Strategy& Summer Internship Program London Office Assessment Centre

Hi Truc Linh,

Well done on being selected. In terms of your question:

Q: I wonder what to prepare for the AC because I don't know what are the activities there except for the unstructured & structured case studies and fit questions

I helped a few candidates for S& London and they got both business cases and market sizing. You can also clarify with HR if there is a specific form for your assessment different from case + fit.

For general practice I recommend the following:

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your interview and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many candidates need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview starting from zero so you can keep that as a benchmark.
2. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (INSEAD is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
3. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only.
4. Keep track of your mistakes and see which ones you are repeating. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioral part and the case part during the mocks. The case part should also cover market sizing, math and graph analysis.
5. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewers  – a great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression. Ideally, try to learn who they are and study their profile to have good questions to ask.

If you need more help please feel free to PM me, I know 11 real questions they asked specifically at Strategy& London.

Best,

Francesco

Hi Truc Linh,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Assessment centers are typically used by consulting firms to evaluate candidates for internships or full-time positions. During an assessment center, candidates typically participate in a range of activities designed to test their skills and abilities, including unstructured and structured case studies, fit questions, and other activities.
• Here are some tips to help you prepare for your assessment center:
  • Practice case studies: Case studies are a common activity at consulting assessment centers, and it's important to practice beforehand to familiarize yourself with the format and build your problem-solving skills.
  • Review fit questions: Fit questions are designed to assess whether you are a good fit for the firm's culture and values. It's a good idea to review common fit questions and think about how you would respond to them.
  • Practice your presentation skills: Many assessment centers include a presentation component, so it's important to practice your presentation skills beforehand. This could include practicing your public speaking, using visual aids effectively, and using clear and concise language.
  • Be prepared for group activities: Many assessment centers include group activities, so it's important to practice working effectively in a team and contributing your ideas and expertise.
  • Dress appropriately: Make sure to dress in business attire for your assessment center. This shows that you are taking the process seriously and that you are ready to make a good impression.
• In addition to the tips I provided above, it's also a good idea to reach out to the recruiting department at Strategy& to find out more about the specific activities and syllabus for the assessment center. The recruiting team should be able to provide you with more information about what to expect and what activities will be included in the assessment center. This can help you better prepare and ensure that you are ready to succeed at the assessment center.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

You can find here an overview of the main activities that you can expect during the assessment centre for Big4:

 https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/accenture-assessment-centre-15020

Best,

Cristian

Hi Truc,

Most importantly, check with them! Ask them the format and what you should expect. 

That said, be ready for fit/behavioral, case, and market sizing. Here's some additional reading to help you out.

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Hello Truc,

Other coaches have provided great answers here. But just to be safe, it is always best to double check with the HR what are the activities planned in the day and what skills are they planning to assess!

All the best!

Rushabh