KPMG Interview Prep
KPMG is one of the Big Four, and its UK graduate process is set out clearly on its careers site in four stages: explore and apply, online assessments, a recorded video interview and Launch Pad, an in-person half-day assessment. The first stage includes a job preview with everyday workplace scenarios that KPMG says is not assessed. The online assessments take around an hour and look at how you apply the skills and reasoning the role needs. The video interview asks you to record answers to six questions drawing on your skills, experience and career motivations. Launch Pad then combines assessed and non-assessed activities and lets you meet people from across the firm; candidates in recent cycles describe elements such as a group exercise, an analytical or written task and an interview with a senior colleague. KPMG's values are integrity, excellence, courage, together and for better, and you should expect them to shape the questions. The video interview deserves real preparation, because it feels easy until you hit record.
The KPMG interview process
This is how the process usually runs, so nothing on the day is a surprise. Your recruiter is the one who knows for certain, so ask them what your version looks like.
- Explore and apply: You learn about the role, complete an application covering your academic background, and work through a job preview quiz with everyday scenarios, which KPMG says is not assessed. What to expect: Use the job preview to check the role suits you. Choose your business area and location deliberately.
- Online assessments: Two online assessments taking around 60 minutes that measure how you apply the skills and reasoning needed for the role, including scenario-based questions about how you would think and respond at work. What to expect: Practise reasoning questions beforehand and answer scenario questions honestly; consistency matters.
- Video interview: A recorded video interview of six questions, taking around 40 minutes in total, drawing on your skills, experience and career motivations. What to expect: Prepare examples in advance, use the preparation time to structure each answer and speak clearly to the camera. Keep each answer focused on one strong example.
- Launch Pad (in-person half day): An in-person, half-day event combining assessed and non-assessed activities, where you meet KPMG colleagues from different business areas and levels. What to expect: Treat the whole day as assessed. Collaborate visibly in group work, structure any analysis clearly and ask thoughtful questions in the informal parts.
- Offer: Successful candidates receive an offer, followed by pre-employment checks and information about professional qualifications and training. What to expect: Ask about the qualification route, team and start date so you can plan ahead.
Common KPMG interview questions
Why KPMG, and why this business area?
Why they ask: Motivation is a core part of the video interview and Launch Pad.
How to answer: Be specific about the work in that area, link it to your interests and experience and mention something you learned from KPMG directly, such as an event or conversation.
Tell me about a time you did the right thing even though it was difficult.
Why they ask: Integrity is KPMG's first value: "we do what's right".
How to answer: Pick a real example where doing the right thing had a cost. Explain your reasoning, what you did and the result.
Tell me about a time you challenged an idea or spoke up.
Why they ask: Courage, including professional scepticism and speaking up, is one of KPMG's values.
How to answer: Describe the situation, why you disagreed, how you raised it respectfully and with evidence, and what happened next.
Tell me about a time you learned something quickly to improve your work.
Why they ask: Excellence at KPMG is about continuous learning and improvement.
How to answer: Use STAR with a specific example, explaining how you learned and the measurable difference it made.
Describe a time you worked with people from different backgrounds to achieve a goal.
Why they ask: Together, respecting each other and drawing strength from differences, is a KPMG value.
How to answer: Show how you understood different perspectives, adapted your approach and how the mix improved the outcome.
What is a current issue affecting businesses, and how could KPMG help?
Why they ask: Tests commercial awareness and understanding of the firm's services.
How to answer: Choose one issue you understand well, explain its impact on clients and link it to a service line, such as audit, tax, advisory or consulting.
Where do you see yourself in a few years, and how does the professional qualification fit?
Why they ask: Many graduate roles involve demanding professional exams alongside work.
How to answer: Show you understand the commitment, how you would balance study and work, and how the qualification supports your goals.
Your group needs to prioritise a client's problems with limited time. How do you approach it?
Why they ask: Reflects the kind of group and analytical exercises candidates describe at Launch Pad.
How to answer: Help the group agree criteria, such as urgency, impact and effort, contribute analysis, bring others in and make sure a clear recommendation is reached on time.
What KPMG looks for
These are the things they listen for, even when the question is about something else entirely.
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Courage
- Together
- For Better
- Building trust
How to prepare
Read KPMG's own description of the four stages and its values, then prepare at least one STAR example for each value: integrity, excellence, courage, together and for better. Practise reasoning and scenario questions before the online assessments. For the video interview, rehearse six answers to camera with a short preparation time, because the format rewards structure. Keep up with business news linked to your chosen area. For Launch Pad, practise a group exercise with friends, focus on collaboration and treat every conversation on the day as part of the assessment. Run a Voxxhire mock interview out loud with recorded-style questions first; hearing yourself answer under time pressure is the fastest way to tighten your examples.
Roles this guide applies to
This guide fits best if you are going for one of these.
- accountant
- management-consultant
- financial-analyst
- data-analyst