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How I got into PwC – Job Test, Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) and Interviews
I am writing this piece to inform and guide individuals who are trying to get into PwC. Here is my story:
Not having an Accounting/finance background, I initially thought getting into the big 4 was beyond my reach, irrespective of the fact that it was clearly stated as a criteria that anyone from any course of study is eligible to apply. I saw those getting into these firms as super humans and not in my league. So in my first attempt at PwC, the self-belief was lacking and I wrote the test with self doubt and unsurprisingly I didn't scale through. I later realised that a friend of mine, without an accounting background or prior experience, in the same circumstance as i am scaled through. Then it dawned on me that it was actually possible to get into PwC if my mindset was right.
In my second attempt, I got in. What did I do differently?
The recruitment processes are in 3 stages and usually last for between 5 - 6 months:
1. Proctored Online test (SHL) (the timeline to take the test is usually around 4-5 days and feedback is received 1-2 weeks later)
2. OPQ (Occupational personality questionnaire) (timeline to take the test is around 3-4 days and feedback is received about 2 weeks later)
3. Interview (this spans for about 1 month and feedback is received between 2 weeks to 1 month from the last date of interview)
The aptitude tests are of 2 sections, verbal and numerical and how I was able to navigate through that hurdle was to constantly practice the past questions materials in order to familiarize myself with the question styles and techniques. I made sure I covered the past questions from front to back (The materials I studied with are available at the Job test section of Q and A App, Install the App on Playstore
I also joined WhatsApp study groups where we thrashed out difficult questions too. That really helped put me in great shape for the test.
For the second stage (OPQ), its all about your personality/traits and whether or not, it aligns with that of the firm as well as the Business unit you apply for. How i was able to navigate that was that i combed their websites to know more about the firm, their values, mission and vision. I also reached out to people already working in the firm (especially via LinkedIn) in order to gain more insights about the company, the values and attributes they hold dear. These really helped and it enabled me align my responses to the values of the firm. Consistency in your response also is very important because a question could come in different forms and you have to be consistent with your responses.
For the last stage (interview): When I got to the interview stage.........
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE JOB TEST SECTION OF Q AND A APP.
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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tolu.qanda Thanks for this |
