Accenture UK assessment centre- what to expect?

Question

Hey, I applied to accenture for a Consulting graduate program a few months back and made it through the CV screening.

Shortly, they sent me an online assesment to complete, which I did successfully, and am now invited to an "Assesment centre" on Thursday.

In the email they informed me that "complete three short challenges, face to face interviews and a Virtual Reality Assessment".

They have sent a following email informing me : "More specifically, we would like you to prepare to lead a 10 minute discussion with an assessor on how Accenture uses the latest technology to answer real business challenges" with a bunch of information on how to read about different industries.

I'm not exactly sure how to prepare for this and what to expect exactly. This is the only interview that I've ever had for consultancy.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Kind regards,

Elias

Answer 1

Hi,

It may vary from country to country, but in general, it has several parts:

1) Panel discussion with a case

The panel discussion is aimed to check how well you work in teams. Try to be nice and not push too hard. Leverage your industry experience and case prep experience. Feel free to contact me for panel case prep

2) 1-2 One-on-one interviews with managers that include case + fit.
One-on-one interviews are less formal and structured than in Big 3. 40% chance - marketsizing, 40% profitability, 20% standard market, company competitors, etc. framework. So prioritize your prep efforts accordingly. Also, be ready for fit: Tell me about yourself, why consulting, why company, leadership story, teamwork story, your questions to them

Best

Answer 2

Hello, and congrats!

I would prepare:

Elevator pitch on "how Accenture uses the latest technology to answer real business challenges"
Debate points to be able to discuss in a 1on1 or panel with other candidates

For both points, the way to prep is a lot of research about them (product, geographies, what makes them different, which are the peers and competitors, etc.) and structure very well the info. Can you tke notes?

Hope it helps.

Good luck,

Clara

Answer 3

Hi Elias,
for virtual reality assessment I recommend to prepare the 10-minute presentation by researching on Accenture website the most impuctful success cases: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/artificial-intelligence-index

Regarding the 1-to-1 interviews there are 2 aspects you have to focus on:

Personal Experience Interview: fit and CV questions to assess your personal impact, leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit. You should prepare impactful stories about your experiences that cover these 3 main pillars.
Case Interview: typical business case to evaluate your structure in approaching problems, problem-solving skills, and business sense. This is the most time-demanding aspect to work on. I recommend reading Cosentino's Case in point to fix the theory. Then, what will be really important is practicing mock cases with other candidates here on Preplounge and/or coaches.

Hope it helps,
Antonello