Accountancy firm assessments split into two camps: reasoning-heavy and do-not-prepare

The firms in this guide describe their first online stage very differently. KPMG says its cognitive test is timed at 36 minutes and covers numerical and logical reasoning. EY publishes a guide to a numerical test with 12 questions. PwC says it uses SHL for behavioural and cognitive assessments, the latter timed. Deloitte describes a behavioural half plus numerical and verbal reasoning, with no overall time limit.

The other three firms sit in a different place. Grant Thornton says its Neurosight assessment typically takes under five minutes and should not be prepared for in the usual way. BDO describes interactive puzzle-like tasks and says no prior preparation is required. Forvis Mazars describes a roughly five-minute, untimed, adaptive assessment with a feedback report.

The practical difference is where your preparation time goes. In the first camp, it goes into timed practice. In the second, it goes into interview and case-study readiness.

KPMG's 36 minutes is shared between two skills, so each gets under a quarter of an hour if you split evenly. EY's own guide gives 12 numerical questions, but its pages differ on whether that takes 20 or 30 minutes. Deloitte's lack of an overall limit does not mean the sections are unlimited, so use the instructions in the invitation.

For all four, the numerical skills are the same: percentages, ratios, currency and reading charts. Work through our numerical reasoning questions and use the free test above for a benchmark. For the logical half that KPMG and PwC name, add the CCAT practice test.

When a firm says a five-minute assessment needs no preparation, believe it and spend your effort on conditions. Grant Thornton and Forvis Mazars both advise a clear head and honest, instinctive answers. BDO links a demo with a practice question on its hints page, which is worth one look.

The consolation is that these firms invest in the stages after. Grant Thornton adds a 20-minute written case study in which you review data and write a mini report. BDO moves to a video interview, a virtual assessment centre and a final in-person interview. Forvis Mazars moves to a live video interview, a half-day virtual centre and a presentation to a senior leader.

PwC adds an on-demand video interview on the same platform. KPMG says interviews and an assessment day follow for those who pass. Every firm here ends with some form of centre or final interview, and the differences are in length and format, not in kind.

Our assessment centres guide lists the stated formats, and the video interview guide lists what firms say about recorded and live video.

Deloitte says online assessments must be completed independently and without AI assistance. BDO asks candidates not to use AI and adds that its tasks, based on quantitative and inductive reasoning, will not be helped by it. Both Forvis Mazars and BDO say candidates receive feedback afterwards, which is valuable whatever the outcome.

Our guide to AI and automation in employer assessments collects what every employer in this set says.