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PwC Legal Vacation Scheme - November 2024

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: grades and work history. 

2. Online assessment: tests comprising situational judgement and verbal reasoning questions.

3. Video interview

4. Virtual assessment centre

5. Vacation Scheme 

Which aspect does this report cover?

This virtual assessment centre.

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

The assessment was conducted online, through a secure platform provided by PwC.

What did the assessment centre involve?      

The order of tasks varied for participants, but my personal sequence was as follows:

1. Written exercise: calculate some profits and draft an email with a recommendation on how to proceed (45 minutes)

2. Graduate recruitment interview: competency and motivation questions with one interviewer (15 minutes) 

3. Group discussion: working in a group of 6, we were given a list of 8 risks and asked to agree on the top 3 risks for our client based on a client brief. Two members of the graduate recruitment team were assessing (15 minutes preparation, 30 minute discussion)

Written exercise

This exercise required me to complete some calculations and then draft an email with my recommendations. I had to advise a client on whether they should proceed with a proposed investment aimed at increasing workplace production.

I was provided with a lengthy client bundle, including information about the client’s current operational costs and the projected operational costs if the client went ahead with a proposed investment. 

The exercise assessed my analytical skills, basic maths skills, ability to convey complex financial information clearly in writing, and the logic underpinning my recommendations.

Graduate recruitment interview

The interview provided an opportunity to discuss my motivations and fit for the role at PwC. It was crucial to demonstrate an understanding of the firm’s values and how my experiences align with the expectations of a trainee solicitor. 

This 15-minute session included questions such as:

I was also asked to talk about the vacation scheme (the length and some of the tasks that I expected to be completing).

Group discussion

In this segment, each participant received an identical bundle of information about a client and their operations. This bundle also included eight potential risks for the client. The task was to collaboratively rank the top three risks using our commercial knowledge and in light of information we had been given about the client’s preferences. Mid-discussion, new information was introduced, requiring us to re-evaluate our initial decisions. 

This was a collaborative task focusing on risk assessment and decision-making under changing conditions. It tested our ability to adapt quickly and work effectively as a team to prioritise client needs based on evolving information.

What was the outcome?                                                  

I was contacted two weeks after the assessment and informed about my rejection at this stage of the application process. I was able to arrange a feedback call. My feedback highlighted that I performed strongly in my interview and group discussion. However, I fell down on the mathematics in the written exercise, which impacted negatively on the rest of my advice. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?


PwC Legal summer vacation scheme - 2023

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

2. Psychometric test: games-based assessment Skyrise City

3. Video interview: case study and situational-based questions  

4. Assessment centre

5. Vacation scheme

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre 

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Virtually, via a platform called Impact (which simulated an email inbox and a diary), as well as via Google Meet. 

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Partner interview: motivation and situational questions (~15 minutes prep time, then a ~20 minute interview with one partner).

2. Group exercise: commercial discussion (~45 minutes recommended individual preparation time, ~30 minute group discussion assessed by one senior associate, ~20 minutes to write and submit a summary of the discussion).

3. Written exercise: client report (~45 minutes recommended preparation time)

4. Numerical analysis exercises (~30-40 minutes recommended)

PwC sets a self-directed assessment centre which meant I had to manage my workload to submit all the assessments within the overall time limit (only the group exercise and the partner interview had scheduled timeslots during the assessment centre).

All assessments had to be completed within a 2½ hour window, including reviewing materials before the partner interview, a partner interview, a written report, a number of numerical analysis exercises, preparation for the group exercise, the group exercise, and follow-up actions linked to the group exercise. Within this 2.5 hour period, the written exercise, numerical exercise, and group discussion summary had to be completed in accordance with specific deadlines, meaning time management was challenging.

Group exercise  

This involved a discussion with 4-5 people based on a fictional client. We were provided with background information, including a time estimate for how long we should spend preparing the task, as well as a brief telling us to consider commercial issues that have impacted the client and its sector over the last 12 months, certain client-specific information, and which key team member from the client each of us would need to focus on during the group discussion (each of us was allocated a different team member/role within the client’s business to focus on, and had to consider the nature of that role, what the team’s main objectives would be, and whether any specific commercial issues would drive their decisions). I was able to use the internet to help with my preparation.

I wasn’t allocated a specific amount of time to prepare in advance of the group discussion, given the self-directed nature of the assessment centre. During the actual group discussion, we were assessed throughout by an associate. After the discussion, we were then each given 20 minutes to write a summary of the discussion and submit it to our “supervisor”. I would recommend that your summary of the group discussion is written chronologically. 

Partner interview

20 minutes before my interview slot, I was given background materials to read before the interview. These materials set out a week’s timetable in the life of a trainee solicitor, including various trainee tasks that needed to be completed (it took 10-15 minutes to read in total). In the interview, I was asked the following:

Motivational questions

  1. Why are you applying to PwC?
  2. What would the role of a trainee solicitor at PwC involve?
  3. What appeals most to you about the role?

Situational questions

  1. How would you obtain information when a client is ignoring your request? Why might a client not respond? 
  2. How would you manage your workload given the commitments set out in the example trainee solicitor timetable? 
  3. What would be the consequences of a mistake made when carrying out client work? 

Written exercise

This exercise was based on a fictional client. I was given specific information about the client’s business, including specific legal issues that it was facing, and based on this information (plus any additional research carried out online if I wanted to do this) I had to write a report on what commercial issues had likely affected the client over the past 12 months. The report also had to include recommendations for how PwC could assist the client in connection with these specific issues, as well as the commercial pressures it faced more generally.

Numerical analysis exercise

I had to answer a series of questions which required me to interpret information in tables, bar charts and line graphs. I could use a calculator, but had to set out my thought process (e.g. show my calculations and provide reasoning for my answers). As the assessment centre was self-directed, I had to allocate time to complete these questions within the 2 ½ hour window. 

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me a couple of weeks after the assessment centre to offer me a place on the vacation scheme. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                  

Make sure you complete all the assessments, and don’t miss any deadlines. I would recommend that you spend 10 – 15 minutes at the start planning your day/allocating time to each task, and then setting timers to help you keep track of time. 

The PwC recruitment team holds incredibly useful candidate briefings in advance, so make sure you attend one. Their key advice was to make sure that everyone speaks during the group exercise and to provide reasoning for your answers to the numerical analysis questions. In addition, I was given feedback after my video interview, so could adapt my approach based on this feedback during the assessment centre – be sure to do the same.

Where possible, use statistics or refer to news articles to inform your discussion in the group exercise and your recommendations in the written report. For the interview, research the role and understand what you will do as a trainee solicitor to excel, and try to be clear and concise when giving answers.

I researched “PwC Professional” (PwC’s competency framework) and completed the e-learning assessment centre module on the Graduate Recruitment section of PwC’s website. I highly recommend that you do the same.

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