Prepare for the PwC Assessment Centre and Interview

Note that not all candidates encounter all of these activities during their assessment day. You will usually be told by the recruiters what to expect and if there is any preparation to be done beforehand. The assessment centre is unrelated to the Arctic Shores Assessment, which is often used at various stages of the PwC recruitment process. The activities you may have to take part in during the assessment day are:

• Verification of the Online Tests
• Group Exercise
• Written Exercise
• Case Study
• E-Tray/In-Tray Exercise
• Interview

PwC highly recommends candidates prepare for their interviews in advance. To make the preparation process easier, we have gathered all the information, tips, and guidance you need in one place.

During your selection process you may need to go through one or both of the following interviews:

• First (telephone) Interview – For the majority of positions, a first interview is conducted at the early stages of the process. This is usually a telephone interview. It takes between 20 to 45 minutes depending on the role for which you are applying. In other cases, you might be invited to participate in a face-to-face interview at the local office.
• Final (partner) Interview – If you manage to pass the first interview and all other assessments you may have, you will get to the final interview. This is usually a one-on-one interview with a partner or a senior manager from the business area to which you have applied.

Despite the differences in the interview process between programmes and positions, there are three main issues interviewers like to address, so expect to get questions that relate to them:

• Motivation – You are expected to show that you have carefully thought about your career choice. You need to express genuine passion and enthusiasm for the workplace in general, as well as for the field and specific role to which you are applying.
• Competencies and skills – During the interview, you will be asked several competency-based questions. These questions aim to see if you have the skills and competencies PwC is looking for, thus allowing the interviewers to determine if you are the right fit for the company. You should demonstrate that you have the ability to communicate with impact and empathy, build relationships, and maintain them; that you are passionate about delivering excellent customer service; that you love to learn and are a creative and innovate person; and that you are willing to develop yourself and others. Learn more about the competencies PwC is looking for.
• Business awareness – The interviewer will assess your knowledge and understanding of current business issues. You will also be assessed on your understanding of the position or programme for which you are applying.

Below is a list of PwC interview questions that have been asked in a range of interviews in the past (either in a telephone interview or in the final interview). The exact questions you will face during your interview depend on the scheme or position for which you are applying. However, the following sample questions give a good idea of the kind of things the company is looking for.

• What is the main product or service the business you work in offers?
• Who are the main competitors of the business in the market? Why?
• If you were in charge of that business, what would you change?
• What do you know about the programme for which you have applied? What do you know about the professional qualification you will receive?
• What skills have you learned from your previous experiences?
• Tell me about a time you used your analytical skills to solve a complex problem.
• Tell me about a time when you had to raise a concern with one of your colleagues.
• How do you keep yourself up to date with business issues?

Here are some important tips that will help you do better on your PwC interview:

• Research the company and the position or programme for which you are applying.
• Go over the list of interview questions above and try to come up with answers to each of these questions.
• Think of questions you would like to ask your interviewer.
• Review PwC’s core competencies and think of examples from your past experiences that relate to them.
• Every time you are asked to give an example during the interview, use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your answers.
• When answering the questions, be specific yet concise. Consider your answers, speak clearly and to the point, and avoid going into irrelevant details.

To help you learn how to prepare for and shine during your interviews at PwC, JobTestPrep’s experts have created a unique preparation pack. This pack offers important interview tips and features a comprehensive interview guide. The guide discusses, among other things, competency-based interviews, and it also explains how to use the STAR method when answering questions.

To verify the results of your first set of online tests, you are given a second set of psychometric tests to complete at the assessment centre. These are paper-based tests and are often more difficult and longer than their online counterparts. 

Some candidates may not be able to use a calculator during the PwC assessment centre numerical test. Nonetheless, we recommended that you bring your calculator with you in case you will have permission to use it. We also recommend having a stopwatch with you as you won’t always be notified about the time left for the test.

For the PwC assessment centre written exercise, you will be given a brief about a task based on the work of the stream to which you have applied. You have 30 minutes to carefully read through the material and write a report on it.

The report you produce must be clear and concise and have a logical structure. You should use proper writing structure with an introduction, a main argument, and a conclusion. Your line of thought must be clear and backed up with figures or facts to explain your reasoning. Jotting down a plan is very worthwhile as you can simply refer to it when beginning to actually write the report. This will help ensure you hit all the major points, saving you time and effort. You will be penalised for errors in spelling and grammar, so a final review is crucial. The time allocated to this test is short, making time management a key part of the challenge.

During the PwC group exercise, the candidates are usually split into two groups of between 4 and 6 people. (In some cases, you may be asked to participate in an individual exercise instead. This exercise evaluates the same skills as the group exercise. The only difference is that you will be interacting with an assessor instead of with other candidates.)

The group exercise generally begins with each person getting a brief. In some exercises, each group member receives the same brief, while in others, each brief is different. These briefs are most commonly about a fictitious company that is going through a financial update or move.

You are given 20 minutes to read through the materials and make notes. There are some calculations that need to be made and you are given a calculator to do so. Make sure that your percentage work is strong because this plays a large part in the discussion. Once you have read through the material, you then have an additional 20 minutes to discuss with the rest of the group your recommendations for the company and the way forward.

When participating in the group exercise, it is important to bear in mind that although the content is important, your interaction with the rest of the group is even more so. Be polite to the other candidates, invite them to speak, and listen to what they have to say. At the same time, make sure your voice is heard and that you communicate your ideas clearly.

Candidates applying to consulting strategy or economic streams often face a case study as part of an interview or an assessment centre. On the PwC case study, you will need to analyse the contents of a brief and report it to the assessors. A sample case study is one in which you may need to make business and financial recommendations on behalf of a record company.

Once you have completed the work, you need to either give a presentation or write a written report:

The presentation lasts for 10 minutes and is followed by an additional 10 minutes of questioning. Remember that when answering the questions, the assessors are looking to see if you possess the company's key competencies. Showing them that you are open-minded, practical, and adaptable can strongly influence your performance.

For the written report, you need to clearly and concisely write out your conclusions from your findings in the case study along with your recommendations for the future. The key is working quickly through the documents, prioritising and identifying the key issues.

The PwC e-tray/in-tray exercise is an assessment of your time management, prioritisation, and written communication skills — all important attributes for any employee to have.

The task involves a number of emails you need to sort through and answer questions about, simulating a real-life task. Once you have gone through the emails, you need to write an email to a fictional co-worker detailing what you have done and what tasks they need to take care of.

You have very little time to complete the in-tray/e-tray exercise, so make sure to keep track of your progress. When writing the final e-mail, pay attention to your spelling and grammar, and ensure your writing is clear.

Below is a testimonial of a JTP client who went to the Assessment Centre at PwC and was kind enough to write a little bit about their experience.

The assessment centre is a great opportunity for you to show your true self, impress the people at PwC, and take another big step towards getting a job offer. To make sure you perform at your best during this long and stressful day, you must arrive at the assessment centre focused and prepared. 

To help you take some of the stress off and be in top shape on the assessment day, our team of experts has created two preparation packs:

• Our PwC Assessment Centre Exercises & Interviews pack offers detailed online guides and additional preparation materials for various assessment centre exercises. This pack also features a professional guide to help you pass your interviews.
• Our PwC Online Tests Practice pack will help you rehearse the concepts of numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning tests important for passing the psychometric tests during the assessment centre. This pack is suitable for graduates and students. For relevant practice materials for other job levels, go to our experienced hires and school leavers pages.

To make sure you arrive prepared, we will walk you through the different types of interviews and assessment centre exercises you can expect when applying to PwC. We will also provide you with useful tips and links to preparation resources that will help you improve your chances of successfully passing these assessments.

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