Big 4 Online Assessment: PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG Guide
The Big 4 online assessment differs at each firm. Compare PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG formats, providers, timings and question types, with worked examples.
Employer Assessments·Aptitude Test Prep Team · Sep 2, 2026 · 9 min read
The Big 4 online assessment is the first real filter on a PwC, Deloitte, EY or KPMG graduate application, and the four firms no longer test the same way. PwC opens with a game-based assessment built with Arctic Shores. Deloitte uses an immersive scenario assessment in the Cappfinity style. EY runs a set of reasoning tests followed by a separate job simulation with video answers. KPMG runs two long untimed scenario assessments and then a short timed numerical test. If you apply to all four for audit, tax, technology or a general graduate scheme, you are preparing for four different experiences, not one. This guide sets out each format, the published timings, and the two skills that carry across all of them: fast numerical work from tables, and scenario judgement.
TL;DR
- PwC starts with Career Unlocked, a game-based assessment developed with Arctic Shores, taken on desktop or the mobile app.
- Deloitte uses an immersive online assessment that mixes situational strengths questions with numerical, verbal and logical sections.
- EY combines reasoning tests with a 14-question job simulation that includes ranked responses, written answers and two video answers.
- KPMG runs two blended scenario assessments with a 5 calendar day window each, then a 30 minute timed test of 10 numerical questions.
- Numerical reasoning from tables and charts appears in some form at all four firms, so it is the highest-value thing to practise.
- Most stages are untimed but monitored. Working slowly is not free: pace is part of the picture.
How does each Big 4 firm assess graduates online?
The table compares the first online stage at each firm. Business areas differ, but the assessment path is broadly common across audit, tax, advisory and technology intakes.
| Firm | First online stage | Provider or style | Format | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PwC | Career Unlocked | Arctic Shores | Mini-games and challenges, desktop or app | Not strictly timed |
| Deloitte | Immersive online assessment | Cappfinity style | Scenario sections with situational strengths, numerical, verbal and logical questions | Untimed sections |
| EY | Reasoning tests, then job simulation | Standard test formats plus simulation | Numerical, verbal, logical, situational strengths, then 14 simulation questions | Numerical is 24 questions in 20 minutes; simulation about one hour |
| KPMG | Transforming Small Businesses | Blended scenario assessment | Videos, podcasts, articles, voicemails and emails | Untimed, about 90 minutes, 5 day window |
What is the PwC Career Unlocked assessment?
Career Unlocked is a game-based assessment PwC developed with Arctic Shores. You work through a series of mini-games and challenges, which range from taking calculated risks and decoding a safe to identifying another person’s emotions and reacting to them. It measures numerical and logical reasoning alongside behaviour, by looking at how you approach the tasks rather than only whether you got them right.
It is not strictly timed, but pace still matters. PwC’s process then continues to a video interview, a virtual assessment day and a partner or manager interview, and the whole sequence can run up to about six weeks from application to final assessment day. Some roles also require a standalone numerical reasoning test with a tight time limit, using tables and graphs with fractions, ratios and percentages. That is the part that rewards drilling. Warm up with five free timed numerical questions before you open the real test.
Arctic Shores describes its approach as task-based rather than question-based, scoring how a candidate thinks and learns rather than what they say about themselves. The practical implication for you is the same as for pymetrics games: learn the rules of each task before it counts, then behave consistently.
What is in the Deloitte immersive online assessment?
Deloitte’s immersive online assessment is a Cappfinity-style set of exercises. It typically includes a situational strengths test of roughly 20 questions with no time limit, plus verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, numerical sequences and critical thinking. Some versions are blended: a single multi-page document on one topic with tabs of graphs, charts, figures and facts, followed by questions that require you to combine information from more than one tab.
The numerical questions do not all offer options. Some are multiple choice, some ask you to rank, and some require you to type a figure with no answer list to check yourself against. That format punishes rounding early, so keep full precision until the final step. Deloitte then runs a job simulation combining recorded video answers, typed answers, multiple choice questions and email-writing tasks, before an in-person final assessment. Our Cappfinity assessment guide covers the scenario style in detail.
What does the EY job simulation involve?
EY groups its psychometric tests into one sitting, then runs a separate job simulation. The published detail is useful because it is specific.
The numerical reasoning test is 24 questions in 20 minutes, covering graphs, percentages and tables. That is under 50 seconds per question. The verbal reasoning test uses passages with true, false or cannot say answers. The logical test uses shape and pattern sequences. The situational strengths test uses 16 video scenarios and takes around 30 minutes.
The job simulation is 14 questions based on real workplace scenarios. Some ask you to rank possible responses, some require written answers, and two require a recorded video answer. It takes about an hour in one sitting, and answers cannot be re-recorded once submitted, so set up your lighting and background before you begin. EY’s process then moves to an Experience Day with a group exercise, a 30 minute case study with a presentation, and partner interviews of around 25 minutes.
What does KPMG’s online assessment look like?
KPMG splits its screening into three online stages. The first, Transforming Small Businesses, is a blended scenario assessment delivered through videos, podcasts, articles, voicemails and emails, testing situational judgement together with verbal and numerical reasoning. It is untimed, takes about 90 minutes, and must be finished within 5 calendar days. Candidates receive a personalised strength report afterwards.
The second, Delivering Outcomes, is another blended assessment with situational judgement, written exercises and video responses, with two minutes to answer each video question after a preparation period. It is untimed, takes about 60 minutes, and again has a 5 day window.
The third, the Critical Thinker test, is different in character: a timed 30 minute test of 10 numerical reasoning questions across two sections, run over Microsoft Teams with your video on. Successful candidates go to the virtual Launch Pad, which includes a group exercise, a written analysis with recommendations, and a partner interview.
Sample question 1: numerical reasoning from a table
Under 50 seconds per question, method beats arithmetic. Try this original example.
| Service line | Fee income 2025 (millions of pounds) | Fee income 2026 (millions of pounds) |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | 480 | 528 |
| Tax | 300 | 342 |
| Technology | 220 | 275 |
Which service line grew fastest, and by what percentage?
Worked solution. Compute each growth as the increase divided by the 2025 figure.
- Audit: increase 48 on 480, which is 48 divided by 480 = 10 percent.
- Tax: increase 42 on 300, which is 42 divided by 300 = 14 percent.
- Technology: increase 55 on 220, which is 55 divided by 220 = 25 percent.
Technology grew fastest at 25 percent. The shortcut worth learning: do not calculate the new totals as percentages of anything. Work with the increase over the old value directly. More of these patterns are in our numerical reasoning percentages and ratios guide and in SHL numerical reasoning test practice, which uses the same table-reading style KPMG’s timed test relies on.
Sample question 2: a ranked situational judgement scenario
You are a first-year audit associate. On Thursday afternoon a senior asks you to finish a schedule by Friday morning. You already promised a different manager you would review a sample by Friday lunchtime. You cannot do both well.
Rank these four responses from most to least effective.
- A: Tell the senior about the clash immediately, propose which piece you can deliver first, and ask them to agree the order with the other manager.
- B: Work late and attempt both, saying nothing to either person.
- C: Do the senior’s schedule and tell the other manager on Friday afternoon that the review slipped.
- D: Ask the other manager to move their deadline without mentioning the senior’s request.
Worked solution. The best answer surfaces the conflict early and offers a solution rather than a problem, so A is first. D at least communicates, but it hides the reason and asks someone else to absorb the cost, so it comes second. C delivers one piece of work but the other manager only learns after the deadline has passed, which is late notice, so it comes third. B is worst: it risks two poor outputs and gives nobody the chance to re-plan. The ranking is A, D, C, B.
Firms score these against their own behaviours, so read the firm’s stated values before you rank. The reasoning method is covered further in our situational judgement test guide.
How should you prepare across all four firms?
Spend your time where the formats overlap. Numerical reasoning from tables and charts appears at every firm, so timed numerical practice is the single best investment. Scenario judgement is second: the wrapping differs (games, immersive documents, videos) but the underlying question is always which action a professional services firm would want. Treat the video components as a separate skill, because a one-take answer with no re-record is a different task from writing. Then plan the logistics, using the checklist in how to pass online assessment tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Big 4 online assessments timed?
It varies. Several stages at Deloitte and KPMG are untimed, but they have completion windows and expected durations. EY’s numerical test is strictly timed at 24 questions in 20 minutes, and KPMG’s Critical Thinker test is 30 minutes for 10 questions.
Can you use a calculator?
For table-based numerical tests a calculator is normally expected, but check the instructions on the test itself. Practise with the same calculator you will use on the day.
Do all four firms use games?
No. PwC’s Career Unlocked is game-based, developed with Arctic Shores. Deloitte, EY and KPMG lean on scenario and reasoning formats rather than games at the first stage.
How long does the whole Big 4 process take?
PwC’s published guidance suggests up to about six weeks from online application to final assessment day. EY’s process typically spans around two months.
Do you get feedback on the assessments?
KPMG provides a personalised strength report after its first assessment, highlighting top strengths and development areas. Detailed scores are not usually shared by any firm.
What if your connection fails during an assessment?
Contact the firm’s recruitment team rather than restarting, and finish well inside any 5 day window so there is time to recover.