The online assessment usually takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and was created by Neurosight, who are specialists in designing bias-free assessments of potential.

The test is designed to measure the strengths which enable high performance in a trainee role at Grant Thornton. The assessment also promotes fairness by using dynamically adaptive scoring algorithms, accounting for individual differences and promoting diversity and neurodiversity.

Preparation

Unlike other types of assessment, you don’t need to do any significant preparation or practice beforehand – in fact, it’s best to go in with an open mind, and be prepared to trust your instincts rather than overthink your answers. You will be eased in with some warm-up items before the assessment begins. We highly recommend finding a quiet space with no distractions to complete the assessment and answering the items naturally and honestly.

Tips for your online assessment 

We want you to do your best in this assessment, and have compiled some tips to help you below:

1. Ask questions, your recruiter is there to help
2. Find a quiet place to complete your assessment, away from distractions
3. Read and reread the instructions to make sure you understand them
4. Be confident and stay focused. Try not to overthink it.

What happens next?

After you take the assessment, you will receive a personalised report of your top strengths with advice on how you can make the most of them. If you have any questions about the assessment, your recruiter will be able to answer them.

If you are successful in your online assessment you will be invited to a digital interview by your recruiter, who will tell you exactly what you need to do and what's involved. 

We use a system called HireVue for digital interviews. It puts questions on screen, then asks you to record yourself responding to them. It might sound daunting, but it isn’t. It’s not a test of how you speak or what you look like, we just want to get to know you better. And we’ll give you clear instructions to help you do it well.

Why do a digital interview?

• We do digital interviews because they’re better for us and for you
• You get to do them at a time when you feel ready and at your best. Not at a time we have decided for you
• It allows for us to connect and engage with more candidates without the restrictions that telephone interviews can sometimes bring
• It gives you a chance to be yourself. It’s much easier to get a sense of your energy and impact on video vs over the phone

What a digital interview involves

In the interview, you’ll respond to a series of questions. These are linked to the competencies we look for in our trainees. You’ll have up to 1 minute of preparation time and then between 2-3 minutes of speaking time to answer it.

When completing any of our interviews during the assessment process we recommend using the STARE technique when answering interview questions:

S - set the scene, scenario, situation
T - the task at hand
A - the action you took
R - the result
E - evaluation, critically assess whether you would do it differently if you could.

How to excel in your digital interview

• We strongly recommend you use a computer or laptop to complete your digital interview if you can. You will need a computer or laptop to complete the written case study.
• Think about your background and what you’re going to wear. This is still an interview, so dress smart. 
• Go somewhere quiet, where you won’t be distracted. 
• Keep your answers short and don’t go off topic. You don’t have much time to get your message across. 
• Look at the competencies we’ll be asking about on the 'skills we’re looking for' section. Prepare examples that demonstrate these skills.
• Believe in yourself. Confidence always shows in an interview, even a digital one. Remember, we want to see your personality, so don’t hide it.

The third stage of the application process is the written case study, although for apprentices you will complete this as part of your digital interview. The written case study is a great opportunity to find out more about the type of work you’d be doing at Grant Thornton and the different clients we can work with.

This assessment is assessing your ability to understand and interpret written content and data. We are looking at how you read and understand the question, how you use the data and the way in which you provide your written response. We are assessing your analytical skills, critical reasoning, and written language.

Be prepared

We understand this is a different type of assessment from what you may be familiar with, and have created a ‘top tips’ guide and a practice assessment so you can prepare ahead of this stage. We would strongly encourage you to read the guide and have a practice ahead of this stage and if you are an apprentice, ahead of completing the digital interview.  

This stage will take around twenty minutes to complete. You will need to use a computer or laptop to complete this assessment due to the data you’ll be reviewing and to help you write your mini report.  

Bring your best

To help you prepare and bring your best, we have put together some hints and tips as well as a practice written case study. You can download both these resources beneath this section.

The penultimate stage of the application process is a group exercise, which will take place virtually and be led by a member of our recruitment team. 

The group exercise allows us to get an insight into how you would work in a professional environment and how you collaborate and work as part of a team. It’s a chance to share your ideas but also show you can listen and understand requirements. Encourage your teammates and bounce off their suggestions to get to the best result. Time management is also at play here, so keeping everyone on track will be key.

Tips for your group exercise

• Act as you would in a professional environment, just because its virtual doesn't mean you shouldn't be professional.
• Think about where you will do the exercise, try to limit any possible distractions.
• Listen to others, we're not just looking at how you perform individually we're also looking at how you interact with others.

If you are successful in the group exercise stage, you will be invited to the final round of the application process, an individual interview. 

The interview will take place in one of our UK offices, with one, or two, assessors from the service line you have applied for. We try to make this a relaxed conversation. Questions will range from the usual ‘Why Grant Thornton?’ or ‘Why audit?’ to some centred on our values and what interests you.

Interview preparation

Here’s how to bring your best to the interview:

• Read our website and be up to date with industry news
• Write a list of your strengths along with examples of when you’ve shown them
• Consider your development areas and your personal learning curves
• Think about what excites you about our firm and its values
• Write a list of questions to ask the interviewer. This is a chance for you to learn about us too.

Planning ahead

Before your interview it's a good idea to take a look at the skills we look for, and think about how you can demonstrate these skills throughout the application process. When completing any of our interviews during the assessment process we recommend using the STARE technique when answering interview questions:

S - set the scene, scenario, situation
T - the task at hand
A - the action you took
R - the result
E - evaluation, critically assess whether you would do it differently if you could

Next steps

Your recruiter will let you know if you are successful in your final interview, and call you to offer you a role with us. We aim to do this as quickly as possible as we know what it's like to be in your shoes - we've all been there. Whatever your outcome, we will give you detailed feedback to help you learn and develop yourself. 

If you are successful and you accept our offer, you will begin your onboarding journey with Grant Thornton. We'll keep in regular contact with you in the months before you join, and you'll be invited to your local office to meet the team and see where you will be working, as well as pre-joiner events to meet your future cohort.