PwC online assessment practice (UK)

What the real test usually looks like

PwC UK describes its online assessment only briefly. Its hints and tips page says the stage after the application is "a series of online assessments that measure your cognitive skills and behavioural preferences. We'll also look at your numerical and abstract reasoning abilities too" (PwC UK, archived copy). PwC UK does not publish question counts or time limits on these pages.

Where it sits in the process. PwC UK's early careers FAQ lists the graduate stages as application, online assessment, video interview, assessment center and business assessment, with the online assessment second for internships and placements too. It says invitations usually carry a completion deadline of about seven days, and that if you are invited to the online assessment "you'll have the opportunity to take some practice tests before you start" (PwC UK FAQ, archived copy).

Commonly reported by preparation sites: the numerical reasoning test presents data in tables and charts, and a calculator is allowed (AssessmentDay). Abstract reasoning tests in general are built from drawn shapes and figures, where you find the rule in a pattern.

PwC US is different. PwC US's assessment FAQ says its assessment "is not timed", that you should set aside about 20 minutes, and "Preparation is not needed": it asks about your work attitudes and tendencies and what your manager would say about you (PwC US, archived copy). That is a questionnaire with no right answers, so we offer no US mock. This page is about the UK reasoning tests.

What our mocks cover. Our full mock has 58 questions in 68 minutes with a calculator allowed, in three sections: numerical reasoning (18 questions), deductive reasoning (16) and abstract reasoning with symbols (24). You can go back and change answers. The abstract questions in the real tests use drawn shapes; ours use text symbols (such as ●, ■, ▲ and arrows) in grids and sequences to practice the same rule-finding, so the pictures on the day will look different. We leave out the behavioral part and any game-based parts, because they have no right answers to practice.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each section, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Numerical reasoning: percentage change. A team's costs rose from $80,000 to $92,000. The increase is $12,000, and 12,000 / 80,000 = 15%. Trap: dividing by the new figure, which gives 13.0%. Always divide by the starting value.

2. Numerical reasoning: units. A table shows revenue "in $ millions" and staff as plain numbers. Revenue of 3.6 for 24 staff is $3,600,000 / 24 = $150,000 per person. Trap: answering 0.15 or $150 because the unit was dropped.

3. Deductive reasoning. "Every auditor on the project has passed the exam. Priya has passed the exam." Does it follow that Priya is an auditor on the project? No. The rule says nothing about people who passed but are not on the project. Trap: reversing the rule. "All A are B" does not mean "all B are A".

4. Abstract reasoning: two rules at once. In a sequence, a symbol may move and change color at the same time. Track each feature on its own: position first, then fill, then count. Trap: stopping at the first rule you see, and picking the option that fits only that rule.

5. Abstract reasoning: rows and columns. In a grid, check that your rule works across every row and down every column before you answer. Trap: checking only the row with the gap.

About the behavioral part. PwC UK says the assessments also measure behavioral preferences. Those questions describe how you work and have no right answers. Answer honestly and consistently: guessing what the firm wants tends to produce answers that contradict each other.

How to prepare

1. Use PwC's own practice first. PwC UK says that if you are invited, you can take practice tests before you start (PwC UK FAQ, archived copy). Do them: they show the real screens.
2. Know where we stand. PwC UK says it has "no relationship with and do not endorse" third-party providers selling help with its assessments (PwC UK, archived copy). Intellect Council is one of those providers and is not affiliated with PwC. Our mocks are general reasoning practice in a similar style.
3. Plan around the deadline. Invitations usually allow about seven days. Pick a quiet time early in that window, with a calculator and scrap paper ready.
4. Rebuild your percentage skills. Percentage change, percentage of a total, ratios and per-person figures cover most numerical questions. Practice reading units in table headings.
5. Practice deductive logic. Write the rules as short statements and work only from them. Watch for reversed rules and for options that are true in real life but not proven by the text.
6. Practice finding rules in patterns. For each pattern, list what can change: shape, fill, count, position, direction. Test each one across every step.
7. Take full timed mocks. Our full mock has 58 questions in 68 minutes, a little over a minute a question, so you get used to working at a steady pace.
8. Be yourself in the behavioral part. PwC UK also says it periodically reviews applications for activity that undermines its recruitment process (PwC UK, archived copy). Honest, consistent answers are the best approach.

How scoring usually works

PwC does not publish how the online assessment is scored. PwC UK's pages do not give a pass mark, a score scale or a percentile. Its FAQ says the assessment tools give "extra information on particular areas like reasoning ability" and that all candidates for a role complete the same assessment exercises (PwC UK FAQ, archived copy).

If you are not successful, the same FAQ says you can apply again in the next intake year, and that withdrawing before the online assessment also means waiting for the next intake. Check the current rules on PwC's site, as they can change.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown by section, so you can see whether numbers, logic or patterns need the most work. It is a practice score: it is not a PwC score or percentile, and it does not predict a hiring decision.

Common mistakes on PwC-style reasoning tests

• Dividing by the wrong figure. Percentage change is the change divided by the starting value, not the new one.
• Dropping the units. A table in $ millions turns 0.12 into $120,000. Many wrong options are the right digits in the wrong unit.
• Confusing the same amount with the same percentage. A fall of 0.2 from 3.2 is not the same percentage as a fall of 0.2 from 3.0.
• Reversing a rule in deductive questions. "All urgent files are reviewed" does not mean "all reviewed files are urgent".
• Using outside knowledge. In deductive questions, only the given statements count.
• Stopping at the first pattern. A position rule may hide a fill rule. Check that your answer fits every step.
• Expecting the shapes to look like ours. Real abstract questions use drawn shapes. Practice the rule-finding here, then take PwC's own practice tests when invited.
• Trying to game the behavioral part. It has no right answers. Be honest and consistent.