OfflineApplication Form – Fairly standard, as with most other application forms; 3 extended answer questions (100 words each). Of all the Big4 I would say it’s the simplest form to complete. As with all application forms just make sure you take your time when completing it!
Online Tests – KPMG were the quickest of all the firms to get back to me. I submitted my application at 10am and by 4pm I had an e-mail asking me to complete the online tests. The KPMG tests are notoriously more difficult than the other Big4 firms, but they are by no means impossible; 70% of applicants get through at this stage. The verbal test uses more complex language than most of the other tests, so obviously a better grasp of the English language will advantage you. If English isn’t your first language then you might struggle with it. Having said that, it is entirely possible to complete the test within the allocated time; each passage of text has four questions attached to it, so once you’ve read one passage of text you can answer four questions pretty quickly. I think I finished with about 3 minutes left, so there was enough time to re-check those answers I was a bit unsure on. With the KPMG tests you can go back to any question at any time during the test – unlike some other tests where once you have answered a question that is it.
The numerical test wasn’t as difficult as I had been expecting considering all the ‘horror’ stories I had heard. The questions were no more difficult than any of the other tests. The only difference was that there were around three steps to each question, so it just takes a bit longer per question. The important thing is not to panic! All the questions are do-able, so just take a deep breath and focus. To pass the numerical test you need to be in the 30th percentile – that equates to 9 correct answers out of 24. It is entirely possible to do it; again, as with the verbal test, you can skip back and forward between any of the questions at any time during the test. I think I answered 15 of the questions, not amazing but plenty enough to get through.
First Round Interview – KPMG got back to me about 24 hours after I had sat the online tests to say I had passed; they also give you your percentile scores for the online tests (mine were 95th percentile for the verbal and 60th percentile for the numerical). I then got another e-mail asking me to book a first round interview via their online booking system. The first round interview itself lasted around 45 minutes. It’s a fairly rigid structure; they have a list of competency questions and they just tend to read it out like a script. In all I would say there were about 5 competency questions; as far as I can recall mine were about teamwork, delegation, project delivery, commitment and working under pressure. They were all pretty standard questions which you can prepare examples for in advance. Only one example is needed per competency. Then I was asked a few commercial awareness questions. I was asked: (1) What is your understanding of the credit crunch and how is it affecting KPMG? (2) What is the biggest challenge currently facing KPMG? (3) Choose a company and briefly tell me how they could expand their operations. The first two of these are pretty self evident and easy to prepare for. The third one shocked me initially as I wasn’t expecting it!! In the end I chose a really small local company that they would never of heard of – gives you room for a bit of creativeness (or truth stretching)! Then came the standard questions, why KPMG, why tax etc. There was just time at the end for me to ask a few quick questions.
Assessment Centre – My first round interview was on a Friday and KPMG got back to me on the Monday to say I had been successful at the first round and they would like to invite me to an assessment centre. The assessment centre itself is split into 3 parts: e-tray exercise, group exercise and partner interview/presentation. I’ll take each part in turn.
E-tray exercise – This is the first exercise you’ll do on the day. You’re sat down in front of a computer in a room with all of the other candidates. The HR person looking after you will give you a quick talk about the day etc and then you’ll be taken through a brief tutorial on the computer to explain how to use the software. It’s all completely understandable and if you have a go at the online civil service faststream example the screen layout is identical. All of the information is in folders on the computer, but they also give you a hard paper booklet with the same information. For me personally it was easier to use the paper booklet. The e-tray is in two stages. For the first stage you get 70 minutes to answer 24 e-mails. The scenario is this: You are a Trainee Business Advisor who normally works in Newcastle. However, a member of staff in Manchester has been taken ill and they are short-staffed. You have been asked to cover and take over the projects that he was running. Unfortunately you cannot travel to Manchester until tomorrow as you have a client meeting in Newcastle at 11am. However, you have agreed to set aside two hours today to deal with some issues which have already arisen in Manchester. There are three projects which the guy you are covering for has been running and you will get e-mails relating to all three. All the information you need to answer the e-mails will be in the booklet. For about 20 of the 24 e-mails you will need to refer to the booklet. The others are judgement calls and you just need to choose what you think would be most appropriate given the situation – just be diplomatic.
Take at least 8-10 minutes at the start to read the information and familiarise yourself with it – it will help massively later. Work as quickly as you can, but make sure you are being accurate – don’t guess. I answered 23/24 e-mails; you can get away with missing one or two, but no more than that. Two or three of the questions will require you to do some basic calculations. You are provided with a calculator and the formulae are given in the booklet. They are VERY simple and nothing to worry about. Each question has four possible answers/responses and you select the ONE you think is appropriate. Once you respond though you can NOT change your answer. Just keep calm and work methodically through it.
The second part of the e-tray is two longer written response e-mails. You are given a different set of information (though it’s only 4 pages so doesn’t take too long to read). You get 50 minutes for this section. Both e-mails ask for your recommendation on a particular topic/strategy. There are no right answers, the key is to back-up and justify the answer you give. Since this is a longer written piece make sure your spelling and grammar is correct – there is no spell check. Most people at my assessment centre found the first e-mail took longer to answer than the second. I personally would advise you spend 30 minutes on the first one (there is more data to talk about) and 20 minutes on the second one. I finished with about 2 minutes to spare so could quickly skim over to check for obvious SPAG mistakes. This exercise is again done on the computer, so the quicker you can type the easier it is likely to be. Oh, almost forgot - the advice given on here previously about writing the end of the e-mail first is great advice - do it!
Then you have lunch with some of the trainees – it is a ridiculously long lunch though (2hrs) and in the end you just want to get started on the next exercise!!
Group Exercise – This was the largest group exercise I’ve had at an assessment centre (6 people). As with most group exercises you’re given a booklet of information about a company. You are given 10 minutes on your own to look at the booklet and make notes; there is a lot of information so read quickly! Be warned, however, that you are not allowed to make notes on the booklet itself – only on a notepad provided. After that you have 30 minutes to discuss it in your group. The company is an online multimedia retailer – indeed, it is one of the companies which you will encounter in your e-tray exercise in the morning. You have to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company and then 4 recommendations for improvement – 2 to implement urgently and 2 to implement later on in the future. Being in such a big group was a bit annoying since everyone wanted to speak but there were only so many points to go around. My tip, if you find yourself in a big group, is as I did, be the first to speak – outline your suggestions first. Just keep fairly vocal and don’t let it go too long without contributing. At the end of the group exercise you’ll have to do a 10 minute group presentation on your findings. Towards the end of the group exercise (say last 5 minutes) encourage the group to decide on who is going to say what. You are given a flip chart to jot things down on. The exercise is quite time pressured so if you see the group going off track it’s best to try and pull them back on topic.
Partner Interview/Presentation – This is where you do your 10 minute presentation. It’s quite an informal presentation you don’t stand up or anything, you just sit there and talk to the partner about the company you have chosen. Afterwards they’ll likely ask a few questions about your presentation, so be prepared! I did my presentation on Morrisons and I just got a few questions about the retail sector more broadly, the current economic climate etc. The interview itself wasn’t too bad, about 5 competency questions followed by the obvious – why KPMG, why tax, what differentiates KPMG from its competitors etc. There was also some general talk about my interests, my impressions of university etc, followed by an opportunity for me to ask a few questions. The key is to have done your research on the company – the services they offer and what differentiates them.
The day started at 9am and I was away by about 4:45pm. I got a phone call the following day to offer me the job! Hopefully that’s of some use to anyone applying!
Good Luck!
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This is an excellent post Jexxo - thank you very very much! Well done on your offer :) ..are you going to accept??
Truly excellent posting :)
Ed
No, I doubt I'll accept it. I think I'm going to accept EY; the application process seemed the most thorough of any of the firms I applied too and I was most impressed by EY.
I'll stick some info up about the EY assessment day later this week. :)
...that would be greatly appreciated :)
can someone tell me how long do you have to accept an offer once it has been made????
thanks!
When I received the formal offer I had a month to accept it. There were contact details for somebody to contact if you felt you would require longer to make a decision.
heyy..im applying for the KPMG Cadetship and im really stuck with two questions. i would honestly really appreciate it if sumone could help me??
these are the two questions:
Why have you applied for the business groups you listed as your first and second preference?
(I chose Middle Market Advisory and Audit)
Which of KPMG’s values have you most recently exhibited and how?
thanks heapss..
xx
Check out KPMG's values on their website.
Advisory & Audit
[Edit]What they are really trying to do is see if you have correctly understood what you are applying for, and didn't just pick it randomly. Unfortunately, advisory and audit are world's apart. Both offer fantastic training in business. Audit is especially useful if you want to work in a finance department after you qualify. Advisory is really consulting, so if you are interested in helping businesses improve their performance, then advisory is for you. Audit is more client faciing- you will work on client sites. For advisory you will mostly work at KPMG's office. Obviously the fact you have applied for middle markets is worth mentioning too- middle market firms are mid-sized companies and for a Big 4 this is a specialist department as most of their clients are huge corporations.
Advisory work is much more interesting than audit work, and also more competitive to get into.
Values
[Edit]This taken from the KPMG site here http://www.kpmg.co.uk/about/difference/values.cfm :Just try and fit a recent circumstance to these values and you should be OK.
We lead by example – at all levels acting in a way that exemplifies what we expect of each other and our member firms’ clients.
We work together – bringing out the best in each other and creating strong and successful working relationships.
We respect the individual – respecting people for who they are and for their knowledge, skills and experience as individuals and team members.
We seek the facts and provide insight – challenging assumptions, pursuing facts and strengthening our reputation as trusted and objective business advisers.
We are open and honest in our communication – sharing information, insight and advice, frequently and constructively and managing tough situations with courage and candour.
We are committed to our communities – acting as responsible corporate citizens and broadening our skills, experience and perspectives through work in our communities.
Above all, we act with integrity – constantly striving to uphold the highest professional standards, provide sound advice and rigorously maintain our independence.
Does anyone know what the implication is of declaring you know a KPMG employee in the 'Contact' section? Would it work against you or for you? And at interview stage, would they bring it up and quiz you on their role?
In theory it shouldn't work for or against you. In practice it might work for you. Their name might get brought up at interview, but you probably wouldn't be expected to know too much about what they did, unless it was a similar position to the one you're applying for.
Use this contact to your advantage. Find out EVERYTHING you can about the firm from them, and the job you are applying for. This kind of information is unbelievably useful for your interviews.
Good luck.
Usually employees get a £500 bonus or something if they tell somebody to apply and they actually join. The candidate usually has to fill this in on the application form, so that's probably what it is.
Furthermore, it's a good thing you've talked to someone about KPMG, which has helped dispell any myths you might have about working in accounting.
Thanks Jexxo..very thorough.
My first interview was similar to yours so will not go further and am now on 2nd.
I'm a bit concerned about the business presentation (I'm appplying tax).
I feel I should be briming with ideas but I am not.
How much detail do I need to go into? Do I need to use figures and projected growth etc?
I'm a law grad with a genreal interest I am hoping to grow..I think my skills a probably fairly limited at this stage!
L_L
In pratice it shouldnt work against you but i think that before you walk into an interview the interviewer has an expectation of you such as you know more on the role and have "inside info" on the company. I have found a few ppl who put in down for bigger firm didnt get the job. I would advise dont put them down and surprise the interviewer with more knowledge that you have gained from your friend ;) But thats my opinion!
Hi,
I was just wondering, I have been invited straight to the e-tray exercise after submitting my application and passing the tests. Does anyone know why this is? Any advice? Also will I only do the e-tray or the whole assessment centre - they have told me that it'll only take 3hrs.?
Are you applying for an internship? Because that's the case for internship programmes.
Hi,
I had an assessment centre last week and got through so I thought I would share my experience of the presentation/partner interview which is the part I think most people get nervous about (well that was the case for me anyway!). I did my presentation on an little-known hotel company and after finishing the partner told me that he was actually the senior auditor for the hotel industry! Fortunately, he was really nice about it and just asked me a couple of straight forward questions about the presentation e.g. what is the future of the hotel industry? I have to stress that it does not matter if you just prepare notes or write the entire presentation out (as I did because nerves sometimes get the better of me!), just remain calm, confident and make sure you know what you are talking about!
After that, he looked through my application form and just asked me some general questions (e.g. why did you pick those specific A-levels? Why did you apply after you graduated?) and just had a bit of a chat really. I then got asked a couple of commercial awareness questions like 'if you woke up tomorrow as the governor of the Bank of England, what would you do?' Just make sure you justify your view. Also if you get stuck on a question like I did, just take your time to think about it and don't be scared to ask for any further clarification. I wasn't asked any of the typical questions why kpmg? why the service line? etc. but I gues it just depends on the partner you get. Finally he asked me if I had any questions for him and that was the end of it. I'd say the entire process lasted around 50 minutes. I can't stress enough that it is really important for you stay true to yourself as partners will see through you if you pretend to be someone you're not!
Hope this helps.
p.s. one final piece of advice: remember to SMILE!!! :)
hi seabreeze87,
I have read the post you wrote on the website describing your AC in KPMG, that is very helpful as I am currently preparing for my AC as well.
Would you please tell me a little bit about the e-tray you did on that day, is it the same as the one described in the website - The scenario was you are about transferred from Newcastle to Manchester, and the three client companies are a Credit Card Company, a travel agency called “coastline” and finally an online multimedia retailer.
And it will be very helpful if you could share some of your experience on what sort of data you have to analyse in the etray to approch the correct answer.
Thamk you very much
Hi
I'm having an AC soon but there is a problem is that in my application form I chose ACCA as my lecturer said to me it is more internationally recognised?! However, it turned out to be not true?!
I asked KPMG that if I can change from ACCA to ACA route at the location I already chose, however they have closed ACA applications for that location and thus if I want to change to ACA I would have to choose a different location and change my AC date. They gave me options of choosing either Cambridge or Southampton. If I didn't change then I would have to stick with ACCA in Bristol n if I want to convert to ACA in the future, it will take me an extra 1 and a half year after I have finished my ACCA.
Personally I like Bristol but also want to do ACA instead of ACCA. I have never been to Southampton or Cambridge so don't know how life over there is like and how big the offices are.
Could anyone advise me plzzzzzz
Autumn..
My tuppence is get in as soon as you can...places are getting scarcer everywhere....all the time....I got through AC and seems my start date is already later than had been suggested to me at first iview....and maybe later than advertised start date! I also get the impression from other threads a very few but growing number of people are being asked to change service lines/locations, and potentially even to defer.
ACA IS better imho....but if it means waiting a year to get on the contract I'd say not worth it...especially if you only need an extra year to "upgrade". On the other hand there are plenty of reliable sources on this forum and others which sat the ACCA is catching up tot he ACA in terms of employability/desirability although I don't think anyone could say it's quite there yet. Once you are in employment/qualified anyway however, you will have plenty of time to prove yourself on your work/rep and still do the upgrade if you feel it is necessary.
Make sure you get through the AC first and see what they offer you...and keep applying other Big4 for ACA?
L_L
Hi everyone,
Im having an AC with KPMG soon and I get really nervous about the Presentation task
I am not really sure about how much details should the contents be and actually what they expect from from it. Any one has tips on doing this good?
And another thing im wondering is the technical knowledge, how much are we expected to know...
It would be much appreciated, i saw brilliant postings from above, i just wonder a bit more details about specific tasks- i hope you guys would help me out... i need this job so badly, it is like my only chance left
Thanks a million....
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
I had my AC with KPMG last week and the partner presentation and interview was the easiest bit (relatively speaking!) My understanding is that they want a few facts and figures to show you've done your research i.e. turnover, profit, no. of employees etc, and that your recommendations for growth are more to test that you understand the factors influencing the company you've chosen and the market they operate in. My advice would be to have as much technological knowledge as you can but to save most of it for follow up questions. My presentation was short and sweet (about 6 mins), I didn't get bogged down in too much detail but I actually had all the figures etc to hand incase questioned, just make sure you fully support your suggestions with logical arguements.
There are loads of really good threads on here to let you know what to expect.
Oh, and relax ;)
thanks so much Hardy, i was reading your post on "my KPMG recruitment experience" and found that really helpful..
what u said about the group exercise was so true and that's what im so scared of also. I had a really bad experience of a group exercise with UBS AC and till now it still makes me not confident about this. there were 6 ppl in my group and what i experienced was that everyone was aggressive+ time pressure i didn't get chance to talk much and i got put off by ppl jumping in and talking all the time, which in the end i gave up and this part let me down as i failed the AC... I am quite shy in a group as well i don't know if im gonna be okay for this.
and do u think i should prepare presentation slides on A4 papers and hand it to the partner?
thanks so much for your kind help!
Yeah, group exercise is a bit fake. If people are being aggressive and jumping in then they are not going to do well for themselves so don't try to compete with them. If you aren't speaking as much as you'd like then make sure you listen. If you read KPMG's website it says under 'making an impact' that its as much about listening as speak (or something like that). But don't just give up and shy away, make sure you do speak and just say something like 'I think we're losing focus, maybe we should get back to the question set', they're not assessing one thing at a time, its all of the values, i.e. your teamwork yes but also that you are organised and focused on the job in hand. My group just seemed overly polite and if you are in a similar group you will definately get a chance to speak but make sure you don't just wait til you are asked to speak and that you show some initiative etc, all the advice has been given on here before.
I think a slideshow would be really useful for you to understand the structure and content of your own presentation but I wouldn't hand it to the partner, Just do a side or 2 of A4 to sum up I used the following layout
Company - Est. , turnover, profit, what it does
problems - the top 3 or so problems it currently faced (if you mention credit crunch mention how it directly affects this company!!!)
recommendation 1 - what it is and reason behond it and a sentence on what KPMG to do to help
Recommendation 2 - etc etc
Summary - "The solutions I have outlined will help company X grow by getting costs under control, focusing on customers needs and looking toward the future" (something like that anywhere)
I'm sure you'll be fine, as I said its much less about how good you are at presenting and more about your business understanding (well that was my view anyway)
Good luck!! any more questions just ask.
Hi Hard87 & Jexxo,
Both of your information is really helpful - thank you. I'm actually applying as a school/college leaver for Audit/AAT & have just been invited to first round interview. Do you think it will be similar to yours? Also I had the choice of either Weds 3rd Dec or Thurs 11th Dec and I chose the latter as I wanted a bit more time to prepare....Do you think this was a mistake as I know they go by first come, first serve kind of thing?! Also any advice or information you can give me about KPMG, Interview tips & Audit/AAT would be much appreciated. Sorr to be such a pain!!
Thank you,
X
Hi Dani,
All the information on interviews is on the forums, you just have to kinda sift through all the threads. Check out the wiki site for all the info for questions etc. Did your e-mail tell you what competencies you will be tested on? The ones for Graduate positions do so thats a bit of a clue. As for advice, read their website, check out the wiki about KPMG, and make notes on it, can be a bit labourious but only you know how much you want the job. Personally I would have gone for the sooner one, as you said it is a first come first served basis. That said, they probably wouldn't have later dates if they were expecting to fill up before then so...
As for interview tips, you gotta be yourself, so relax (a few deep breaths and a smile works surprisingly well) also, know what your going to say first, they'll ask how you are, or how your journey was something of that nature. I always knew what I was gonna say to start with (kinda like a presentation, once you've got the first line outa the way the rest just sorta flows) and also remember to ask them a question back!! and listen to what they say, that is how you build a good rapport. Make sure you are polite, smartly dressed, easy to talk to (but not a joker who obviously isn't going to do any work). Also don't be too afraid when answering a question to say summint like 'KPMG ha the best traingin most awards (list them) and then say 'but that can all be read from the internet, the real reason I want to work for KPMG is ... the people, the training, the atmosphere (whatever the real reason is) That shows that you know what they're looking but that you've thought it threw and have your own motives and are an individual.
Thats all I can say really, I got through with a good rapport and a bit of luck to be honest, I'm nothing special on paper, or CV, but I knew it was what I really wanted and that I am capable. Other than that just read every thread on this site with the word 'interview' in it.
Any other questions I'll do my best to help.
Jexxo and everyone.
i read fr above that you (Jexxo) did your presentation on Morrison. I am going to talk about Tesco and got caught up with this question: I read from Tesco's annual report that its current auditor is PwC! Bearing that in mind if in the end after I talk all about how KPMG could help to provide effective expansion etc..., there is a question like "what can KPMG offer to Tesco so that it could be better off from current Auditor PwC?" I honestly don't know how should I answer....
Anyone got an idea?
Seabreeze: what was your answer for the question"what would u do if you wake up tmr morning being the governor of BoE"? I am just curious :)
Hmmm I don't know about the answers yet but also curious about ur questions.
When n where r u having AC? It seems that they have quite a number of AC in London at the moment
I applied for Audit Cambridge, my AC is in London Dorset Rise office on the 26th. r u having one soon also?
26th?
Mine is 24th... it's funny that they have so many AC in London at the moment...
I actually did my presentation and partner interview today already (i applied 4 Audit Bristol). Then will head to London on 24th for my e-tray n group case study...
Dont know what to expect...
then i guess the hard bit has been over for you, I heard fr a friend who just went to the AC, she said the group exercise should be relaxing, u don't need to have too many ideas, but just to work well in a team...
how did ur presentation go? what company you talked about? what did the partner ask in the end? anything unexpected/ hard commercial awareness question?
...im just really nervous....
Best of luck on your e-tray and group case study.
Nancy
thanks so much autumn, i appreciate that!
U shud be fine with the e-tray as long as u manage your time and concentration well... I look forward to hearing your good news on the 25th ;)
Best, Nancy
Thanks Nancy
I think the presentation went alright, I managed to finish it in 10mins. My partner was very nice as she reminded me how much time I had left so I made sure that I could finish it on time.
Then they would possibly ask about why you chose this business (I chose WH Smith). There was 1 question about how they got their finance from.
Commercial awareness... not much being asked, just 1 question about what u r interested in at the moment.
Some conpetency ones, eg leadership, pressure. And there's another question which I didnt expect... tell me about a time when u had to give up?!
I'm quite worried about e-tray coz that's the one I failed last year when I applied for KPMG internship :(
Good luck to u too n hope that help
Just edit abit :)