PwC Tests

Careers at PwC

As one of the ‘Big Four’, PwC is consistently voted one of the world’s best places to work and receives hundreds of thousands of job applications a year. Yet fewer than 40% of those who take the aptitude tests as part of the PwC application process will pass.

Whether you’re interested in a career in law, auditing, consulting, HR or tech, there’s a huge range of opportunities at PwC. As well as helping you to grow in your chosen field, PwC also invests in your personal development, making it a great place to work at any stage in your career journey.

The graduate schemes and senior management roles in particular attract some of the UK’s brightest minds and best talent, so it’s important to go into the application process ready to work hard and thoroughly prepare for the different tests and questions you’re likely to come up against.

The hiring process can take up to six weeks from your online application to the final assessment day.

The PwC application process will vary depending on the level of the role you’re applying for, and the industry.

As with any application process, the best way to start is to find out as much information as you can about the process and what’s expected of you. Doing additional research into the role, the company’s values and the job description will help you to shape and tailor your application accordingly.

Throughout the process, PwC will assess you against its key competencies: the attributes you’ll need to be a good fit for the role and the company. Those competencies are:

• Leadership. This is about showing how you can guide others as well as work autonomously. Demonstrating resilience, accountability and responsibility will help to prove you have leadership qualities.
• Business acumen. This is an important trait for all PwC employees, so they can help to maintain PwC’s position as a sector leader.
• Technical capability. This competency is related to upholding PwC’s standards in your work. You must show you are capable, willing to learn and grow, and able to lead others.
• Global acumen. A worldwide corporation like PwC expects its staff to have a global perspective. You need to be able to think about the big picture, embrace change and have the ability to adapt and grow with the business.
• Relationships. A must for most businesses, proving you are able to build strong working relationships, listen to others, behave responsibly and communicate effectively.

Online application

The online application is the first stage of the process, and your first opportunity to make a good impression.

As well as information about your education and work history, the form will require you to answer a few motivational questions. It’s worth reiterating that it’s essential the information you provide is honest and accurate, so take time to review and edit it before sending.

It can be tempting to wait until the deadline to send your application, but with PwC the earlier you apply the better chance you give yourself of moving onto the next step of the process. This is because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Career Valuation test

This situational judgement test is taken by everyone applying for a role at PwC. It assesses how you deal with workplace challenges and scores you against the competencies mentioned above.

The online test will present you with a video featuring a series of problems and challenges. It will ask you – from a choice of possible answers – to rank what you think the best course of action would be, through to the worst.

To be successful, it’s important to put yourselves in the shoes of a PwC employer and think about what competencies and reactions they want to see to think you’d be a good fit.

Career Unlocked assessment

Those who pass the situational judgement test will then move onto the Career Unlocked game-based assessment, which can be taken on either your computer or mobile via the app.

An aptitude test that feels a lot more like a video game, this assessment is designed to test your numerical and logical reasoning skills, as well as your behaviours, by examining how you approach and answer certain challenges.

If you’re not a gamer, don’t worry. The test is designed to be accessible for everyone and is primarily looking at your individual strengths and weaknesses.

Over the course of the game, you’ll be asked 18 numerical reasoning questions and 20 logical reasoning questions. The best way to prepare for these is to practice as many such tests as you can.

There’s a diverse range of challenges, from taking calculated risks and decoding a safe, to identifying another person’s emotions and reacting accordingly.

This part of the test isn’t strictly timed, but working through the test at a constant momentum will benefit you, and there is evidence to suggest that those that take an especially long time don’t make it through to the next round.

Although you’ll get an overall score in your insight report, PwC will also be looking at how you played, so it’s about more than just acing the questions.

Those that score highly will be asked immediately to progress to the video interview stage, while those that did less well but haven’t failed will be asked to wait until all the scores have been collected; then a decision will be made.

PwC numerical reasoning test

PwC’s numerical test is certainly challenging, but it’s achievable if you’re willing to put time and effort into preparation.

As with most numerical reasoning tests, you’ll be expected to analyse and calculate information from a table or graph using fractions, ratios or percentages.

The test will be multiple choice, but don’t be fooled into thinking this makes it easy. You’ll have a tight time limit in which to answer the questions, so it’s important to find a balance between speed and accuracy.