Since 2018, we've been surveying junior staffers (including interns) at the Big 4 about the questions they were asked in their interviews. Here are the 25 most common types questions that surfaced from 1300+ responses.
My short and long term goals, my passion and hobbies – Junior @ PwC
Questions related to: my interest in my chosen area, extracurricular activities. – Junior @ EY
What are my hobbies and other interests (volunteering)? – Junior @ Deloitte
About my background (why I studied what I did and where I did it etc.) and about my interests outside uni (sport, travel, hobbies etc.) – Junior @ KPMG
Check out our best advice for answering personal questions in an accounting interview.
I was ... asked how much I knew about the firm and why I chose and wanted to work at *this* firm, and not another. – Junior @ KPMG
Why did you choose EY? – Junior @ EY
Why PwC? – Junior @ PwC
Why Deloitte as compared to other Big 4? – Junior @ Deloitte
Check out our best advice for answering why you want to join a specific accounting firm.
Why consulting? – Junior @ Deloitte
Why are you interested in joining the firm and this team? – Junior @ EY
I was asked questions about ... why I want to work in audit – Junior @ PwC
Why do you want to work in tax? – Junior @ KPMG
Learn how to respond to questions that ask about your interest in a service line.
Explain a piece of work / projects that you've done in your studies or at work that demonstrate an ability in this area of work? – Junior @ KPMG
What skills would you provide to the team? – Junior @ EY
How my current skills would translate into the audit room – Junior @ PwC
How my previous experience is relevant for this role – Junior @ Deloitte
Learn how to talk about your skills & show they're relevant.
I was asked what I though an auditor was. – Junior @ KPMG
Why this role? What do you think it does? – Junior @ EY
What was our understanding of assurance and what we perceived would be our role at the firm if we were hired. – Junior @ PwC
Video interview: What do you know about the job you're applying for? – Junior @ Deloitte
What's the need for consulting companies and what's the benefit for our clients from us?
Check out our best tips for answering knowledge-based questions like these.
What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest weaknesses?– Junior @ KPMG
Biggest weakness – Junior @ EY
What are your areas of strength/weakness? – Junior @ PwC
What are your three best strengths and two weaknesses? – Junior @ Deloitte
Learn how to answer the strengths & weaknesses question in an accounting interview.
Can you describe an instance where you had to work under significant pressure? – Junior @ KPMG
Can you think of a time when you had a lot of projects due at once and how you dealt with it? – Junior @ EY
Tell me about a time when you had to deliver an outcome under pressure. – Junior @ Deloitte
Describe a time when you work under pressure and how you have dealt with it – Junior @ PwC
Give me an example demonstrating good time-management skills. – Junior @ KPMG
how do you prioritise your work – Junior @ PwC
How I managed uni and part-time jobs – Junior @ Deloitte
What was an example of workplace conflict and how did you resolve it? – Junior @ KPMG
I was asked to describe times when I worked in a team, times when I had to deal with a difficult person. – Junior @ EY
How do you handle conflict with others? – Junior @ PwC
How i handle conflict – Junior @ Deloitte
Learn how to best answer interview questions about conflict.
I was asked what challenges I have faced and overcome that may assist me in my role. – Junior @ KPMG
Describe a time you have been challenged and how you overcame it? – Junior @ EY
I was asked to shed light on difficult situations I had overcome ... instances where I had to use my problem solving skills – Junior @ PwC
Can you describe a time when you faced a challenge in the workplace and how you overcame this? – Junior @ Deloitte
See how to answer questions like this.
can you give an example where you have shown leadership or management qualities to solve a problem? – Junior @ KPMG
Time you led a team out of difficulty – Junior @ PwC
I was asked behavioural questions which included ... Describe a time you have demonstrated teamwork and leadership? – Junior @ EY
Most, if not all, questions asked to draw upon real life experiences and how they related to potentially working at Deloitte e.g. times when you exhibited leadership and were trusted by colleagues and employers – Junior @ Deloitte
Here's how you can answer questions on leadership.
Talk us through a time you've had group members not pull their weight. How do you deal with difficult team members? – Junior @ KPMG
Questions surrounding the demonstration of collaboration and leadership through professional and educational endeavours. – Junior @ EY
Varies depending on interviewer. A focus is on working in different teams.– Junior @ PwC
How well do I work in a team? – Junior @ Deloitte
Here's how to talk about your leadership skills in an interview.
Why I think I would suit audit– Junior @ KPMG
What makes me a good fit for PwC – Junior @ PwC
Why would you be good for Deloitte and why would Deloitte be good for you? – Junior @ Deloitte
Why KPMG, what you want out of your job. – Junior @ KPMG
What I wanted to get out of working at PwC – Junior @ PwC
Why work for Deloitte? What do you want to achieve at Deloitte? – Junior @ Deloitte
where do I want to take this role in the future – Junior @ KPMG
About ... what I wanted in my career – Junior @ PwC
Where do you see yourself in five years time? – Junior @ Deloitte
Here's how to answer questions like this at an accounting & advisory interview.
What do you do to achieve something? What is your biggest achievement – Junior @ KPMG
What is an achievement you are proud of? – Junior @ PwC
What is your greatest achievement? It was more getting to know each other then proper interview questions – Junior @ Deloitte
Give me an example where you failed and what you learnt. – Junior @ KPMG
Questions regarding my ambitions, my achievement and most importantly my failures. – Junior @ PwC
Tell me about a time you made a mistake and how did you deal with it? – Junior @ Deloitte
Here's how to talk about your failures in an accounting interview.
Behavioural questions e.g. how do you respond to criticism – Junior @ KPMG
Whether I have asked for feedback before and to talk about a time I did – Junior @ PwC
Give an example of a time you ... accepted/asked for feedback. – Junior @ Deloitte
What made me choose this company? Why this division? What values do you align with? – Junior @ KPMG
The majority of questions are behavioral based that focus on the values of the company. – Junior @ KPMG
Describe a situation which displayed PwC values. – Junior @ PwC
What are PwC's core values? – Junior @ PwC
KPMG also asked about integrity.
I was asked why I wanted to join KPMG, when I had displayed initiative and integrity, an example of when I demonstrated ethics and how I felt about receiving feedback. – Junior @ KPMG
I was asked about ... how I would respond if a senior member asked me to breach integrity. – Junior @ KPMG
There were also questions on diversity.
question about diversity ... on why it is important – Junior @ KPMG
Tell me about a time when you had to adapt in order to cater for someone else's culture. – Junior @ PwC
How I have handled working in a workplace with a diverse cultural background. – Junior @ PwC
Tell us about a time you had conflict and it was a result of cultural differences? – Junior @ PwC
When have you shown leadership? Or innovation? – Junior @ KPMG
Please describe a time that you were innovative, and what you achieved from your innovation. – Junior @ KPMG
Some of the questions asked revolved around problem solving, teamwork and innovation. – Junior @ KPMG
How do you keep informed with world affairs? – Junior @ PwC
I was also asked where I source my news and to talk about an article I read recently. – Junior @ PwC
Tell us about a commercial issue you're keeping up to date with – Junior @ PwC
These questions assess a candidate's understanding of the broader industry challenges and trends, and how they align with Deloitte's future.
What do you think is the biggest challenge that the company will face in 5 years time? – Junior @ Deloitte
What do I think are the biggest risks to the company. – Junior @ Deloitte
What future obstacles and advantages could you see impact Deloitte Technology? – Junior @ Deloitte
the future of assurance services – Junior @ PwC
I was asked about- IT synergies that exist in merger and acquisition situations - stakeholder consideration in technology implementation and business restructuring – Junior @ Deloitte
What do I like about technology? – Junior @ Deloitte
What do I think of recent technological changes? – Junior @ PwC
How you have used an emerging technology? – Junior @ PwC
What is a recent digital tool that you learnt? – Junior @ PwC
I was asked a lot of questions about how I would practically deal with certain situations in the workplace. For instance, if I had to deal with conflict with a client or with a colleague. – Junior @ KPMG
scenario situations - 'what would you do if...' – Junior @ EY
How would you tackle a project on the "effect of bullying"? – Junior @ PwC
If you had to step out of a meeting with a CEO for an emergency, how would you handle to situation? – Junior @ Deloitte
Lots of information about me and what I liked to do, why I wanted to work at PwC as well as a few weird questions to through me off – Junior @ PwC
The standard interview questions, then was thrown curveball questions based on my responses. – Junior @ PwC
The online interview was obviously designed to catch people off guard, and prompted questions like 'describe your dream client' or gave an oddly specific scenario and asked you how you would deal with it. – Junior @ PwC
We hope this helps you prepare for your Big 4 interviews. And if you're still on the hunt for a promising opportunity, check out all the internships we have in this field!