Prepare for Deloitte Interviews, Case Study and Group Exercises

In this PrepPack™, you will find preparation materials for your Deloitte interview. As well as this, there are specific materials for the Deloitte case study, presentation, group exercise and more. 

Below we will outline the types of interviews you may encounter in your application process, and give you tips on how to prepare for them.

This interview is usually part of the recruitment process for BrightStart, the summer vacation schemes and the graduate programme applicants. This interview is designed to learn more about you and your suitability for the role you have applied for.

The interview also contains the Deloitte case study for you to discuss with your interviewers. Ahead of your interview, you will be given a short period of time to read a case study and think about some answers to a set of guide questions. The information contained in the case study may include numerical information as well as articles.

Once in the interview room, the interviewer will ask you questions about the case study for you to discuss with them. You may find it useful to write down your thoughts to take into the interview.

Ahead of this interview, you are advised to prepare examples of activities or pieces of work you have been involved with, where you have built up into a project over a large period of time. The interviewers are looking for evidence of your role, and how you worked with others to achieve your goals.

Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to organise your answers and ensure that you don’t leave anything out. You should also read up on Deloitte, as well as any news concerning the company. Be prepared to answer questions about why you have chosen this speciality.

Applicants for consulting positions will have a group exercise at this interview.

Applicants for the Deloitte professional hire positions can expect to be invited to at least one competency-based interview.

In a competency-based interview, you are asked questions designed to allow you to demonstrate that you have the skills to do the jobs.

These skills are in the job description and person specification for the role you are applying to, as well as Deloitte’s core competencies and values.

Prepare in advance for the competency-based interviews by thinking up examples against each competency.

Develop examples around the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to ensure that you have covered all the necessary information about your role in this example and how you contributed to the outcome.

The final or Deloitte partner interview is usually the last part of the recruitment process for Deloitte BrightStart and Deloitte graduate programme applicants.

This is a one-hour interview in which you will give a pre-prepared presentation. This interview will focus on your values and how you can contribute to Deloitte.

You should prepare examples demonstrating what matters to you, how you can contribute and so on. As always, prepare these examples using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result).

Other questions in the interview may test your commercial awareness, so prepare by reading the news, thinking about the implications for Deloitte; reading up on the trade press; reading the Deloitte website, and making sure that you know about the company’s departments, work and competitors.

You should also prepare questions to ask in the interview. Make sure they are not too obvious or could be found easily by looking at the website.

Ahead of this interview you are sent a topic and asked to prepare a five-minute presentation to give over to your Partner interviewer.

Make sure you understand what is in your presentation as you will be asked questions at the end. You are allowed to take a handout for the interviewer, but you will not have access to any IT equipment.

Topics will depend on the area you are applying to, but include:

• Your take on European audit reforms
• Have corporations learnt from the recession
• Regulatory impact on businesses
• How will audit have to adapt going forward

Read more tips about how to give a presentation on our presentations pages.

The variety of interviews and range of interviewers at Deloitte mean that there are many questions you may experience. Questions at interviews may be situational, behavioural, about you or your choices.

Below is a selection of questions that may span any number of interviews:

• Why Deloitte, and why this job/ department?
• Tell me about a time you achieved your goals, and how you went about doing it.
• What challenges are Deloitte currently facing?
• Tell me about a recent news item that has interested you, and why.
• Tell about a recent project in detail.
• What could you contribute to Deloitte?
• Tell me about one of our clients.

For more information about common interview questions and how to approach them, read our free guide to interviews.

There are several stages to your Deloitte interview preparation.

Start by reviewing your application form and refreshing your memory on what you said about yourself. Expand examples from your form, or think of more examples from your experience to answer similar questions in the interview.

Review Deloitte’s competencies, and prepare examples where you have demonstrated those competencies. Think about answers to some of the more obvious interview questions.

Next, read up about Deloitte from the website and also any news or trade press articles you can find about the company. Think commercially when preparing, and about the implications of what you are reading for Deloitte.

Rehearse giving over your answers so that you can get the experience of saying the answers out loud. You can do this in front of a mirror, or with a friend, but a mock interview is an even better way to prepare.

Our interview preparation package is a great way to prepare for your interview with a trained assessor who can give you pointers on your performance, and tips for improving in your real interview.

Applicants for consultancy positions in the BrightStart and graduate scheme are invited to a group exercise at the same time as the first interview. Professional hire applicants may also be invited to take part in an exercise at some point in the recruitment process.

In this exercise, you are given a group brief and 5 minutes to read through it on your own. After the five minutes are up, your group has 20 minutes to discuss the topic as a group, and come up with a conclusion. The individual briefs will all be different with each group member required to put forward a case for something else.

This means that you have to take part and contribute fully to the group. Your group is allowed to choose just one option, so you need to be prepared to listen to the others and evaluate whether another option is better. The group exercise is designed to have you working as a team, so your role is to be an effective team member.

Prepare your group exercise strategy in advance and think about approaches for making sure your perspective is put forward without taking over the entire conversation. Also, think about how to deal with others who want to talk and not listen. Get more tips for your group exercise with JobTestPrep.

The case study is one of the most demanding tests you will have to take during Deloitte's assessment centre. The test comprises an abundance of fictitious documents depicting a company facing business decisions. You will need to analyse the case in hand and devise a recommended plan of action.

You are then asked to give a brief written report or make a short presentation of your recommendations. The key to success in this test is working fast through the documents, prioritising and identifying the key issues.

JobTestPrep's new case study practice pack is designed to help you prepare for any case study. Featuring two full case study exercises, a study guide and scoring tips, this pack will give you all the preparation you need for your Deloitte's case study exercise. Find out more here.

Deloitte's e-tray exercise is designed to assess a multitude of skills among which are decision-making, planning and organising, problem-solving and managerial abilities.

In the exercise, you are given details about a job description that usually includes some managerial responsibilities. You are then introduced to a simulated online workplace environment including an email inbox, word documents and presentations.

After reviewing an excessive amount of information regarding your position, you will be asked to answer emails, analyse data and address matters of pressing importance. While most questions will be in multiple-choice format, the final questions will require your written response on the following topics:

• Prepare an email communication on a particular issue you were presented with during the exercise. It will normally be an issue you may come across on the job. 
• Advise what would be the most efficient and appropriate way to deal with a series of emails that appear in your inbox.

As part of these written responses, you will be asked to explain the course of action you have chosen and discuss the factors that have led you to the proposed resolution.

JobTestPrep offers an extensive online practice pack that follows the same concepts and question types that appear in Deloitte's e-tray exercise. You get immediate online access to two smart practice sessions that simulate similar job descriptions and tasks given in a real e-tray test.

Each test includes a score report, comprehensive explanations to questions and solving tips for performing better on the real test.