There is no single Strategy& process
This is the most important thing to know before preparing. Strategy& sits inside PwC, and each territory runs its own pipeline. The differences are not cosmetic.
United Kingdom. Applications go through PwC, and candidates are told to select "Strategy" when prompted. You submit a CV and personal statement, then complete an online assessment on the SHL platform: an untimed behavioural profile covering natural preferences at work, plus a timed cognitive section spanning numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. Outcome within 48 hours. The first round is then two back-to-back 45-minute case interviews, one unstructured (some background questions, then a case), one structured around a slide pack from a real client project with about ten minutes to review it first.
Netherlands. Strategy& runs its own process. The online assessment is "divided into two parts, a cognitive and behavior assessment, and takes approximately 60 minutes in total," with a practice test recommended beforehand. Then six 60-minute interviews across two rounds, three with consultants and three with seniors, each mixing personal fit and case work. Candidates are assigned a consultant buddy and given a practice case.
Poland. Interns sit a game-based assessment of no more than 15 minutes, then an English-level video recording on HireVue, then a hiring manager meeting.
United States, MBA. One round of three virtual interviews, each with both a case and a behavioural component, with an offer decision targeted within three weeks. No online assessment is published for this route.
One name worth addressing because candidates search for it: older guides mention a gamified assessment called PwC Career Unlocked, built by Arctic Shores. No current PwC page describes it, so treat that name as historical rather than as part of today's process.
What the assessment measures
PwC's own framing is that its assessments "are designed to help us understand each candidate's potential by evaluating a combination of skills, behaviours and motivations." Practice tests are offered before you sit the real one, and PwC UK gives candidates roughly seven days from the invitation to complete it.
Strategy&'s published philosophy on the cases is worth internalising: they are "specifically designed to allow us to understand how you think when you are structuring an approach to solve a client's problem, rather than coming up with 'the right' answer."
Two rules that catch people out
PwC UK actively screens for integrity, and says so: it compares video interview responses, checks whether transcripts are identical, and looks for duplicate accounts, with disqualification as the consequence. PwC US is explicit on AI, permitting it for preparation but stating that "the use of GenAI during the assessment and interview process is not permitted."
PwC UK also notes that it has no relationship with, and does not endorse, any provider selling guidance on its assessments.
Timing
UK graduate opportunities open 17 September, undergraduate and entry-level from 30 September, filled on an ongoing basis. Strategy& UK notes Associate applications are typically open from September onwards, with campus events through September and October. Unsuccessful candidates may reapply to any PwC UK role six months later.
Official sources: Strategy& UK FAQs · Strategy& Netherlands interview process · PwC UK assessment and selection · PwC US entry-level recruiting · Strategy& US MBA