Applied to PwC for summer 2028? An assessment email usually follows within a few hours. Try the test below in the real format on SHL's screens, then read what it asks, how long it takes, how to answer the statements honestly and well, and what comes after it.
Key facts
- Assessment: An online questionnaire about your work style and tendencies, with nothing to study: PwC says no preparation is needed. SHL runs the help desk for it.1,3
- When: The assessment arrives by email within a few hours of submitting an entry-level application, through a link that is unique to you.1,2
- Time: It is not timed. Set aside about 15 to 20 minutes for one sitting, or stop and come back: your progress saves when you exit.1
- Required: Your application is not complete until the assessment is done. Senior associate intern and full-time roles, seasonal and fixed-term roles and specialist roles skip it.1,2
- Deadline: PwC expects the application and the assessment both done by the application deadline, and asks you to finish the assessment as soon as possible.1
- Results: A result is valid for 120 days after you complete it and is applied to later applications in that window. Results are not shared with you.1
- AI tools: AI is not permitted during the assessment or the interviews, and PwC asks you not to share the assessment's content afterward.2,4
The assessment asks you to choose between statements about how you work, so prepare from PwC's own FAQ.3,1
Try the tests
PwC's questionnaire on SHL's screens, as the app draws it: sets of three statements about how you work, untimed. It opens in its own window, with a read of your answers against PwC's values at the end.
Work-style questionnaire
Three statements, all things people say about how they work. Pick the one most like you, then the more like you of the two left.
8 sets · untimed, about 1 minute
What the PwC online assessment looks like
The email
Within a few hours of submitting an application, PwC emails a personal assessment link. Don't forward it. If nothing arrives within one business day, the role may not need the assessment, an earlier result may have been applied, or PwC may have sent a separate update; if none of those fit, call 888-PWC-4YOU, option 1.1
Already taken it?
Click every assessment link PwC sends you, even if you took it for an earlier application. If a result is still on file, the assessment homepage says you have completed it and you need do nothing more. Results stay valid for 120 days.1
Answering the questions
The questions ask about your work style and tendencies, in sets like "Which statement describes you best?" with three statements to choose from. If this would be your first job, answer from school, volunteer work and activities. Read each question carefully and pick the answer that best reflects your views or experiences.1
Timing and pausing
There is no timer. PwC suggests 15 to 20 minutes in one sitting, but you can exit and come back with your progress saved. Leave it no later than the application deadline: both parts are expected by then.1
After you submit
Once the assessment is in, your application is complete. Recruiters review applications on a rolling or deadline-driven basis, and interviews follow for those that progress: two consecutive live virtual interviews for Assurance and Tax, and the process set out in your invitation for Advisory. A first-round invite can come within days of the assessment.2,5
What the assessment is
- Work-style questionnaire Untimed, about 15 to 20 min
- Questions about your work style and tendencies, such as which of three statements describes you best.
- Saving Any number of sittings
- Progress saves when you exit, so you can finish later, before the deadline.
- Help Mon to Fri, 8am to 8pm ET
- Technical problems go to the SHL help desk, by form at any time or by phone at 800-899-7451 (option 1, then option 3).
- Result Valid 120 days
- Applied to your later PwC applications in that window. PwC does not share it with you.
There is no preparation to do and nothing to study: the questions ask how you work. PwC piloted the assessment in earlier recruiting seasons before making it a formal step.1,3
Before you start the assessment
- Open the email the day it arrives; it usually lands within a few hours of applying.
- Check your spam folder if nothing has come by the next business day.
- Allow about 20 quiet minutes, even though you can stop and come back.
- Have a real picture of yourself at school, work or a club before you begin.
- Close AI tools and other tabs: AI is not permitted in the assessment.
- Finish it before the application deadline, ideally the same day you apply.
The sections, one by one
PwC publishes two sample sets "similar to the types of questions asked", each asking which of three statements describes you best. Between them they touch six themes, and the real items are kept private for test security.1
- Decisions: How quickly you make up your mind: "I do not delay when making decisions."
- Understanding others: Whether you look for the reason behind how people act.
- Problem solving: How fast you come up with ways to solve a problem.
- New approaches: Whether you try new ways of doing a task.
- Reliability: Being on time and doing what you said you would.
- Presenting: How confident you are presenting to an audience.
Here is the questionnaire as it appears in Intervyo, on SHL's player in PwC's colors: three statements stacked as cards, no clock and no right answers.1,3
1.Work-style questionnaireUntimed, about 15 to 20 min
Questions about your work style and tendencies. Each set shows three statements, such as "I do not delay when making decisions", and you choose the one that describes you best, then the one more like you of the two left. Back changes only your last answer, and a progress bar at the foot shows how far through you are. There is no timer, and you can exit and come back with your progress saved.1,9
What it measures: Your work style and tendencies: which ways of working come first for you when you have to choose between good things. PwC does not share the result with you.
How to answer it well
- 1Read all three before you choose. Each describes a strength, so none is the wrong answer on its face.
- 2Picture a real week at school, work or a club, and pick what people would notice in you first, not what sounds best for a firm.
- 3Hold the same picture of yourself throughout. A profile that swings between choices reads as less clear than one that holds steady.
Sample statements and how to answer them
PwC sample set"Which statement describes you best? "I do not delay when making decisions." "I always seek to understand the reason behind others' behavior." "I am quick to come up with ways to solve problems.""1
- 1Read all three before you choose. Each describes a strength, so none is the wrong answer on its face.
- 2Picture a real week at school, work or a club, and ask which one people would notice in you first.
- 3Choose that one, even if another sounds more like what a firm wants.
- 4Move on. Your result rests on all your answers together, not one choice.
Tip: Answer as you are at work or school, not as you are with friends. If you have no job yet, PwC says to draw on volunteer work and activities.
PwC sample set"Which statement describes you best? "I often come up with new approaches to tasks." "I make every effort to always be on time." "I am generally confident presenting information to an audience.""1,6
- 1Notice the three different kinds of strength: originality, reliability and presence.
- 2Think of the last group project you did. What did you actually bring to it?
- 3Pick the statement that matches that, and keep the same picture of yourself for the rest of the questionnaire.
- 4Don't try to guess which trait the firm prizes. PwC recruits against its PwC Professional framework, which asks for both a commitment to quality and "challenging old assumptions and taking on new opportunities", so there is no single target.
Tip: Consistency matters more than any one answer. A profile that swings between choices reads as less clear than one that holds steady.
Practice set (Intervyo)"Intervyo practice set in the same format: which statement describes you best? "I check my work twice before I hand it in." "I keep a group on schedule when deadlines slip." "I enjoy picking up a new tool or app quickly.""1,2
- 1This is our own practice item, written to match PwC's published format; it is not a PwC question.
- 2Rule out nothing as "too small": checking work and keeping time are real strengths in audit and tax.
- 3Choose the one you could back with an example in an interview, since the interviews that follow are behavioral.
- 4Answer at a steady pace. The test is untimed, but overthinking each set makes answers less natural.
Tip: If you could defend a choice with a story in your interview, it is probably the honest one.
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How long to hear back after the online assessment
The assessment comes within hours, and the wait after it depends on PwC's rolling or deadline-driven review of your application.1,2
Sep 25, 2026 (summer 2027)
Undergraduate intern and associate roles
PwC's deadline for 2027 undergraduate intern and associate applications, at 5pm ET. The assessment was due by the same deadline.7,1
Oct 2, 2026 (summer 2028)
Destination CPA roles
Deadline for the 2028 roles tied to Destination CPA, at 5pm ET. Those postings first went up on Sep 10, 2026.7,3
Aug 2025
Healthcare consulting intern, New York
Applied online and got the digital assessment; a first-round interview invite followed a couple of days later, then a second round.5
If no assessment email arrives within one business day, and no earlier result or separate update explains it, call 888-PWC-4YOU, option 1.1
Best guessIf a week passes after the assessment with no word, check your Workday status and spam folder before you contact your recruiter. Locations close as offers are accepted, so a fast assessment helps.
What happens after the online assessment
Online application
A resume on PwC's Workday board, reviewed on a rolling or deadline-driven basis.2
Work-style assessmentYou are here
This page. Emailed within a few hours of applying: untimed, about 15 to 20 minutes, valid for 120 days.1
Live virtual interviews
Assurance and Tax: two consecutive live virtual interviews, one behavioral and one with Innovation Scenario-Based questions. Advisory: set out in the invitation, and most Advisory roles include a case.2,8
Second round, some Advisory roles
Some Advisory teams run a second interview: healthcare consulting in New York ran a first round with a case, then a second round with another case question (Aug 2025).5,2
Offer
PwC recruits on a rolling basis for most roles, and locations close as offers are accepted.2
Work-style assessment vs live interviews
The assessment asks how you tend to work; the interviews ask you to prove it with examples. Prepare your stories for the second, not the first.
Format
Online questionnaire, untimed, about 15 to 20 minutes.1
Two consecutive live virtual interviews for Assurance and Tax; Advisory usually adds a case.2
Questions
Which of three statements describes you best.1
Behavioral questions, and Innovation Scenario-Based questions such as "What would you do if...".2
How to prepare
Examples of the PwC Professional dimensions from work, school and activities.6
AI tools
Not permitted, unless your case instructions say so.4
2028 summer analyst status
For summer 2028, Audit, Tax and DAT roles posted from Sep 10, 2026 and the Destination CPA deadline was Oct 2, 2026. Advisory, Consulting and Products & Technology post later for the same summer, expected between fall 2026 and spring 2027, so the assessment follows whenever you apply.3,7
FAQ
What is the PwC online assessment?
A short, untimed questionnaire about your work style and tendencies, emailed within a few hours of applying for most US entry-level roles. It asks which of three statements describes you best. SHL runs its help desk.1,3
How long does the PwC assessment take?
PwC suggests setting aside about 15 to 20 minutes. It is not timed, and you can exit and come back with your progress saved.1
Can you prepare for the PwC assessment?
There is nothing to study. PwC says no preparation is needed: read each question carefully and choose the answer that best reflects you. What helps is a clear, honest picture of how you work, and a quiet 20 minutes.1,3
Do I have to take the assessment again for a second application?
Not within 120 days. Click the new link anyway: if your result is still valid, the assessment homepage shows it as complete and there is nothing more to do.1
Does PwC tell you your assessment result?
No. Results are not shared with candidates.1
Online assessment at other firms
Sources
Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 4, 2026.
- 1PwC: Entry Level Assessment FAQs
- 2PwC: Entry level recruiting process and FAQs
- 3Extern: PwC Internship 2027-2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply · prep site
- 4PwC: PwC Guidance for Candidate Use of AI
- 5Candidate report on a public forum: Management consulting intern interview, Healthcare, New York (Aug 2025)
- 6PwC: The PwC Professional
- 7PwC: Application Deadlines
- 8PwC: Get Ready for Your Advisory Case Interview
- 9Record of a PwC SHL online assessment sitting (Sep 30, 2026)
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