By Andre Atallah, CEO of EP Advisory
Graduate – Strategy · London and Belfast · September 2027 start
Belfast Economics: open on 15 October 2026Belfast Economics: closedBelfast Economics: check the adLondon Strategy Consulting: open on 15 October 2026London Strategy Consulting: closed on PwC’s pageMissed London? Your optionsLondon Strategy Consulting: check the ad
Short answer: You apply to PwC’s “Graduate – Strategy” ad for one office, not to Strategy& directly. London Strategy Consulting was open when we checked on 15 October 2026.London Strategy Consulting was closed on PwC’s page when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check the London Strategy Consulting ad for its closing date. Belfast Economics Consulting was open on 15 October 2026, with no closing date. Apply now if it fits.This year’s Belfast Economics Consulting ad has closed.Check the Belfast Economics Consulting ad for its closing date. Then come SHL tests, a video interview, a virtual assessment centre and a senior leader interview. Strategy Consulting adds case interviews.
Where are you now?
Independent guide. EP Advisory is not affiliated with PwC.
This playbook covers both Strategy routes: Strategy Consulting in London and Economics Consulting in Belfast. If you applied to London before it closed, every stage below still applies.Every stage below applies to both offices. For nearly 10 years, we’ve helped more than 5,000 professionals get hired. Want to know if your CV will pass screening in the UK? Check your CV for free: a score in 30 seconds, then a fix for each problem.
01/10
Your route to an offer
Pick your stage and tick each step when done. Rules and dates are PwC’s, checked on 15 October 2026. Prep times are ours.
1. Apply: Belfast openBelfast closedBelfast, see the ad, London openLondon closedLondon, see the ad
One “Graduate – Strategy” form per office. Prep 1 to 2 days.
2. Online tests: usually 7 days per invite
Three parts on SHL. Only the reasoning test is timed. Prep 1 to 2 weeks.
3. Video and assessment centre: usually 7 days per invite
A recorded video interview, then a virtual assessment centre. Prep 1 to 2 weeks.
4. Final round: a leader interview, plus cases for Strategy Consulting
Matching, a recruiter call, then a senior leader interview in person. Strategy Consulting adds cases. Prep 2 to 3 weeks.
Your ticks save on this device.
02/10
The programme at a glance
One PwC programme, two business areas, two offices. You apply to “Graduate – Strategy – London” or “Graduate – Strategy – Belfast”.
Strategy& · London · Strategy Consulting
“PwC’s global strategy consulting business”, working “with chief executives, leadership teams and investors on the choices that matter most”.
Enterprise Strategy · London · Strategy Consulting
Helps “government and public sector organisations set priorities, make complex choices and improve outcomes for citizens and service users”.
Economics Consulting · Belfast
Helps “businesses, investors and public bodies solve complex challenges”.
In London you choose Strategy& or Enterprise Strategy “before the assessment centre”.
Sep 2027
Start date, no deferrals
No PQ
No professional qualification
3 days
A week, at least, in office or on site
Sources, Strategy& training, grade and pay
- Areas, offices and status. PwC’s Strategy page, read on 15 October 2026 at 02:15 BST.
- Strategy&. Its office is “at London Bridge”. Its undated graduates page lists “three weeks of training (including one week off-site)”, a buddy and “a career or talent coach”.
- Grade and pay. The Belfast ad lists “Associate”. Salary is not published, so ask your recruiter (PwC FAQs).
New for 2027 starts
Two areas are new. PwC’s page for 2026 starts named only Strategy& in London. Enterprise Strategy and Economics Consulting in Belfast are new.
03/10
What PwC looks for in Strategy
PwC names three traits for Strategy. Show each one with a real example.
Curious and analytical
“You are intellectually curious and analytical.” Show it by: a question you answered with data.
Entrepreneurial
“You are entrepreneurial and like to challenge conventional thinking.” Show it by: something you started or changed.
Influence
“You make an impact by having the presence and confidence to influence others.” Show it by: a mind you changed with evidence.
Clear ideas
PwC wants you to “communicate ideas clearly”. Show it by: a hard finding you explained simply.
PwC also scores six behaviours: Inspire, Empower, Evolve, Champion, Build and Deliver. The story bank in chapter 6 covers all six.
04/10Stage 1 · Apply
How to apply
London is open.London is closed.Check the London ad for its closing date. Belfast Economics Consulting is open, with no closing date, so apply now if it fits you.Belfast Economics Consulting has closed.Check the Belfast ad for its closing date. There is one form per office.
1
Pick an office
“Graduate – Strategy – Belfast” is openCheck PwC’s job search for open adsCheck each ad for its closing date
2
Check your area
Belfast offers Economics Consulting
3
Fill the form
Exact grades, no AI help
4
Online tests
Invite usually open 7 days
Offices and status
| Office | Area | When we checked | Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | Strategy Consulting: Strategy& or Enterprise Strategy | Open on PwC’s pageClosed on PwC’s page. Ad not visible.See the ad | On PwC’s visa list |
| Belfast | Economics Consulting | Open, rolling, no closing dateClosedSee the ad | No |
When we checked on 15 October 2026, PwC’s Strategy page showed London as open.PwC’s Strategy page said “This role is currently closed for applications” for London on 15 October 2026. The London ad was not visible on PwC’s job site when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check PwC’s Strategy page for London’s closing date. For Belfast, the page said “This role is currently open” on 15 October 2026.Belfast’s ad has since closed.Check the Belfast ad for its closing date. Roles “may close without warning”, so check PwC’s job search first.
Economics Consulting in Belfast: the open routeEconomics Consulting in BelfastEconomics Consulting in Belfast
This is the Strategy route you can apply to today. It needs economics in your degree.
The work
“You could analyse how markets are performing, help shape regulatory submissions, assess the impact of new policy, design customer and pricing strategies, or develop the case for major investment decisions.”
Who can apply
Any degree, but “50% of your degree modules need to be Economics based”. PwC judges your last completed year of grades.
The office
Belfast, at Associate grade. The ad’s area is “Economic Consulting – No PQ”. It offers no visa sponsorship.
The stages
SHL tests, a video interview, an assessment centre and a senior leader interview. PwC names no case interview here.
More on the form and the one-application rule
- One application. The ad says “we accept one application per recruitment season”. Strategy&’s older FAQ differs, so follow PwC’s 2027 rule.
- What you submit. PwC does not publish the form questions. Strategy&’s undated page says to “submit your CV and personal statement online”.
- AI and adjustments. No AI tools “unless explicitly authorised by PwC”. Ask for adjustments when you apply.
Your CV: do and don’t
“Modelled three pricing options for the student union shop and lifted its margin by 8%”
Do
Show a question, the analysis and a result. Give each role one.
Don’t
“Passionate about strategy”
A claim with no proof. Show what you did instead.
Our CV achievement examples show how to write those lines. Getting ready to apply for jobs in the UK? Check your CV for free: see it the way a recruiter does, then fix each problem.
Save PwC and over 2,000 other UK schemes to one free calendar. See what closes next and what you have applied to.
Track my schemes freeFree account, no card.
Missed London? Your other PwC routes
- Summer Internship – Strategy – London. Open when we checked. Paid, four to eight weeks, for students “graduating in 2028” (PwC).
- Black Talent in Business – Strategy Consulting. A paid three-day spring 2027 placement where “you’ll work as part of Strategy&”. For first-year students, or second year of a four-year degree.
- Black Talent in Business and Women in Business – Economics Consulting. The same format, for students “graduating in 2029” (PwC). None of these routes is sponsored.
- Another PwC 2027 programme. PwC takes one application per season across all programmes. Management Consulting, for example, sits inside the “Graduate – Advisory and Consulting” ads, with no case interviews. Our PwC Audit playbook covers another route.
- Next cycle. PwC had not published a 2028 date when we checked on 15 October 2026. This year, graduate roles opened “from 17 September”.See PwC’s job search for the 2028 opening date. This year, graduate roles opened “from 17 September”.2028-start roles were open when we checked on 15 October 2026. See PwC’s job search.PwC’s 2028-start applications have closed. Watch its job search for the next round.
05/10Stage 2 · Online tests
The PwC online tests
PwC’s online stage runs on SHL, in three parts. Only the last part is timed. Strategy adds no online test of its own.
Not assessed
1. Values activity
Untimed
2. Behavioural test
Timed
3. Reasoning test
PwC’s selection page says “The test is hosted in the SHL platform.” The timed test covers “numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning”. There is no situational judgement or verbal test.
Likely SHL Verify Interactive G+, not named by PwC. SHL’s factsheet describes one timed test of the same three abilities. Check your invite for timing.
Step through the reasoning test
Numerical: timed
Build the chart
Read the facts on the left, then drag each bar to the right height or type the total under it. Employers set their own version, so yours may differ.
Split the pie
Work out each share of the budget, then drag the handles round the pie or type the percentages.
Sort into order
Work out a value for each row of the table, then drag the items into order from highest to lowest.
The classic version
SHL also offers a multiple-choice version. Read the table and chart, then pick one of five answers.
Your moves
- Drill percentage change, ratios and totals from tables.
- Read the units before you answer.
Inductive: timed
Fill the next grid
Spot how the pattern moves from grid to grid, then click squares in the big grid to draw the one that comes next. Employers set their own version, so yours may differ.
Join the points
Each step adds a line. Find the rule, then drag from point to point to draw the lines that finish the sequence.
The classic version
In the multiple-choice version you see a row of figures and pick the one that comes next from five options.
Your moves
- Track one change at a time: shape, position, then count.
- Say the rule in words before you answer.
Deductive: timed
PwC publishes no deductive example. SHL’s sample gives you facts and asks which statement must be true.
Your moves
- Write each rule as a short note, then check every rule again.
Behavioural: untimed
PwC’s practice asks “Which statement best describes you?” and shows three statements, such as:
- “I always try to find ways my organisation can build stronger ties with the community”
PwC’s advice is “Go with your instincts”.
Your moves
- Answer as you are, not as you think PwC wants.
Our own simplified drawings of SHL’s screens, not screenshots. Numbers on them are examples. Employers set their own version, so your screens may differ.
For more on reasoning items, see our tips for psychometric tests.
The rules: allowed and banned
Allowed
- Practice tests sent with your invite
- Adjustments, if you ask when you apply
- A laptop or tablet, as PwC recommends
- A calculator in PwC’s practice. Check your invite for the real test.
Banned
- AI tools, unless PwC authorises them
- Help from anyone else
- Duplicate accounts
- Copied answers
PwC’s own guide warns its samples are “slightly different to the actual tests that we use”.
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 15 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From PwC
- PwC’s own guide to the online testsPwC Careers · up to 45 min · no account neededPwC’s practice questions for each test, with its own tips.Free
Practise
- SHL’s free practice testsSHL, the test maker · free SHL account neededThe test maker’s own practice. PwC links to it.Free
- SHL’s example questionsSHL · no account neededSee the formats before you sign up. Skip verbal and SJT.Free
Watch
- 15 SHL reasoning questions solved, step by stepAptitude-Test-Prep on YouTube · Mar 2025 · 54 min · the host is a JobTestPrep affiliateInteractive numerical, inductive and deductive items, worked through.Free
Skip leaked PwC questions and AI helpers. PwC checks for copied answers and AI help, and withdraws applications it flags.
Next: build your speed on numbers and logic with our guide to psychometric and logic tests.
06/10Stage 3 · Interviews
Interviews and case studies
First a recorded video interview, then a virtual assessment centre. Both test the six behaviours.
Video interviewSHL, on demand
Questions on screen · Recorded · Reviewed by an assessor
Assessment centreVirtual
“The penultimate stage” · Exercises not published
PwC says: “we do not use AI to assess candidate performance”.
PwC says the video questions “will focus on how you typically approach your work, for example at school, university or any prior work experience you may have”. It publishes no question counts or timings.
The case interviews: Strategy Consulting only
PwC says the final stage “will also consist of a series of case study interviews with a senior Strategy& leader”. PwC does not say how many.
Open case, about 45 minutes
Questions on your background and “your motivations for joining Strategy&”. Then “a unstructured consulting case study to work through with your interviewer”.
Slide-pack case, about 45 minutes
A slide pack based on “a real client project”. You get about 10 minutes to read it. Then you “develop some recommended solutions for the client”.
Strategy&’s own undated description; it may differ for 2027. From its graduates page. The cases show how you structure “a client’s problem, rather than coming up with ‘the right’ answer”. Its insight events “typically take place in September & October” and include “Tips on preparing for the Case Study Interviews”. Check its page for dates.
How to answer
A behaviour question
PwC’s interview guide recommends STAR:
Situation
Set the scene in one line.
Task
What you had to achieve.
Action
What you did, not the team.
Result
What changed, with a number.
Follow-ups to rehearse
What would you do differently?Which PwC behaviour does this show?Why Strategy?Why this office?
PwC’s tip: “you can use notes as prompts, but don’t read from them”. The follow-ups are ours.
An open case
PwC’s tip: think “in a structured and creative way”, and know “revenue, fixed and variable costs, profit, market share”. Then work in five steps:
1
Clarify
Repeat the goal. Ask one or two questions.
2
Structure
Split the problem into three or four parts.
3
Maths aloud
Say each step. Round sensibly.
4
Use new facts
Say what each number means.
5
Recommend
Answer first, then a risk and a next step.
The five steps are ours, built on PwC’s tips.
A slide-pack case
You have about 10 minutes with the pack. Spend them on the answer, not on every chart.
Your moves
- Read the client’s question, then each slide title.
- Mark the three numbers that matter most.
- Open with your recommendation, two reasons and one risk.
Our method, built on Strategy&’s description.
See our guides on how to pass a job interview and the toughest interview questions.
Practise: one question at a time
Motivation questions
The first two come from PwC. The rest, and all answers, are ours.
Motivation
“Why do you want to join your preferred employer?”
PwC’s practice question, with two minutes to answer
What they’re testing: a clear reason, in time.
Show a strong answer
- One reason about strategy work, one about PwC, one about you. Record it and watch it back.
Why PwC
Why are you interested in joining PwC?
PwC says its final interview covers this
What they’re testing: that you chose PwC, not any firm.
Show a strong answer
- Name a PwC behaviour that fits you, or a client type from PwC’s Strategy page.
Your preference
Why Strategy& rather than Enterprise Strategy, or the other way round?
What they’re testing: that you know both teams.
Show a strong answer
- One line on each team, in PwC’s words. Then the clients you want to serve, with one example from your past.
Economics
Why Economics Consulting?
What they’re testing: that you want to use economics on real decisions.
Show a strong answer
- Pick one task from PwC’s list, such as assessing “the impact of new policy”. Link it to a module you enjoyed.
Behaviour questions
Our own prompts and answers. Use the story bank below for all six behaviours.
Inspire
When did people choose to follow your lead?
What they’re testing: influence.
Show a strong answer
- How you earned the role, and what the group achieved.
Champion
When did you check the facts instead of taking a shortcut?
What they’re testing: integrity.
Show a strong answer
- The pressure, the shortcut you refused, and what checking saved.
Build
When did you back a recommendation with data?
What they’re testing: a business mindset.
Show a strong answer
- The problem, your data, your advice and what changed.
Deliver
When did you hit a tight deadline with others?
What they’re testing: teamwork.
Show a strong answer
- How you kept people aligned, and what you handed over on time.
Case questions
Our own practice prompts. PwC and Strategy& publish none.
Structure
A UK coffee chain wants 20% more profit in three years. How would you structure it?
What they’re testing: a clear plan after one or two questions.
Show a strong answer
- Split profit into revenue (stores, customers, spend per visit) and costs. Say which part you would check first, and why.
Maths
One store sells 600 coffees a day at £3.50, for 360 days a year. What is its yearly revenue?
What they’re testing: accurate sums, said out loud.
Show a strong answer
- £2,100 a day, so £756,000 a year. Then say what it means for the client.
Public sector
A council wants shorter bus journeys without a bigger budget. Where would you start?
What they’re testing: structure when the goal is not profit.
Show a strong answer
- Define the outcome first. Split the causes: traffic, stops, boarding time. Then pick low-cost fixes.
Recommend
The chief executive asks for your answer now. What do you say?
What they’re testing: an answer, not a summary.
Show a strong answer
- Lead with the answer and two reasons. Name one risk and the next step.
Your story bank: a worksheet to print or copy
Two STAR stories per behaviour, plus your motivation answers.
| Behaviour | Story 1 | Story 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Inspire | ||
| Empower | ||
| Evolve | ||
| Champion | ||
| Build | ||
| Deliver | ||
| Why Strategy or Economics |
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 15 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From PwC
- How Strategy& runs its two case interviewsStrategy& UK, part of PwC · undated · no account neededOne open case and one with a slide pack, about 45 minutes each, in Strategy&’s own words.Free
- PwC’s interview guide, with case study tipsPwC Careers · no account neededPwC’s own case tips, plus a two-minute filmed practice.Free
- The six behaviours PwC scoresPwC Careers · no account neededMatch one story to each behaviour for the senior leader interview.Free
Practise with other firms’ cases
- Try Bain’s Coffee Shop Co. caseFrom Bain · Bain Careers · good and better answersWork a Bain case on paper, then compare your answers with Bain’s own.Free
- Run a grocery case with a friendFrom Oliver Wyman · no account neededOne reads the case, one solves aloud. Then swap.Free
Watch
- A full case with real maths, led by the candidateRocketblocks on YouTube · Sep 2025 · 34 minStructure, numbers out loud, then a clear answer with risks and next steps. Feedback after each step.Free
These are other firms’ cases. Strategy& publishes none. Our Bain playbook teaches the open case in depth.
07/10Stage 4 · Final
Matching and the final round
The final is in person, in your matched office, with a senior leader. For Strategy Consulting it adds the case interviews.
Matching
PwC matches you to an area and office. Preferences “are considered but not guaranteed”.
Recruiter call
It includes “a recap on your feedback”.
Business assessment
A senior leader asks “why you are interested in joining PwC”. Strategy Consulting adds the case interviews.
Outcome
Feedback and the result. It could take up to a month.
Offer checks and joining
- Checks. PwC checks your grades, job history and right to work. It must cover “the full duration of the position”.
- No deferrals. PwC does not offer deferred starts.
- Travel. Travel from outside the UK to the in-person offer holder event “won’t be reimbursed without prior agreement”.
Key dates: September 2027 intake
14 Sep 2026
Belfast Strategy ad posted
From 17 Sep
Graduate roles open, PwC’s FAQ says
15 October 2026
London open on PwC’s page
By 15 October 2026
London closed on PwC’s page
15 October 2026
London: see the ad for its closing date
15 October 2026
Belfast open, so apply now
By 15 October 2026
Belfast ad closed
15 October 2026
Our last check. See the Belfast ad for its closing date
Each stage
Invite usually open 7 days
Each stage
Invite usually open 7 days
1 Jun 2027
PwC’s cut-off for applicants who need a work permit
Sep 2027
You startThe programme started
08/10
Visa sponsorship
The Belfast route does not sponsor visas. London Strategy Consulting is on PwC’s visa list. London was open when we checked on 15 October 2026.But London was closed on PwC’s page when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check the London ad for its closing date.
No
Sponsorship on the Belfast ad
Listed
London Strategy Consulting, October 2026
18 months
Graduate visa, if you apply from 2027
On a Graduate visa? PwC says your right to work must cover “the full duration of the position”. A Graduate visa you apply for from 1 January 2027 lasts 18 months, and you cannot extend it (GOV.UK). So ask PwC before you apply.
If London reopens. PwC is “unable to progress any applications from candidates who require a work permit” after 1 June 2027. That is a cut-off, not a promise that London reopens.The visa cut-off. PwC is “unable to progress any applications from candidates who require a work permit” after 1 June 2027.
Source: PwC’s immigration page, “correct as of October 2026”. It names “Graduate – Strategy Consulting – London”, not Economics Consulting.
Visa details: London’s ad, the Graduate visa and other routes
- London’s ad. It was not visible when we checked on 15 October 2026. So we could not read its own sponsorship line.
- Graduate visa by 31 December 2026. If you apply on or before that date, it lasts “2 years”. Still ask PwC first.
- Not sponsored. PwC says: “We can’t provide sponsorship for internships, Women in Business, Black Talent in Business and fixed-term placements.”
See our guides to staying in the UK after studying and UK companies that sponsor visas. This is general information, so check GOV.UK.
09/10
Key takeaways
Before you apply
- You apply to “Graduate – Strategy” for one office. Strategy& is a London preference, not a separate scheme.
- London was open when we checked on 15 October 2026.London was closed on PwC’s page when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check the London ad for its closing date. Belfast Economics Consulting was open on 15 October 2026, with no closing date.Belfast Economics Consulting has closed.Check the Belfast ad for its closing date.
- Economics Consulting needs half your modules in economics. It does not sponsor visas.
- PwC considers one application for all its 2027 programmes.
- The online stage is SHL. Strategy adds no test.
- Strategy Consulting’s final adds case interviews with a senior Strategy& leader. Practise them aloud.
When a scheme gives a close date, we email you a few days before it closes. Save PwC once and the reminder is set.
Set my reminders freeFree account, no card.
10/10
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply to Strategy& directly as a graduate?
No. You apply to PwC’s Graduate – Strategy ad for one office. In London you then choose Strategy& or Enterprise Strategy before the assessment centre.
Is PwC Strategy Consulting in London open?
Yes. PwC’s Strategy page showed London as open when we checked on 15 October 2026. Roles may close without warning, so apply early.No. When we checked on 15 October 2026, PwC’s Strategy page said: This role is currently closed for applications. The London ad was not visible on PwC’s job site when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check the London ad for its closing date. We last checked PwC’s Strategy page on 15 October 2026.
Which PwC Strategy route is open now?
Strategy Consulting in London is open.Strategy Consulting in London is closed.Check the London ad for its closing date. Economics Consulting in Belfast was open when we checked on 15 October 2026, with no closing date. Roles may close without warning. Half your degree modules must be economics based.This year’s Belfast Economics Consulting ad has closed. Half your degree modules must be economics based for that route.Check the Belfast Economics Consulting ad for its closing date. Half your degree modules must be economics based.
Is there a case interview in the PwC Strategy graduate scheme?
Yes, for Strategy Consulting. The final stage adds a series of case study interviews with a senior Strategy& leader. PwC names no case interview for Economics Consulting.
Which online tests does PwC Strategy use?
SHL: an untimed behavioural test, then a timed test of numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. Strategy adds no extra online test.
Does PwC sponsor visas for the Strategy graduate scheme?
Not for Belfast Economics Consulting. PwC lists London Strategy Consulting as sponsorable. London was open when we checked on 15 October 2026.But London was closed on PwC’s page when we checked on 15 October 2026.Check the London ad for its closing date.
