Hello,
Congratulations on the upcoming interview! I’ve answered your questions based on my experience of interviewing in the London office last autumn:
1) The numerical and diagrammatic tests were multiple choice and paper based. The test provided on the PwC website are similar and should be used to prepare. I’d also recommend signing up to assessmentday.com. The tests are representative of what you’ll get and there are loads of examples on there. During the actual interview, make sure to work quickly and skip any questions which seem time consuming - come back to them once you’ve got the easy ones out the way.
2) Your understanding of the structured and unstructured case interviews is correct:
Structured - you’ll be presented with a set of slides outlining the case objectives, background information and plenty of data. At the start of the interview you’ll be given 5/10 minutes to read through the case material and to start formulating your approach.
Unstructured - as you mentioned, the unstructured case is more of a ‘discussion’ and doesn’t involve the use of charts and graphs like a traditional case. However, it’s still VERY important to stay structured when answering, be flexible and communicate your thought process clearly at all times. The types of questions you could be asked might include:
- Estimate the annual profit for Disney land Paris
-What’s the ratio of land mass in the northern hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere
- Calculate the expected take home profit for a Spanish deli style supermarket in London
-You might be asked to put forward your own business idea related to one of your interests and then do a quick profit/loss calculation for it (e.g I want to open restaurant in location X, calculate the potential revenue and costs)
As you can see, you can be asked just about anything and it will really depend on who is interviewing you. Expect to have your business knowledge tested as you talk around the case. As mentioned, stay calm, be structured and ensure a good dialogue with the interviewer at all times.
3) The order in which you complete the activities depends on the group you’re assigned to. From what I recall, candidates were put into 3 or 4 groups and rotated around each of the activities.
4.1) Other activities: The only other activities not mentioned that I completed was a written case interview and a presentation (it’s possible you don’t have to complete these as I was told beforehand by HR).
4.2) Fit questions: although I didn’t have a stand alone fit interview, both the structured and unstructured cases contained elements of fit (particularly in the second round). Expect questions such as: tell me about yourself, why consulting, why strategy&, why should we hire you, what other firms are you interviewing with, etc
I hope that helps and do feel free to get in contact if you have anymore questions. Good luck with the preparation!
Harri
Hello,
Congratulations on the upcoming interview! I’ve answered your questions based on my experience of interviewing in the London office last autumn:
1) The numerical and diagrammatic tests were multiple choice and paper based. The test provided on the PwC website are similar and should be used to prepare. I’d also recommend signing up to assessmentday.com. The tests are representative of what you’ll get and there are loads of examples on there. During the actual interview, make sure to work quickly and skip any questions which seem time consuming - come back to them once you’ve got the easy ones out the way.
2) Your understanding of the structured and unstructured case interviews is correct:
Structured - you’ll be presented with a set of slides outlining the case objectives, background information and plenty of data. At the start of the interview you’ll be given 5/10 minutes to read through the case material and to start formulating your approach.
Unstructured - as you mentioned, the unstructured case is more of a ‘discussion’ and doesn’t involve the use of charts and graphs like a traditional case. However, it’s still VERY important to stay structured when answering, be flexible and communicate your thought process clearly at all times. The types of questions you could be asked might include:
- Estimate the annual profit for Disney land Paris
-What’s the ratio of land mass in the northern hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere
- Calculate the expected take home profit for a Spanish deli style supermarket in London
-You might be asked to put forward your own business idea related to one of your interests and then do a quick profit/loss calculation for it (e.g I want to open restaurant in location X, calculate the potential revenue and costs)
As you can see, you can be asked just about anything and it will really depend on who is interviewing you. Expect to have your business knowledge tested as you talk around the case. As mentioned, stay calm, be structured and ensure a good dialogue with the interviewer at all times.
3) The order in which you complete the activities depends on the group you’re assigned to. From what I recall, candidates were put into 3 or 4 groups and rotated around each of the activities.
4.1) Other activities: The only other activities not mentioned that I completed was a written case interview and a presentation (it’s possible you don’t have to complete these as I was told beforehand by HR).
4.2) Fit questions: although I didn’t have a stand alone fit interview, both the structured and unstructured cases contained elements of fit (particularly in the second round). Expect questions such as: tell me about yourself, why consulting, why strategy&, why should we hire you, what other firms are you interviewing with, etc
I hope that helps and do feel free to get in contact if you have anymore questions. Good luck with the preparation!
Harri
