Assessments - what you can expect

Case studies

If you're applying to a role where industry knowledge is essential, and consultation may be required, you may be given a case study exercise. The content of the case study will be directly relevant to the role you've applied for. 

In-tray exercises

If you're applying for a role which requires planning, organising or coordination, you may be asked to undertake an in-tray exercise. During an in-tray exercise you will be presented with a number of pieces of information of which you would be asked to sort, prioritise and take action on.

We will not use a personality test to sift you out of the hiring process. Instead they’ll add to the richness of the information we’ve gathered to assess your suitability for a role. There are no right or wrong answers in a personality questionnaire - you’ll rate a number of statements which highlight your preferences and working style.

If you are asked to complete any assessment exercises as part of your application to PwC, you will be advised in advance of the particular tools that will be used.

Ability tests as well as personality questionnaires can be administered online. If you are asked to undertake an online assessment, you will need access to the internet. Make the necessary preparations to ensure that you are not interrupted (e.g. turn off your phone and let people know that you should not be disturbed). Allow yourself more time than required for the actual test/assessment so that you can go through the instructions, and any example questions, at a relaxed pace. You can get first hand experience of taking online ability tests by doing an online practice test. You can visit www.shldirect.com and try one now.

The actual test will be timed, so bear this in mind during your practice runs. The best approach is to work both quickly and accurately, so keep calm and think about your answers.

If you’re invited to attend an assessment session, this will most often take place in one of our offices. You may be assessed on your own or with a group of candidates. If you're part of a group, please be considerate of any other candidates you meet, including respecting their privacy and confidentiality. If you're asked to take one or more psychometric tests at one of our offices, the testing session will be managed by a certified Test Administrator.

Ability tests are standardised to make sure all candidates' assessment experiences are consistent.

Following a brief introduction by your Test Administrator, the formal test will begin. The instructions for doing the test will be read to you. This may seem a little formal but we do it for good reason: we want to makes sure that each person taking the test is given all the relevant information, accurately and completely.

During each test's introduction, you will be given some example questions. These are provided to help you understand what you have to do before you start the test itself. You will also be offered an opportunity to ask questions before you start the test. 

Once your test session has been completed your scores will be considered, along with the other information gathered during the recruitment process, and a recruitment decision will be made. At that point you will receive a written report (usually by email) which provides you with a meaningful interpretation of your test scores.

We’re committed to making sure that all job applicants are treated fairly and with respect, irrespective of an applicants actual or assumed background including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race (including nationality and national and ethnic origins), religion or belief, sex, pregnancy or maternity and sexual orientation.

As a member of The Employers' Forum on Disability, we are committed to becoming disability-confident. We’ll be happy to discuss with you any reasonable adjustments needed to adapt our process for you fairly. Please visit our recruitment queries page if you want to contact us.