PwC publishes its selection process, and the detail below comes from that page rather than from a preparation site. Where PwC does not say something, this guide says so, because the preparation industry is full of confident claims about this assessment that contradict each other.
What the online assessment is
It is the first assessed stage, and it runs on the SHL platform. PwC describes it as a series of online activities that measure cognitive skills, behaviours, natural preferences and reasoning abilities. In practice it is two things in one sitting:
- A behavioural profile. Questions about your natural preferences at work. It is not timed.
- A cognitive test. An ability test covering numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. This one is timed.
There is also a non-assessed activity called “Bringing our values to life”, which exists to help you decide whether PwC suits you. It is not scored.
What the three reasoning types mean
- Numerical. Working with figures presented as charts and tables: percentages, ratios, totals and changes over time. The arithmetic is not hard; doing it accurately at speed is. Worked examples.
- Inductive, which PwC's own careers e-learn calls abstract reasoning. Spotting the rule behind a series of shapes or patterns and continuing it. No numbers, no language, just the pattern. Two labels, one section. How to find the rule.
- Deductive. Drawing the one conclusion a set of constraints forces: schedules, orderings, seating, who can be where and when. Worked examples.
What PwC does not publish, and what candidates report
PwC does not publish the number of questions, the time limit, or whether the questions are multiple choice or interactive. Preparation sites contradict each other on all three, and several still describe a situational judgement test that PwC says it does not use for student programmes.
The best evidence available is first-hand. Graduate applicants in the 2025/26 cycle reported on The Student Room that the cognitive test used SHL's interactive question style, with calendar, chart, pattern and ranking tasks rather than multiple choice, and several described a short sitting of 8 questions in 12 minutes. One said the length may vary by programme. There are no reports yet from the 2026/27 cycle, and formats can change between years. What candidates reported, in full.
Two questions come up more than any others, and both have clearer answers than the format does. How long the assessment is, and how many questions sets out every figure in circulation and where each one comes from. Whether verbal reasoning is included is settled: it is not, despite what several preparation sites sell.
Which route are you applying to?
PwC runs one early careers assessment process rather than a different one per programme, so the three reasoning types above apply whichever route you are on. What differs is how much has been publicly reported about each.
- Graduate programmes. Almost every first-hand account comes from here, so this is where the evidence is strongest. The graduate scheme online assessment, stage by stage.
- Apprenticeships, school and college leaver, undergraduate. PwC describes the same process, but nobody has published an account of these versions, so treat the mechanics as unreported rather than confirmed. What applies to apprenticeship and school leaver applicants.
The stages around it
- Apply online. Choose the programme and submit the application form.
- Online assessment. A behavioural profile and a timed cognitive test, hosted on the SHL platform, plus a non-assessed activity called "Bringing our values to life".
- Video interview. A recorded interview after the online assessment.
- Virtual assessment centre. Group and individual exercises.
- Finding you the right role. Graduate programmes only.
- Business assessment. The final assessed stage.
- Your offer. Followed by pre-employment screening and onboarding.
How to prepare
- Practise all three types, not just numerical. Numerical gets the attention, but inductive and deductive carry the same weight in the description.
- Work against a clock. The cognitive test is timed. Untimed practice teaches you the method but not the pace.
- Have paper and a calculator to hand. Keep the arithmetic off your head so your attention stays on reading the question correctly.
- Answer the behavioural profile honestly. It is untimed and it is about preferences, not right answers. Consistency matters more than strategy.
- Sit it somewhere quiet, on a stable connection. A timed test is a bad moment to discover your wifi is unreliable.
Practising here
This site has five full-length tests covering exactly those three reasoning types, with a 36-minute timer, a practice mode, and a worked explanation for every question. The first test is free and needs no card. Full access to all five is £29.99 for 30 days.
We are independent. We are not affiliated with PwC or SHL, and our questions are our own practice material, not the real assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What is in the PwC online assessment?
PwC describes it as a series of online activities measuring cognitive skills, behaviours, natural preferences and reasoning abilities, hosted on the SHL platform. You take a behavioural assessment first, then a cognitive test. The behavioural profile is untimed; the cognitive test is timed.
Which reasoning types does the cognitive test cover?
PwC states it is an ability test including numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. Those are the three sections this site practises.
Is the PwC assessment still the Career Unlocked game?
Career Unlocked, the game-based assessment, was the earlier format. PwC now describes a behavioural profile followed by a timed cognitive test on SHL, with no games. Some preparation sites are still out of date on this.
How many questions are there, and how long does it take?
PwC does not publish a question count or a time limit for the cognitive test, so nobody outside the process can tell you reliably. What is confirmed is that the behavioural profile is untimed and the cognitive test is timed. Practise against a clock so the timing is not a surprise.
Does PwC test verbal reasoning or use a situational judgement test?
PwC's own description lists numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning, and a behavioural profile. It does not mention verbal reasoning, and a behavioural profile is not the same thing as a situational judgement test. Some preparation sites list both; treat that as unconfirmed.
Can you fail the behavioural assessment?
It is described as a profile of your natural preferences at work rather than a test with right answers, and it is untimed. Answer it honestly and consistently rather than trying to guess a preferred profile.
Practise the reasoning, not the guesswork
One full-length timed test, free, with a breakdown of where your points went.
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