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Deloitte Interview Process, Case Study, Aptitude Tests and Assessment Centre Preparation – 2024

Job Aptitude Tests Preparation

You’ve come here because you’ve either applied for or you’re thinking to apply for a job at Deloitte. The article will give you some insight and tips to help you with the process whether it’s your first or 20th time applying for a job with Deloitte.

 

What Is Deloitte?

Founded in 1845 by William Welch Deloitte, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited or simply, Deloitte is one of the Big Four accounting firms. The firm offers numerous professional services such as:

  • Auditing
  • Consulting
  • Financial Advisory
  • Risk Advisory
  • Tax & Legal Advice

Since it’s launch in 1845, Deloitte has expanded to offer its services in over 100 locations across the globe in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, China, and many more.

As of December 2024, Deloitte employs at least 415,000 people globally. These employees enjoy benefits such as:

  • Medical, Dental, & Vision
  • Paid Time Off
  • Live Well Program
  • Deloitte Marketplace (Discount Plan)
  • LifeWorks – For new parents
  • Life & Accident Insurance
  • 529 College Savings Plan
  • Paid and unpaid sabbaticals
  • Tuition assistance

These are only a few of the benefits offered at Deloitte.

 

What Is Deloitte’s Hiring Process?

Job seekers looking to work at Deloitte will have to undergo a 3-4 round recruitment process. The process is dependent on the job being applied for and the country in which the job is based. Below is an outline of the recruitment process:

 

Initial Screening

The candidate’s online application, which would have been submitted after browsing and selecting jobs posted on Deloitte’s careers page, is reviewed by Talent Acquisitions. This team is responsible for deciding if your qualifications and experience match the job’s criteria.

 

Interview Process

Following the initial screening process, successful candidates will be contacted for an interview. This is a multi-step process:

  • First contact/telephone interview which gives the candidate the chance to ask questions about the job.
  • Face-to-face/technical interview which is specific to the job for which the candidate is applying. This stage might include multiple interview rounds, which is dependent on the service line and country in which the job is located. In these interviews the candidate’s technical and motivational fit is assessed via discussions with a panel.
  • The last stage of the interview process involves a meeting with the head of the department for which the candidate is applying.

 

Assessments

During this stage of the recruitment process, if necessary, the candidate will sit for the necessary psychometric tests for the job in question. These are either done online or in person at a Deloitte office or assessment centre. It is estimated that about 60% of candidates get rejected solely based on their performance in the aptitude tests. These tests are usually done within two weeks of the interviews.

Below are some of the aptitude tests Deloitte candidates will be required to pass:

  • Verbal Reasoning Test
    This test is used to assess a candidate’s comprehension skills. The candidate will be presented with scenarios and for each scenario the candidate will be asked to answer three questions. The answers will be in multiple choice format with the following options: true, false, or cannot say without additional information. This test is time limited and candidates are given 25 minutes to complete the assessment. Read more about verbal reasoning tests.
  • Numerical Reasoning Test
    The numerical reasoning test is a time limited assessment which the candidate is required to complete in 30 minutes. The test is used to assess a candidate’s ability to properly analyse numerical data in a time effective manner. The candidate is presented with seven scenarios each with three multiple choice questions.
  • Critical Thinking Test (Watson Glaser Critical Thinking)
    As the name states, the test is used to assess the candidate’s critical thinking ability. Essentially, the candidate’s ability to use skills required for the job to solve problems and make decisions. This is assessed through 5 levels:
    • Inference
    • Recognition of Assumptions
    • Deduction
    • Interpretation
    • Evaluation of Arguments

    The test is time limited and candidates have 30 minutes to complete 40 questions.

 

Pre-Employment Checks

After successfully completing the assessments, the candidate is then subjected to pre-employment screening. This is essentially a background check. Deloitte will look into the candidate’s criminal history (if any), previous employment history, verify the candidate’s academic qualifications and contact the references on file. Once this is completed successfully, Deloitte will proceed to make the candidate an offer.

 

Job Offer

Following a successful background check, Deloitte will make a verbal offer, which will be then followed by a contract. The contract which will outline the proposed salary and employment conditions can be reviewed by the candidate. If necessary, some negotiation can take place and then the contract is signed by the candidate.

 

Onboarding

The onboarding process is quite simply an orientation. Once Deloitte and the candidate come to an agreement, Deloitte embarks on an orientation process with the candidate. The candidate is introduced to the systems they will be using and taught basic office procedure. This is handled by the Human Resources department as well as a member from the team to which you will be employed. During this entire process, a Talent Advisor will keep the candidate abreast of the protocol to be followed.

 

What Qualities Are Deloitte Recruiters Looking Out For?

Deloitte is one of the world’s top companies, so it would be unreasonable for any college graduate to expect to walk into a job there. The company is known to have a very high standard and very rigorous recruitment process, but what are the recruiters looking for? Below are some of the qualities that Deloitte candidates are expected to have:

  • Solution Oriented
  • Commercial Awareness
  • Motivated
  • Excellent Communication Skills
  • Adaptable
  • Goal Oriented
  • Excellent Planning & Organizational Skills

How to Prepare for the Deloitte Recruitment Process

How do I prepare for this rigorous recruitment process? What do I do to ensure my application is top of the pile? First and foremost, as recommended by Deloitte’s recruitment team, ensure you sit and carefully think about what you want. This will give you some insight into how to go about your job hunt, as you will most likely only look for jobs directly aligned with what you want.  What you want is only the tip of the iceberg however, as you need to think about your value and create your value proposition. This can be approached by:

  • Considering the values you provided to your previous/current employer.
  • Determine all the skills you are able to offer to Deloitte.
  • How best can you demonstrate these skills in an interview setting. Afterall, if you can’t prove it, it’s as if it doesn’t exist.
  • Think about the roles at Deloitte that may best use your skillset.

Once these are well thought out, the jobs you choose to apply for are most likely to be the jobs you are best suited for. Not only that, but your resume would be best tailored to suit these roles. Recruiters have also strongly advised that applicants do not apply for multiple jobs within the firm, as it is a strong indication that the job-seeker has no clue what he/she wants.

 

Conclusion

Landing a job at Deloitte is not impossible, it just takes preparation and practice. Spend time practising for your exams and preparing for your interviews and when the day comes, put your best foot forward.

All the best with your application!

 

Interview Sample Questions

According to Deloitte’s website, these are 5 interview questions which they consider pertinent to their recruitment process and how best to answer them.

  1. Tell us more about yourself.
    Applicants usually just give an overview of their job history, but recruiters would prefer if applicants humanise themselves. Recruiters would like to know what makes the applicant tick and would prefer if they infuse some personality into the response.
  2. What are your weaknesses? /What was your biggest failure at work?
    Applicants tend to offer sugarcoated responses, with one of the most popular responses falling along the lines of being a perfectionist. Recruiters are looking for applicants to use their critical thinking skills to identify a specific failure and the actions taken to mitigate it.
  3. What kind of salary do you expect?
    This might just be the most uncomfortable interview question, but it is pretty important. If the company and the candidate cannot come to an agreement, or the candidate’s expectation falls outside of the scope of what the company is willing to offer, the process really makes no sense. Recruiters want to see that you’ve done your research about the role as well as see that you’re confident about what you want. Provide recruiters with an annual salary range in which the lower and higher figures are ideally within $5,000 of each other. Ensure you’re comfortable with the range your putting forward.
  4. Have you ever done…?
    Candidate’s often simply answer by saying “no,” which once again, does not highlight your critical thinking skills. If it is that you’ve never done anything of the sort before, it is best to find a comparable scenario which utilises a similar skill. This gives the recruiter more confidence in the candidate than if he/she simply said “No, but if given the opportunity I’m sure I could do it.” A statement like that provides no evidence and gives the recruiter no reason to be confident in your ability to perform that task.
  5. What does a good job opportunity look like to you?
    Try to avoid scripting your response to suit the role. Be genuine, because both yourself and the recruiter need to know if the job is genuinely a good fit for you. If it isn’t there is a greater likelihood that you’ll underperform.

 

Along with the above questions, other popular interview questions include:

  • Why do you want to work at Deloitte? What about the other Big Four firms?
  • What are your strengths?
  • Why did you choose to pursue accounting as your major?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • Walk me through your resume.