Big Four online assessment guide: what Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG publish about their tests, video interviews and rules on AI use.
Searching for "Big Four online assessment" suggests that Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG run one shared test, when each firm in fact publishes its own process under its own names. The stages also change from one country to the next, so advice written for a London graduate scheme can be wrong for a New York internship at the same firm.
We wrote this for students and early-career candidates who have applied to one of the four firms, or are about to, and want to know what each firm itself says about screening. It covers the stages each firm publishes, the name and nature of its online assessment, any recorded video interview, the practice material it offers, and its rules on AI and outside help. We make Verve AI, an interview copilot, and what we say about the four firms comes from their own careers pages as they stood in October 2026.
The short version is that all four firms combine a behavioural assessment with a reasoning test for most early-career roles, and all four require the work to be your own.
How does a Big Four online assessment differ by firm and country?
Each firm publishes separate careers pages for each country, and the pages do not always describe the same stages. We read the UK early careers pages for all four firms and the US pages for Deloitte, EY and PwC, and we say which one we are describing each time. None of these pages publishes a pass mark, and most leave exact timings to the invitation email, so your own invitation is the final word.
What does Deloitte's Immersive Online Assessment involve?
Deloitte UK's early careers page lists five steps: an online application of about 15 minutes, the Immersive Online Assessment, a Job Simulation, a final stage assessment and the outcome.
The Immersive Online Assessment has two parts, and the behavioural part presents realistic workplace scenarios, asks you to rank actions, and asks about your preferred working style, while the cognitive part contains numerical and verbal reasoning questions. Deloitte says there is no overall time limit, recommends one sitting, and notes that some questions are timed so that speed contributes to the score.
The Job Simulation focuses on behavioural skills through work-based scenarios. Candidates rank options, select responses, write answers and record video responses. Deloitte adds that some scenarios may refer to AI tools, and that "you do not need prior AI experience, nor will you be asked to use an AI tool during the assessment." The final stage is a topic discussion of 30 to 40 minutes and a skills and motivation interview of about 50 minutes, held in person for most programmes, and Deloitte's free Candidate Zone offers practice assessments.
Deloitte UK's integrity guidance says AI must not be used in online assessments, "including the Immersive Online Assessment, Onestop and Job Simulation", or in interviews. It permits AI for research and for interview practice, provided "your responses must be based on your own experiences", and it says a breach means removal from the process.
In the US, Deloitte's recruiting page describes two to three rounds of interviews by telephone, video or in person, and it does not describe an online assessment. Its page on AI tools says "AI can be used as a preparation tool, but never as a substitute for your own thinking or as assistance during interviews."
What does EY's online assessment involve?
EY UK's student application page describes an application form, a preparation hub, online assessments and an EY Experience Day. It names a Realistic Job Preview as "a first stage of online assessment including teamwork and learning capability", followed by a behavioural skills test.
EY's UK FAQ lists the question formats, which include choosing from options, interpreting a table or chart, dragging items into position, identifying a pattern and recording a video response. Time limits are given in your invitation and in the instructions.
The same FAQ states the rule on outside help: "You alone must complete all assessments independently, without any assistance and answer honestly and as yourself." It adds that suspected help can lead to a suspended assessment and a rejected application.
In the US, EY's FAQ on its Early Careers skills assessment describes three sections, two untimed and one timed, which typically take 45 to 60 minutes in total. The invitation arrives from an SHL address, the assessment is due within 48 hours, and it can be taken only once in the validity period. That FAQ says "Using generative AI tools or other assistance is prohibited."
What does PwC's online assessment involve?
PwC UK's assessment and selection process page lists an online application, an online assessment, a video interview, a virtual assessment centre and a business assessment with a senior leader.
The online assessment is hosted on the SHL platform. It opens with a non-assessed activity called "Bringing our values to life", then a behavioural assessment that is not timed, then a timed cognitive test covering numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. The video interview is on demand and also runs on the SHL platform, with recorded answers reviewed afterwards by a PwC assessor.
PwC UK's rule is that "The use of AI tools, AI-enabled services, or any third-party assistance to generate, edit, rewrite, summarise, coach or otherwise complete assessment responses is not permitted unless explicitly authorised by PwC."
In the US, PwC requires an assessment for most entry-level roles. Its FAQ says the assessment is not timed, takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, and asks about work style and tendencies. Candidates then typically complete two consecutive live virtual interviews. PwC US says "the use of AI during the assessment and interview process is not permitted", with one exception for case interviews whose instructions explicitly allow it.
What does KPMG's online assessment involve?
KPMG UK's graduate application process page sets out four stages. After a job preview quiz that is not assessed and an application form, candidates take two online assessments.
The skills assessment asks you to rank how you would think, feel or respond in various scenarios, and KPMG suggests allowing 20 minutes although it is untimed. The cognitive assessment covers numerical and logical reasoning and is timed at 36 minutes. KPMG shows practice examples before the live assessment and points candidates to SHL's practice tests.
The third stage is a recorded video interview of six questions, asked by an AI avatar that KPMG calls Leah. KPMG says to allow 40 minutes, and that the recorded answers "will be reviewed and scored by a member of our Student Recruitment team." The final stage is Launch Pad, an in-person half-day event.
KPMG's rule reads: "By completing our assessments, you are confirming that you are doing so independently and without the assistance of others, or any artificial intelligence or other resources, to provide responses that are not your own."
What do the four firms have in common?
Read together, the pages show a clear shared pattern, even though the names and details differ.
- Every firm pairs a behavioural or situational assessment with a reasoning test for most early-career roles.
- Deloitte, PwC and KPMG in the UK include recorded video answers, and EY lists a video response as a possible format.
- Every firm requires candidates to complete assessments independently, and three of them name AI in that rule.
- Every firm offers its own practice material or examples, and none of them publishes a pass mark.
None of the pages we read describes a game-based assessment for these programmes. If your invitation mentions one, our guide to the types of online assessment test explains game-based and aptitude formats. None of the pages names HireVue either, but our article on whether HireVue can detect an interview copilot and our HireVue page cover recorded one-way interviews on that platform. Banks screen in a similar way, and we cover them in our guide to bank hiring assessments and video interviews.
How does Verve AI help with Big Four interviews?
The interviews that follow screening are behavioural, technical or case-based, and they reward specific stories told clearly. Verve AI's mock interviews are spoken sessions with an AI interviewer, built from the job description, a question bank or your own questions, and each ends with a report. Verve AI also builds answers from your own stories in STAR format, so practice draws on real experience.
Verve AI is also a real-time interview copilot for interviews held by video or phone. It offers three ways to get help that share one conversation context: automatic answers from the live audio, a built-in chatbot for typed questions, and a hotkey that captures part of the screen. Because it keeps the context of the whole conversation, follow-up questions are answered in light of earlier questions and your own answers. Its suggestions are prompts for answers given in your own words.
The four firms' published rules apply here, and they are plain. Deloitte and PwC say AI may not be used during assessments or interviews unless the firm explicitly permits it, KPMG requires assessments to be completed without AI, and EY requires them to be completed without any assistance. Deloitte does permit AI tools for interview practice, which is where mock interviews fit. Follow each employer's instructions, and start on Verve AI's free plan to rehearse before the real interviews.
FAQ
Is the Big Four online assessment the same at every firm?
The Big Four online assessment is not one shared test, because each firm publishes its own. Deloitte UK calls its version the Immersive Online Assessment, EY UK describes a Realistic Job Preview and a behavioural skills test, PwC UK hosts behavioural and cognitive assessments on the SHL platform, and KPMG UK uses a skills assessment and a cognitive assessment.
Can you use AI in a Big Four online assessment?
Deloitte, PwC and KPMG each state in writing that AI must not be used to complete their assessments. EY UK requires candidates to complete assessments independently and without any assistance, and EY's US FAQ prohibits generative AI tools by name. Candidates should follow the rules in their own invitation as well.
Do the Big Four firms use recorded video interviews?
PwC UK uses an on-demand video interview on the SHL platform, and KPMG UK uses a recorded video interview of six questions asked by an AI avatar. Deloitte UK's Job Simulation includes recorded video responses, and EY UK lists a recorded video response as a possible question format. All four processes vary by country and programme.
How long does the KPMG online assessment take?
KPMG UK says its skills assessment is untimed and suggests allowing 20 minutes for it. KPMG UK's cognitive assessment is timed at 36 minutes, and its recorded video interview at the next stage takes about 40 minutes.
Verve AI Team
AI Interview Copilot
