How to prepare for an assessment centre

The assessment centre is an essential element of our trainee application process. Taking place after online testing and a short video interview, it’s your chance to meet PKF Francis Clark employees in person (or virtually) and get a feel for the kind of tasks you might complete as a trainee accountant.

It’s natural to feel daunted by the assessment centre, but it’s certainly not a four-hour-long interview. Instead, it’s a chance for you to meet PKF Francis Clark and for our team to meet you.

While we’d be surprised if you didn’t have some pre-assessment nerves, the main goal for these days is for us to get to know you and for you to ask our team any questions you have about the apprenticeship.

To guarantee that you can perform at your best on the day, we’ve put together an explanation of how to prepare for the assessment centre.

What to expect on the day of the assessment centre

Our assessment centres typically run from 9am to 1.30pm and you’ll usually have a choice of dates. Depending on your location and the trainee pathway you’re applying for, you’ll be invited to either an in-person or a virtual assessment centre.

While the structure of the day and the tasks you’ll complete are the same for both, there are some differences in how you’ll prepare for the assessment centre. For both assessments, we specify a business dress code.

Differences in preparing for an in-person vs. virtual assessment centre

Preparing for an in-person assessment centre

Plan your journey beforehand – check the route and leave plenty of time to get to the assessment centre
Wear something you feel comfortable in – wearing something new that turns out to be uncomfortable could be a distraction you don’t need

Preparing for a virtual assessment centre

Check your headphones/microphone and Microsoft Teams beforehand
Prepare your space – aim for somewhere quiet with minimal distractions and you might opt to blur your background for the video call
Keep drinks, snacks, a notepad and pen on hand – so you don’t need to get up during a task
Keep your phone handy so you can contact us if something goes wrong

During the assessment, you’ll participate in three different tasks. Each task allows you to demonstrate different skills and show your experience and curiosity about a career in accountancy.

Group exercise

During this task, you’ll be split into a group of three to five candidates and given a business case study to discuss. The scenario will vary but usually includes details on a fictional company, financial information, and options for actions the business owners can take.

In your group, you’ll have to discuss the scenario, evaluate the options, and decide which one you’d recommend. Then, you’ll give a brief presentation outlining your reasons. The task lasts for approximately 45 minutes.

We’re not asking you to demonstrate accountancy knowledge in your discussion. Instead, we want to see how well you work in a group and debate ideas with others.

Top tips for candidates

Ensure you’re involved in the discussion—we can’t score you if you don’t speak
Ensure everyone else in your group gets a chance to voice their opinion and ideas

Written exercise

The written exercise is an independent task consisting of an in-tray exercise. During this exercise, you’ll role-play as a trainee accountant, being given a series of tasks to complete. You’ll have to decide how to prioritise your work and complete the tasks efficiently.

It’s challenging to prepare for an in-tray exercise as you don’t know what you’ll be given until you sit down. However, we’ll test your organisational skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving abilities. Stay calm during the task, and make sure you can justify your decisions.

Top tip for candidates

Keep an eye on the time. If you don’t finish the task, we can’t score you!

Behaviours based interview

We recommend that you focus most of your preparation for an assessment centre on the interview portion, as this section contributes a high proportion of your overall score.

You’ll be interviewed by two employees at PKF Francis Clark, for example, a partner and a manager.

Your interviewers won’t be provided with your CV, so at the start of the interview, they’ll ask you about your work experience, skills, and background. “Tell me about yourself” is a common opening question!

Afterwards, you’ll get four behaviour-based questions. These are typically phrased like, “Tell me about a time when you…”.

You might be asked to give an example of a challenge you’ve overcome, a time when you had to solve a problem, or when you had to deal with a stressful situation. We’re looking for you to explain what happened, your actions, and the outcome.

The examples you choose don’t have to come from the world of work. If you’re a school leaver or have just graduated, we don’t expect you to have a lot of professional examples, so identify a range of experiences you can draw from.

Top tips for candidates

Read up on PKF Francis Clark and the accountancy qualification before the interview—we want to see you know what you’re applying for
Don’t rely on the same experiences to answer questions, e.g. your dissertation or a sports team
Your examples can come from any area of your life, including volunteering, part-time jobs, education, and personal situations
Answer the question that’s being asked, not what you think the interviewer wants to know

Making the most of the assessment centre – ask your questions

The assessment centre is our chance to assess who would be a good fit for our accountancy apprenticeship. It’s also your chance to ask questions and learn more about working at PKF Francis Clark.

So, all candidates meet with a trainee at the assessment centre. They can answer any questions you have about studying and working at PKF Francis Clark or about the job of a trainee accountant.

To find out more about starting your accountancy career, explore our range of trainee accountant jobs.