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PwC Deals Graduate Program

Hi,

I have a partner interview at PwC. Can anyone please tell me how to prepare for it? And how to ace the interview? 

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Top answer
on Jul 06, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there!

Congrats on getting this far! 

Yes, there are a few things to keep in mind that are specific for final interviews:

  1. Work on the feedback provided in the previous rounds. Most firms communicate the feedback from the previous rounds to the final interviewer. It's important then to show the final interviewer that you have a growth mindset and are reactive to feedback. This matters immensely. Make sure you are clear on your development areas and that you get the right support to polish them before the final interview.
  2. Expect less structure. Senior interviewers already have the confidence that you are a decent candidate, your skills having been already vetted by their younger colleagues. They are rather more interested in you as a person and your way of thinking. So they might present you with an unusual case, or one that is created on the spot or no case altogether. Expect anything.
  3. Focus on excellent communication. Senior interviewers care a lot about how clearly you communicate and how you manage to forge a connection with the interviewer. It's important to be top-down and concise as much as possible with your answers while allowing the conversation to flow in a natural way.
  4. Put yourself in their shoes. The one question senior interviewers are asking themselves throughout the interview is what will happen when they'll put you in front of a client they've groomed for years? Make sure that even based on this first impression you seem somebody who can be trusted and who can work with any client regardless of how difficult they might be.

As a last note, if you want to increase the likelihood of success, consider hiring a coach to assess your readiness for the final interview. 

Best,
Cristian

Ian
Coach
on Jul 06, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Congrats on the interview

#1: Read this on how to case prep effectively: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

#2: Read this on how to have the right mindset for casing: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

#3: Read this on how to prepare for the fit section: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Of course, for PwC Deals you should generally (emphasis: generally) expect:

  1. More deals/M&A focused cases/topics
  2. More questioning on subject-matter expertise (you have to show your knowledge here)
  3. More brainstorming
  4. More behavioral/fit questions related to your history/experience/background in the Deals space
Sophia
Coach
on Jul 07, 2023
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

Congratulations on getting an interview! For someone who is just starting out, I usually recommend starting by doing some reading on case interviews to get a sense of how they work, what some standard frameworks are, etc. You could take a look at some of the guides here on PrepLounge, skim through classic books like Case Interview Secrets or Case In Point, or look at consulting firm websites, which usually have some guides or video examples of case interviews.

Once you've gotten a sense of what case interviews look like, I recommend diving straight into live case prep! You might not feel like you're ready, but that's ok - by far the best way to practice for case interviews is to regularly do mock cases yourself (i.e., don't just read cases by yourself - have someone, be it a coach, case partner, or friend run an actual case interview with you). Everyone faces a steep learning curve at first and then quickly gets better. If you are interested in working with a coach at all, having a few coaching sessions early would also speed up your learning and help you get a better sense of where to direct your focus.

Last but not least, don't neglect the behavioral/fit components of the interview! While case interviews feel more idiosyncratic and require a little more getting used to, it's still important to spend time preparing and practicing your answers for the behavioral portions (which most firms will incorporate as part of the interview process). I recommend looking up common behavioral interview questions in consulting, and spending some time writing up and practicing your answers.

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