The group exercise was based around a hotel resort on a Filipino island which was trying to achieve official

eco-tourism status in order to take advantage of a lucrative deal with a cruise liner. For the exercise, we were given about 20 minutes individual preparation time where we were able to read all the information given to us which included 2 pieces of unique information each that we would have to share with the rest of the group when the time came for discussion. When the time for discussion came, we went round the group and each shared the unique information we had. There were several criteria that the resort had to meet, including Waste, Recycling, Water, Water Recycling, Environment, and Energy. There were normally 2 options to choose between for each criteria with different initial costs and annual revenue/expenditure. The task was to choose 4 priorities for the hotel to focus on while staying within the budget. 5-10 minutes before the end of the discussion, we were given a new piece of information which told us that our budget had been decreased. This was to show that we could still work well even when given a new objective. The main areas to focus on when doing the group work are: Ensure you contribute enough to give the assessors the impression that you know what you are doing and you are able to give your input. Ensure you listen to the other team members. I was given positive feedback based on the fact that i gave non-verbal (e.g. nodding) cues that I was listening and interacting with other members of the team. Ensure you look at all the objectives given to you. As a team we were given negative feedback based on us not thinking enough about the last objective which was to look at what services PwC could provide the resort. Try and take the lead on some area. I took responsibility for keeping a running tally on the budget and ensuring we still had enough money left.

The task was about a Chocolate Bar maker who were looking to diversify by producing a chocolate biscuit. In order to do this, they want to enter a partnership with a biscuit making company and need PwC's help to choose between 3 different competitors. Each of these biscuit makers had their own advantages and disadvantages and so I went about the task by outlining these pros and cons for each company and then coming to a conclusion on which company I thought was best. There isn't any right answer and afterwards I found that we had all chosen different companies. The main areas to focus on in the Written Exercise are: Ensure you give yourself enough time to read and write. While I was able to complete the 2 sides of A4 that were given, the other 3 in the team spent too long reading and planning and so weren't able to finish. They are assessing you mainly on your ability to write in clear English with good grammar, spelling and punctuation. Make this your priority instead of fretting too much over which company is best. They want to know that you have a good understanding of the content, so try and make reference to as much of the information given to you as possible and structure it in a clear way.

The group presentation isn't too difficult, and it doesn't really require you to be of a business background. I would highlight a few things that you should keep in mind while you go through it: Most importantly, make sure you speak enough for the assessor to actually be able to assess you. There's no way they'd be able to pass you on the group exercise if you haven't given them anything to work with. Having said this, don't talk too much either as this can be seen as a bad trait if you aren't able to allow others to have a say. If there are people who are talking too much and not giving you much of a chance, it's most likely because they're trying to give the best impression more than trying to block you out, but if this happens, you should intervene with your own points, even at the risk of talking over the other person. Just try to interject with your own point and the other person should take that as a hint to stop talking for a bit. If you notice that someone in the group isn't able/trying to contribute much, try and give them the opportunity by asking for their opinion. This will be seen as good team working skills. Make sure you do actually have something to add to the conversation. You are given time to prepare before the discussion and you should make sure that you are adding to what is said and working towards your objectives productively rather than just mimicking what other people say in the hope that it sounds like you are joining in. Try to do something that differentiates you and makes you stand out from the crowd. For example, I took responsibility for keeping track of our budget and doing all the calculations which made me stands out from the others.

I found it really helpful to watch this video: http://www.pwc.com/uk/en/careers/student/assessments-at-pwc.jhtml The essay doesn't really need any business knowledge really. You are given information on a range of companies which the company you are advising is looking to partner with in order to bring a new product to market. What you need to be able to do is show that you have good writing skills in terms of vocabulary, grammar, spelling and construct. You also have a chance to demonstrate your reasoning skills and the ability to justify your choices. I went about the essay by starting off with an introduction that outlined the problem and how i intended to go about solving it (in my case this was by assessing the relative pros and cons of each). I then went through a list of the pros and cons of each company and then concluded with my choice and a brief explanation, drawing upon my analysis as to why I chose the company I did and also why I rejected the others. In my opinion the psychometric tests are very simple and throughout the whole job hunting process I never really did any practice other than the sample test they give you before you do the real one. However, I know some people have difficulty with it and many people recommend using [www.assessmentday.co.uk] for practice. PwC use numerical and diagrammatical reasoning tests (rather than the verbal one that most companies use). I think I ended up getting in around the 60th percentile.