you'll likely also want to see more detailed information on a candidate's cognitive results.

To see more detailed cognitive fit data:

Click on a candidate's name.
You will land on that candidate's page.
Select "Cognitive Target Fit" on the left-hand side.
You will land on the candidate's Cognitive Target Fit page. Here, you will see all cognitive data associated with the candidate.

What data is included on the Cognitive Target Fit page?

The Cognitive Target Fit page includes the following insights on a candidate:

Cognitive Target Fit

View the candidate's exact cognitive score, as well as how that score compares to the job's target score.

Expand the "Cognitive Subscores" section, and you'll see a summary of the candidate's cognitive results in relation to three question categories: verbal, numeric, and abstract reasoning.

For each category, you'll see a breakdown of the number correct, missed (i.e., incorrect), and unanswered.

Further down the page, you'll find a section titled "Responsible use," which provides general pointers on how to use PI data responsibility when hiring.

The final section on this page, "Multiple attempts," allows you to resend the Cognitive Assessment so the candidate can take it a second (or a third) time.

Learn more about allowing multiple Cognitive Assessment attempts.

FAQs

General questions

I'm not sure how to interpret a candidate's cognitive data. What now?

A good starting point is to review our Introduction to the PI Cognitive Assessment guide. This resource explains how the Cognitive Assessment was created, how to administer it, and how to interpret the results.

Is the number of cognitive questions attempted relevant when interpreting the results?

No. A candidate's cognitive score is based solely on the number of questions answered correctly — not the number attempted or answered incorrectly.

While we offer this information under the "Cognitive Subscores" section, we do so only for informational purposes. If two candidates have an identical cognitive score, their results are equally valid relative to the Job Target and should be treated as such, regardless of their individual subscores.

Learn more about how to interpret Cognitive Assessment results.

When should I allow a candidate to retake the Cognitive Assessment?

Learn more about allowing multiple Cognitive Assessment attempts.

Is it possible to sort/filter by cognitive fit data?

No. It is not possible to sort or filter by cognitive fit data (or by Cognitive Score) in this view. This is an intentional design decision, as the presence of a cognitive fit filter might introduce hiring biases, such as only hiring for a specific cognitive benchmark.

Instead, we strongly recommend considering cognitive fit as only one data piece in your hiring process. Also consider a candidate's behavioral fit, as well as any insights gained from structured interviews.

I'd like to share my screen in Hire with a colleague, while presenting in a meeting, etc. Is it possible to hide cognitive data beforehand?

No. Currently, it is not possible for a Hire user with cognitive access to hide that data from their software view.

If you have access to sensitive hiring data (such as cognitive data), we strongly recommend only sharing that data when presenting to your HR team, members of your hiring team, and others who you trust with that data.

Tip: Would you find value in this functionality? Let us know by submitting product feedback.

Troubleshooting

I'm seeing colored bars for cognitive fit when I'd like to see numbers (or vice versa). How do I change that?

If you see colored bars for cognitive fit instead of a numerical number, it means your organization admin has enabled the "Visual" display for this data (as opposed to "Numerical" display).

There is no difference in the cognitive results or underlying science between these views; they're purely aesthetic. That said, you can change this display setting at any time from the "Hire Settings" page in PI Administration (requires organization admin access).

I'm being asked to "redeem a credit" to view a candidate's cognitive fit data. Why?

This verbiage is from a version of Hire that has since been deprecated. If you're still seeing this language, please submit a ticket with our support team so we can resolve the issue.