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PwC Consultant Interview Questions, Process, and Tips
Top PwC Consultant Interview Questions and Answers
- Q1. A large South American toffee manufacturer wishes to acquire a European premium Chocolate producer. Should the acquisition be done? What are the implications?
- Q2. What are the losses in pipes, how to design a water system for a MS building
- Q3. What do you know about the possible acquisition of IndusInd Bank by Kotak Mahindra?
PwC Consultant Interview Experiences
76 interviews found
Anonymous
I applied via Campus Placement
1 case on profit maximization by a firm was asked.
The intention was to see the depth of approach which was judged by the variety of questions that I asked during the case interview.
Basics of IT.
Questions on integration and differentiation because of my interest in Math.
Puzzle: Lastly, a puzzle was asked
I solved it using common sense instantly.
(3 Questions)
- Q1. In-depth questions on my work experience were asked, which spanned across the oil and gas. Each and every keyword was questioned, especially the quantitative figures.
- Q2. A guesstimate on the no. of gaming centers in INDIA was asked wherein they wanted to see the span of my thought process.
- Q3. Questions on the type of curriculum, the entrance tests, etc. that were followed in BITS.
(1 Question)
- Q1. Strengths, weaknesses, and future aspirations.
Interview Preparation Tips
1. Case interviews from various sources.
2. Thorough study of CV with an explanation of each and every technical detail mentioned. Since PwC India recruits students from core engineering branches, generally, they expect us to be thorough with the technical jargon mentioned in the CV.
What went right?
In consulting, the primary thing that matters the most is the confidence with which we back ourselves. The case interview and guesstimates were handled by me with confidence. Also, I answered the puzzle instantly, which created a good impression.
What was your improvement area?
HR questions could have been handled more efficiently. The list of HR questions that is pre-circulated is extremely important.
Suggestions:
1. Practice 1 case and one guesstimate every day along with a partner.
2. Revise some basic technical knowledge regarding the engineering stream.
3. Be thorough with CV, especially the work experience part.
4. Practice the HR questions.
5. Be confident. All they are looking for is that one should be presentable in front of the clients.
I applied via Campus Placement
(4 Questions)
- Q1. Round 1 - Telephonic, 30 mins CV Based Questions: (dur. 10 mins) Why Consulting?
- Q2. What are the two most interesting projects are on your CV?
- Q3. What was the most challenging part of each?
- Q4. Guesstimate: (dur. 20 mins) I had Cricket in extra-curriculars, the guesstimate was about calculating the total volume of paint consumed for maintaining cricket stadiums across India.
Round 2 - 25 mins
Round began with a general introduction and my reasons to pursue a career in consulting, and specifically in PwC US Advisory. After a casual discussion of 5 mins. the interviewer began the case.
A medical instruments company is losing market share drastically since last financial year.
[Please note that I stands for Interviewer and C stands for Candidate]
C: I did my basic check for details with the interviewer regarding the following possibilities:
• Discontinuation of a product line by the client.
• Regulatory issues stopping sales of a popular brand of our client firm.
• Launch of new product line by any competitor that has eaten up our share.
• Decline in our sales due to quality issues (This turned out to be the reason).
(Hint: Try to relate a reason from previous work-ex and state it as one of the reasons, especially during summers recruiters frequently ask questions related to the candidate’s previous work-ex. This may not be the case always, but in my case the interviewer as asked me a case related to quality control.)
I: Yes, they have received multiple cases customer complaints of quantity mismatch in cartons and product damage in last 1 year. Take it forward now.
C: Okay, this seems like a problem at the packaging and packing station as final quantity check happens there and product damage happens due to 2 reasons: use of sub-standard packing material and not following the packing, loading and unloading SOPs. Let me ask about the packaging process at the client first for quantity mismatch issue, then I will discuss the packing material and finally SOPs.
I: They have recently switched their packaging station to automatic image based counting station, they have changed some supplier for packing material and the SOPs are unchanged.
C: Okay, so I see that they have a new supplier for packing material. Could you please tell me about the image-based counting system at packaging station? Was it bought after a proof of concept?
I: It’s a proven technology so management didn’t conduct any pilot or POC. Please give me possible reasons of the complaints based on the discussion so far.
C: Yes, so to begin with there could be issues with the new packaging station counting technology as image-based technologies need tremendous amount of data and supervised teaching for different product types and settings. So, they need to recheck that system. Coming to packing material change, they must again check the compliance of the packing material with their internal standards, involving a 3rd party testing agency for unbiased results.
SOPs are unchanged but we must see that loading and unloading SOPs are followed and re-training of workforce in that area might help.
I: What parameters do you need to check while switching materials?
C: Compliance of supplier with relevant standards, if possible we must see the same for the incoming material right from the source as part of supplier on-boarding or material change, compatibility of the material with our internal processes and SOPs as well as the product, reusability of the material if it falls in the multiple use category, material properties like weight, resistance to moisture, reactivity with respect to other materials we use, material durability in our environment and of-course total cost of buying and handling the material throughout the desired use.
I: Okay, what could be the most critical material for the client I mentioned?
C: Material used for the parts that are used for incision, insertion or similar processes involving subdermal contact.
I: What could be top KPIs for the client company’s QC department ?
C: General KPIs like : number of complaints/ units sold. This can be broken down to cases of process failure, material failure and deviation from SOPs to laser focus the efforts. I can think of only one at this point especially given the nature of the case.
I: Thank you, we are done here.
(Hint: The interviewer waived off the 3rd round for me based on this interaction, I feel she was liked the use of specific terms pertaining to industry of the client and quality control)
(1 Question)
- Q1. Partner/Directory Round - Cultural fit round, 15 mins I was interviewed by a US based director over Skype. He asked me questions around my goals and objectives in life and my take on certain situational a...
Interview Preparation Tips
I started preparing for consulting interviews around 40 days before SIPs. Case in Point helped me to get the hang of a consulting interview initially. I followed Victor Cheng’s lectures too.
Understanding the end-to-end business functioning of my previous employer allowed me to get a clear idea on business and strategic challenges and this came in really handy during the interview. I analyzed a sample company from each of the prominent sectors like Pharma, Steel, Automobile, Banks and IT/ITeS, end-to-end to understand the finer details pertaining to a particular type of company.
What went right?
I was confident throughout all the rounds, making it a discussion in essence, rather than a formal interview. The fact that I stated out my assumptions clearly during both guestimate and case study round was well received.
Suggestions:
1. Prepare well for questions like why consulting? Ops. Consulting ? Or why in a particular firm?
2. Prepare well for CV defense, make sure you know the calculation behind each quantified claim, think of project scenarios like: most successful, most challenging and all beforehand and make answers using star approach.
3. For consulting interviews put equal attention on business functionalities as you put on framework. Understanding a business helps you ask the right questions and list-down right parameters whenever asked.
4. The best framework is created on the spot so don’t spend too much time mastering the frameworks you find in different materials. Often a case will be too unstructured as to be discussed through any pre-defined structure, use simple logical trees or flow-charts in those cases.
5. For guesstimates keep some numbers in mind like population of major countries, cities, states. Especially figures of candidate’s hometown and state apart from Mumbai and Maharashtra are important.
6. Expect guesstimates and cases to be around the interests mentioned in CV or intro or work-experience.
I applied via Campus Placement
(1 Question)
- Q1. Number of hotel rooms in a typical middle east capital city with the oil wells.
- Ans.
The number of hotel rooms in a typical Middle East capital city with oil wells varies depending on the city.
The number of hotel rooms can be influenced by factors such as tourism demand, business travel, and the size of the city.
Cities with a high number of oil wells may attract more business travelers, leading to a higher demand for hotel rooms.
Some Middle East capital cities known for their oil industry, like Dubai a...
(3 Questions)
- Q1. Tell me about yourself in detail.
- Q2. Detailed discussion on the roles and responsibilities I had while working in HPCL.
- Q3. I asked me about the biggest challenges I had ever faced while working in HPCL and how I was able to overcome the same.
(3 Questions)
- Q1. Why consulting?
- Q2. Why PwC?
- Q3. Where do I see myself in the next 5 years?
Interview Preparation Tips
1. Case in point
2. Random Guestimate sessions with friends
3. Supply chain overview
4. Case books -NITIE, IIMs
5. Strong CV Backup
6. HR questions
What went right?
1. I was able to have a very good discussion during my manager round and was able to come with quite an accurate ballpark figure for the guesstimate.
2. I was having a very good hold on my work experience and was able to answer things related to it.
What was your improvement area?
1. Having clarity and preparation about basic consulting related HR questions.
2. Different guestimates frameworks.
Suggestions:
1. Learn different structures and frameworks of guestimate.
2. Ask your friend to create random guestimates around your work experience and try solving that with the frameworks you have learned.
3. Be thorough about your work experience.
4. Say things only, which you can have a discussion about in detail. The interviewer keeps stopping you from elaborating upon the things you are saying, and it is always possible that he is already having good knowledge about those.
5. Be confident and ready to have a discussion about anything during the interview. And if you don't have the subject knowledge, you can always tell the interviewer in a polite manner and ask him to through some light about it.
What people are saying about PwC
I applied via Campus Placement
(1 Question)
- Q1. The round 1 for PWC US Advisory is a telephonic round and lasts close to an hour. My interview was with a manager. After a brief introduction, the interview proceeded.
The second round was a face-to-face interview that lasted around 50-60 minutes. The interview started with a quick round of introduction from both parties. I was asked to explain certain CV points in greater detail and the type of work that I had to do. My key learnings from the projects. This was followed by small cases.
I: What is the S2P cycle? List its main stages?
C: I explained how the source-to-pay cycle is made of the source-to-contract and the procure-to-pay cycle in detail.
I: Suppose a logistics company is facing high sourcing costs. Apart from price, what other parameters can you discuss during negotiations?
C: Quantity discounts/rebates, payment terms, delivery schedule and incoterms are some of the other things that I would like to negotiate. Detailed discussion on incoterms followed.
I: Why do companies maintain inventory?
C: To circumvent the inherent variance between supply and demand.
I: What are the types of inventory?
C: Explained the types of inventory. Detailed discussion on anticipatory inventory.
I: What is working capital? Which financial statement do you see to derive that?
C: Current assets -current liabilities. It is obtained from the balance sheet.
I: Suppose a firm is facing working capital management issues. What are the aspects you will investigate in detail?
C: Inventory at hand, accounts payable and accounts receivable will be a good starting point.
(1 Question)
- Q1. The final round is held via video conferencing where a director of the firm assesses the cultural fit of the candidate. Questions are centered around the life experiences of the individual. Clarity regardi...
Interview Preparation Tips
Guesstimates: Guesstimate preparation should be regular and spontaneous. Once I was familiar with the necessary numbers (demographic data) and the approaches, it's all about practice. One should be aware of the different methods – top-down, bottom-up, demand side, and supply-side approaches. We had a group of 4-5 people and used to practice random guesstimate every day. That helps you bring in new factors and memorize the demographics quickly.
Case Study: For case studies, I started with Victor Cheng videos and watched case-solving videos online. Getting a clear understanding of the frameworks and practicing enough to identify and lay out a clear structure at the beginning of a case is crucial. I practiced case studies with my friends and selected cases from different case books to get sufficient exposure to different kinds of cases.
CV: CV is perhaps the most critical part of the internship preparation. One should have a concise and well-rehearsed CV with a proper CV backup.
Company-specific: I interacted with seniors to understand the pattern and the type of interview. PWC interviews require command over basic concepts of operations and SCM. In all interviews, the questions are asked from an operations perspective. All the case studies were operations-oriented too.
What went right?
My previous work experience was as a SAP MM consultant. So, I was functional consultant closely working on procurement and inventory management. All my cases were based on what I had worked on. Besides, in the first 3 months, I had acquired knowledge of basic operations and SCM concepts which helped me in these interviews. They wanted to evaluate my clarity on the things I had worked and more importantly if I could build on that and use it in management consulting
Suggestions:
Practice cases and guesstimates regularly. Study the basic concepts of SCM, operations and accounting Practice operations cases as well. During the interviews, when prompted to ask any questions, please ask valid questions. In consulting, they assess the conversational ability of a candidate.
PwC interview questions for designations
I applied via Campus Placement
(2 Questions)
- Q1. Number of planes a medium sized nationalized Air Carrier would have using Top-Down approach. The input given to me was the annual revenue of the carrier.
- Ans.
The number of planes a medium-sized nationalized Air Carrier would have can be estimated based on its annual revenue.
The number of planes is typically determined by the carrier's capacity and demand.
Factors to consider include the carrier's route network, frequency of flights, and average passenger load.
Comparing the carrier's revenue to industry benchmarks can provide insights into fleet size.
For example, if the carri...
- Q2. A large South American toffee manufacturer wishes to acquire a European premium Chocolate producer. Should the acquisition be done? What are the implications?
- Ans.
Yes, the acquisition should be done.
The acquisition would allow the South American toffee manufacturer to expand its product portfolio and enter the premium chocolate market.
It would provide access to European distribution channels and a well-established brand in the European market.
Synergies can be achieved through shared resources, economies of scale, and cross-selling opportunities.
The acquisition may lead to increa...
Why Consultancy and how is PWC US Advisory different from other consultancy firms.
A large bottled water manufacturer is planning to setup a plant in the Himalayas. Should the company go ahead with the project? Perform a cost-benefit analysis and what factors to be considered.
Asked about the motive to setup a new plant. Asked about the capabilities of the company, the existing market size, increase in market, whether the new plant will cater to new or existing consumers using STP.
Pricing and concept of the product. Explained about various factors like raw material, workforce and utilities supply. Considered various geo-political factors as well. Took into consideration the forecasted sales, production capacity, probable break-even.
Explained what all factors need to be considered in the Cost-Benefit Analysis (mentioned the high overheads and complications in operations and supply chain due to remote location).
Interview Preparation Tips
I was not expecting a consulting shortlist because of my profile. So, my preparation was brief and concentrated on what was primarily going to be asked in the interview. I prepared for guesstimates and solving cases from various MBA institute casebooks, material suggested by seniors and GOOGLE. I also used the help of my batchmates to gain various perspectives into case solving and whether I was missing any key information to be included in guesstimates.
Area of improvement:
I had only 2 weeks of prep as I was sure I would not get a consulting shortlist. It would have been better if I had prepared from the beginning itself. It would have given me a larger strategical overview and deeper insights on how cases need to be approached.
Suggestions:
1. Be sure of what you are writing in your CV. You should be able to justify the numbers as well as the jargons that you write in your CV.
2. A proper and relevant introduction/why NITIE/why Ops/why consulting.
3. Try to solve as many guesstimates as you can and try using various approaches as well, and not just the one you are comfortable with. The approach matters, not the answer. Try to consider as many relevant factors as you can, and not all factors. Do mention what you are considering/not considering and reason for the same.
4. Always make sure you give a proper structure to your case. The structure and approach should be clearly communicated. Always ask for data. Clarify or make assumptions wherever required. Say out your thought process. Keep in mind “Analysis-Paralysis”, so don’t overthink everything. Lastly ask questions. Solving a case is not a monologue, take it as an opportunity to highlight your communication skills and ‘on-the-go thinking’.
Get interview-ready with Top PwC Interview Questions
I applied via Campus Placement
Round 1 - 20 mins
It started with the basic introduction and a brief chat on how my experience was with Reliance. What learning did I get from there and how it has helped me.
Guesstimate: It was taken on-the-spot from my CV. I was asked to calculate the number of completed Coursera Certificates in India during the past 1 year.
Case studies based on operations strategy. Was asked about the forecasting factors to be considered for the sale of TATA Nexon car in India. 2nd case was based on the sale of Boost brand (of GSK) to HUL. Why HUL bought the brand, what factors did they consider and what synergies can emerge from this sale for GSK.
(20 minutes)
A case study and discussion based on procurement and sourcing strategy in Oil & Gas Industry. Primarily the discussion was based on reducing procurement cost using various methods and at what stages costs can be reduced. Asked some clarifying questions regarding the case and strategy or sourcing methods currently followed.
(20 minutes)
Interview Preparation Tips
I prepared for SCM as well as consulting domain. Covered the supply chain aspects from Chopra & Meindl and prepared for consulting using Case-in point. Victor Cheng videos clarified the frameworks and how to go about figuring out solution in a real case interview. Case Studies Preparation, SIP Grooming Sessions taken seriously, worked on communication skills.
For Guesstimates, I practiced 2 guesstimates on an average every day. It’s better to practice these in a group of 3-4 friends, which gives you different perspectives and approach to solve a guesstimate.
Suggestions:
1) Prepare your CV very well and be ready to dive deep in any of the CV points.
2) Think smart and act smart.
3) Solve cases and guesstimates with your friends to gain a wider perspective.
4) Have a free-flowing conversation with the interviewer as they look more for engagement, communication & interpersonal skills, apart from knowledge.
Consultant Jobs at PwC
I applied via Campus Placement
Estimate no. of malaria-virus carrying mosquitoes in Bangalore.
[Please note that I stands for Interviewer and C stands for Candidate]
C: Usually mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant waters so we will first estimate the area portion in Bangalore with stagnant water. As it will also depend on rural and urban locality, addition layer is imposed to find net area with stagnant water. Further argued that per square km of water, x eggs are laid and y% of eggs turn successfully into mosquitoes. Out of total mosquitoes, assuming only a out of b species can carry malaria virus, total no. is found out to be z.
I: Ok, that seems fair. Now, can you find out, based on this figure, how many patients will suffer from malaria in Bangalore?
C: assuming out of z mosquitoes, some will bite multiple times and all humans bitten will fall ill to malaria. Taking different probabilities of successive bites, total no. of ill patients are calculated. To verify the approach, total no. of malaria patients in Bangalore is compare with per sq km population and is found to be within feasible limits.
What inventory classification techniques are you aware of?
Told about commonly used techniques with criteria to use.
Assume you are a consultant to a hotel chain and the owner wants to redecorate the interiors (assume only sofas) for the lobby. You need to identify the best supplier for the purpose. What factors will you consider for decision making?
Started with clarity on the problem by asking preference of design, material, price, etc. Wrote down a list of parameters to judge supplier performance and then arranged it according to the client’s requirements.
Assume you the owner of a departmental store. The average footfall of customers is quite low at present. How will you increase footfall to generate higher revenues?
Started with improving the visibility of my store based certain marketing techniques but was asked to restrict my ideas within store.
Next, products variety offered, pricing, availability, etc. were discussed to generate higher revenues.
Interview Preparation Tips
Daily practice of guesstimates of usual things around to grasp better understanding. Had a fluent backup of all questions related to my CV. For cases, logical approach is the key and as mostly are real life problem associated with any business, many a times ideas based on personal judgement worked in favor.
I applied via Campus Placement
Estimate the no. of flights handled by Mumbai Airport.
As a preliminary question, I iterated what was asked and specified on aspects like the time scope (day), type of day (weekday, weekend), time of the year (is it a holiday season), type of flights (domestic/international). I started off with stating that there are 2 runways but only 1 is used at a time and asked if I can go on with this data.
I divided the day into peak and non-peak hours and stated the assumed runway utilization for both periods. I assumed the time between two flights to be 2 minutes. The interviewer asked me the rationale behind it. I told him how the flight take-offs are constrained by the landing and take-off time of the previous flights. He was convinced by the provided rationale. Finally, I concluded by calculating the total no. of flights. I was thinking out loud, so he’s aware of what I am doing all along the interview.
Work experience in Oil and Gas.
Different scenarios regarding the supply and demand, refineries and terminal locations and asked me the effect on lead time, inventory, safety stock etc.
A manufacturing client which is facing difficulties on meeting its promised lead time.
Why consulting? And about the structure of PRTM.
An Oil and Gas firm is unable to deliver the LPG cylinders on time in a particular region in South India.
I stated the assumed structure of an oil and Gas firm and asked, if there had been any recent changes to the company-dealership structure around that region. He replied that the delivery issue is not seasonal and exists for a long time. I suggested some of the possible root causes and suggested some recommended solutions to address them.
Interview Preparation Tips
I prepared for SCM as well as consulting domain. I devoted around 2-3 hours for consulting preparation after a month into NITIE. Case-in point helped me in understanding the different basic frameworks. Victor Cheng videos were helpful in understanding the frameworks and it also gave me a taste of how consultants communicate to the client.
For Guesstimates, I practiced 2 guesstimates every day. It’s better to practice these in a group of 3-4 friends, which gives you different perspectives and approach to solve a guesstimate. Throw a new guesstimate to yourself, not from any reading material and try to solve it. It’s the structured approach and relevant factors that matters and not the actual number.
Suggestions:
1. Be thorough with your CV points.
2. Prepare well to the supply chain aspects in your work-experience, they tend to ask questions around the same.
3. Do your homework on the firm to understand its services and structure.
I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Nov 2022. There were 3 interview rounds.
(1 Question)
- Q1. Director Round 1. Introduce yourself 2. What all subjects did you study in your MBA? (later asked about finance questions) 3. What concepts are you comfortable with in finance? 4. What is EBITDA, and why...
(1 Question)
- Q1. Partner round 1. Why Deals? 2. Guesstimate (no. of 5-liter blue paint cans used in Hyderabad in a year) 3. How do you estimate the amount of paint required to paint a wall? 4. Do you have any questions? ...
Interview Preparation Tips
(2 Questions)
- Q1. 1) Estimate market size of a pesticide.
- Ans.
Market size of a pesticide can be estimated by analyzing industry reports, sales data, and market trends.
Research industry reports on pesticide sales and market trends
Analyze historical sales data of the pesticide
Consider factors such as market share, pricing, and competition
Consult with experts in the field for insights
Use surveys and interviews to gather data on pesticide usage
Look at government data on pesticide imp
- Q2. Estimate revenue/day of a McDonald's outlet in Delhi
- Ans.
The revenue/day of a McDonald's outlet in Delhi can vary based on factors like location, footfall, menu prices, and promotions.
Consider the location of the outlet - outlets in busy commercial areas may have higher revenue compared to outlets in residential areas
Footfall plays a crucial role - outlets near tourist attractions or shopping centers may have higher revenue
Menu prices and promotions can impact revenue - limi...
Solve a EV Market entry case study. The geography was India
Interview Preparation Tips
Know your CV well
Talk about your previous work experience
PwC Interview FAQs
Some of the top questions asked at the PwC Consultant interview -
The duration of PwC Consultant interview process can vary, but typically it takes about less than 2 weeks to complete.
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PwC Interviews By Designations
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PwC Consultant Interview Process
based on 28 interviews
4 Interview rounds
- HR Round
- Case Study Round - 1
- Case Study Round - 2
- Case Study Round - 3
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