This article applies to all Hire users in the PI2 platform.
If you're a long-time PI client or Certified Partner, you might have noticed a change to the Job Assessment ("JA") process as of May 2026.
Previously, when creating a custom or collaborative target, users were asked to select from 20 behavioral characteristics to inform the Behavioral Target. As of May 2026, that number has been expanded from 20 to 90 items.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions related to the "long-form" Job Assessment.
Why is PI introducing a long-form Job Assessment?
We are introducing the long-form Job Assessment not because the short-form version was inaccurate, but to provide an experience that more users preferred and was more comprehensive in the Legacy PI experience.
Because the 20-item version in PI2 was so brief, it was also a highly sensitive instrument. It required the user to be incredibly deliberate and accurate with every single selection.
We found that this level of sensitivity sometimes made it harder for everyday users to interpret the results. Moreover, we received significant feedback that users preferred the resulting pattern shape of the long-form JA from Legacy PI.
Are my existing Job Targets still scientifically valid?
Yes. Your existing Job Targets and any hiring decisions you made with them remain fully backed by validated, rigorous science.
The short-form Job Assessment was not a random reduction of questions; it was designed through a stringent 4-step validation process. This included:
An item reduction study analyzing over 600,000 real responses.
Internal factor analysis to ensure perfect conceptual alignment.
Construct validity testing proving strong inter-item correlations in the real world.
An equivalence study proving it anchored on the exact same behavioral indicators as the long-form tool.
Do I need to re-do any of my Job Targets?
Not at all. Any existing targets you've created remain intact and scientifically valid. You do not need to redo them (though you're welcome to if you believe you're due for a "refresh").
Any net-new jobs you create will use the long-form Job Assessment. The change applies automatically moving forward, but not retroactively. No additional action is needed on the user's part.
Why does the new Job Assessment take longer to complete?
The long-form JA consists of 90 behavioral items, compared to the 20 items on the short-form JA.
What this means:
While it can take a few more minutes to complete, this comprehensive format naturally filters out user errors and provides enhanced ability to identify pattern shapes.
The slight increase in completion time delivers higher confidence for your high-stakes hiring decisions.
Can I still use the "make a copy" functionality for my existing Job Targets?
Yes, you can still “make a copy” of jobs that were built using the short-form Job Assessment. However, there are a few important updates to be aware of.
When you copy a job that was built using the short-form, the new version will automatically be converted to a custom target using the long-form experience. This ensures consistency and prevents mixing different assessment types.
Because of this:
You will not be able to create a new "Create your own" target on the copied role, since that slot is already used.
Any previous collaborative target inputs will not carry over to the new version.
If you choose to use a collaborative target, it will follow the long-form format.
You will also see a notification explaining these changes when you make a copy.
This approach helps keep your Job Targets consistent and aligned with the latest experience.
Why do my new long-form Job Targets look wider than my old ones?
Your new long-form Job Targets may appear wider, but this is due to how results are displayed rather than a change in accuracy or methodology.
Both short-form and long-form assessments produce individual factors that are 1 sigma wide. However, the long-form allows for a broader overall pattern spread, which can make the full profile look more extreme. This is largely because the long-form JA captures more input through additional selections.
Some of the confusion comes from how results were displayed in earlier versions of the PI software. In the Legacy PI software, when multiple contributors completed a Job Assessment, their inputs could be combine to create factors that appeared wider than 1 sigma. That visualization is no longer used.
Today, results are displayed more consistently, and factor width is not tied to scientific accuracy. Both short-form and long-form Job Assessments are built and validated using the same rigorous process, so you can trust the results regardless of how wide they may appear.
Why did we change to the short-form JA in the first place?
We originally received feedback that the original Job Assessment took a long time. We consequently moved to a 20-item short-form assessment, which was scientifically validated with a rigorous 4-step process.
While the 90-item long-form JA is certainly longer, we are re-introducing it because we want to provide an assessment experience that more users preferred and that was more comprehensive.
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