What happens at a consulting assessment centre?

Many consulting firms include assessment centres, which usually last about half a day, as a part of their graduate recruitment processes. It’s natural to feel nervous about attending one, but knowing what to expect should help to make you feel more prepared and in control. First and foremost, bear in mind that an invitation to a consulting assessment centre means you’re doing well. You’ve sparked a firm’s interest and have demonstrated on paper that you have the skills and qualities they are seeking. Here’s a rundown of the most common elements you’ll find at a consulting assessment centre:

Interviews

It’s likely that you’ll already have had an interview, either in person or over the phone, and you’ve impressed your interviewers enough that you’ve been invited to the assessment centre. The interview, or interviews, that take place on the assessment day will often be with a partner, or someone at a senior level in the firm, and delve deeper than previous interviews have. Remember that at all interviews assessors will be looking to see that you can demonstrate a strong understanding of the firm, and how you’ll make a good fit. Bain & Company’s Steve Ellis, worldwide managing director, sums things up well: ‘We are looking for people who can combine intelligence, logic and creativity with practicality. Our entire interview process seeks to identify people who have great potential in these areas.’

Case studies

One of the interviews at an assessment centre may be a case study interview. You’ll be presented with a business problem and asked to come up with a solution. Assessors will be looking at how you process information, solve problems and react to new and surprising situations.

Group exercises

These are designed to see how well candidates perform in group situations. Assessors will want to see that you can hold your own in a team, but demonstrate confidence, not arrogance. At Capgemini, for example, candidates are split into small groups of around six people. Each group is given a large amount of information, and asked to complete a series of tasks in half an hour. The team’s effort is monitored by assessors, as is each candidate’s performance, bearing in mind the area of the firm they have applied for.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

Often candidates have taken a psychometric test when they first submitted their application. At some assessment centres they are asked to take a follow-up test, to validate their online score. In other firms, the test at this stage will be more complex than earlier ones, and requires a thorough understanding of the firm’s working style and approaches, such as the problem-solving test given at McKinsey’s assessment centre.

• Find more information and links to a selection of free practice psychometric tests

In-tray exercises

Favoured by companies such as KPMG and Accenture, this involves being given a series of tasks, which typically arrive by email, and being asked to deal with them – these are designed to assess your organisation and prioritisation skills.

Presentations

At some assessment centres you will be asked to give a presentation, usually to a mixed group of candidates and assessors. It’s helpful to bear in mind the following:

• A structure is helpful to prevent your mind from going blank and helps the audience keep track. Once you have a structure you can decide what kind of props you will use; notes are fine but don’t speak directly from a script.
• Be aware of your timescale and don’t attempt to fit in too much information or your audience will switch off and you’ll run out of time.
• Most of the message of your talk is transmitted non-verbally, by the way you present. Your body language can make a huge difference to your presentation so stand confidently, don’t fidget and look at those who you’re addressing.
• If you’re using a flipchart, projector or PowerPoint slides to support your presentation keep the text brief.

Role play

This is a less common element of consulting assessment centres, but very popular with several firms, such as Accenture, McKinsey and PA Consulting Group. A candidate will be put into a client-facing situation similar to one experienced by a consultant at the firm. The ‘client’, played by an assessor, may be difficult or unforthcoming with information. The assessor will want to see how the applicant is able to deal with such clients – can they exercise diplomacy and tact, but also stay on track with the project at hand?

Remember...

The most common myth surrounding assessment centres is that recruiters use them to trip candidates up. This is simply not the case. Consulting firms invest a lot of time, effort and money in the recruitment process and they want to see you perform well. The experience is designed to give you a taster of situations consultants face on a daily basis to see how you respond to the issues at hand. You’re not expected to know the ins and outs of a consulting project or converse in business jargon – recruiters just want to see how you process and react to information, work within a team and deal with time pressures. It’s also important to remember that it’s a two-way process, so use the experience to ask questions about the profession, the firm and the type of work consultants are involved with. Make notes on what you thought went well and what areas need improving, and ask for feedback on your performance

• Find advice on assessment centres at Bain & Company 
• Find advice on assessment centres at Accenture
• Find advice on assessment centres at McKinsey & Company
• Find advice on assessment centres at PA Consulting
• Find advice on assessment centres at KPMG
• Find advice on assessment centres at Capgemini