Application process

This is an important moment in your career. Show us you have the skills, aspirations and experience we're looking for and you'll discover a diverse community of bright minds at KPMG. 

We’re committed to encouraging diversity at KPMG, so we've designed an application process to support everyone in showing us their best. 

We've outlined what to expect below. If you have any special requirements for us to consider, please visit the 'Contact us' page. Any data you provide will be held in strict confidence. It’s used to help us make any necessary adjustments and allows us to track how successful we are in recruiting talented people, irrespective of difference. 

One Year Business Placement and Vacation programmes

If you'd like to apply for a One Year Business Placement or Vacation programme, please see the 'Application process' page on the Graduate section of the site for details on the process. 

Insight Programmes

Stage 1: Your application (online)

This is your chance to tell us about your academic background and any work experience you may have undertaken. This should take about 30 minutes to complete, and you won't need to upload a CV. 

Our general entry criteria for each of our programmes can be found on the relevant programme pages. These have been carefully considered based on ongoing evaluation of how prior achievements and our selection process predict future performance at KPMG. If you do not meet all of these, and are a few grades or points short, then we would still encourage you to apply, as you will be given the option to provide information that enables us to assess your application and potential in the context of your socio-economic background and/or any extenuating circumstances. Supplying us with this information will not negatively impact your application, but it may provide a positive uplift on your academic achievements through contextual recruitment. You also have the option to opt out of sharing it. You can find out more here.  

Stage 2: Transforming Small Businesses (online assessment)

After submitting your application, you will be automatically invited to our first online assessment, Transforming Small Businesses. This assessment will require you to consider a range of material relating to three fictional small businesses, each with their own business challenges. 

Throughout the assessment, you will be asked how you might respond to certain scenarios by ranking what you'd likely do, say or feel. You will also be asked to analyse some information and provide responses. You will need a pen, paper, and basic calculator (your phone calculator will be sufficient). 

Although the assessment is untimed, we suggest that you allow 90 minutes for completion, and we recommend that you complete it within one sitting. You will need to complete the assessment within five calendar days from the date of your invitation. 

You can access the assessment using most browsers; however, we recommend using Chrome for optimal functionality. Please ensure you have a good and stable internet connection before starting the assessment. You should also complete the assessment on a desktop or laptop. 

Please let us know before you start the assessment if you need any adjustments. 

Once you have completed the assessment, you will receive a personalised feedback report based on the KPMG strengths assessed. 

Stage 3: Delivering Outcomes (online assessment)

If you are successful at Stage 2, you may be invited to our next online assessment. 

This stage provides you with an insight into your chosen business area as you are taken through a fictional project, linked to one of the small businesses introduced in the previous Transforming Small Businesses assessment. 

Throughout the assessment, you will be asked; how you might respond to certain scenarios by ranking what you'd likely do, to record video responses via your webcam under a time limit and provide written responses to information provided. 

The majority of the assessment is untimed, but we suggest that you allow 60 minutes to complete it and that you do so in one sitting. You will have  five calendar days to complete the assessment from the date of your invitation. 

Make sure you let us know before you start the assessment if you need any adjustments. 

Please note 

We want to warn you that any external sources (paid for or unpaid) offering to support you through the KPMG recruitment process (including taking assessment tests for you) are not supported or endorsed by us in any way. Please note that any KPMG assessment material provided by these  sources has not been obtained from us legitimately, and we advise that you do not use these channels. Anyone found to have acted dishonestly in any part of the assessment process will be withdrawn and further action may be taken (including reporting to professional bodies, law enforcement or relevant fraud databases) as deemed appropriate. 

In line with our Values and Code of Conduct, we expect candidates to demonstrate integrity throughout the assessment process. By completing our assessments, you are confirming that you are doing so independently and without the assistance of others, or any artificial intelligence or other resources, to provide responses that are not your own. Candidates who are found to have acted dishonestly during any part of the assessment process, including sharing assessment content, or using assessment content shared by others, will be withdrawn and further action may be taken (including reporting to professional bodies, law enforcement or relevant fraud databases) as deemed appropriate. We will also be re-testing elements of the online assessments. 

If you become concerned that  someone may be acting dishonestly, please let us know either by contacting graduate@kpmg.co.uk or via our confidential whistleblowing hotline. The hotline is independent of KPMG, and anything reported will remain confidential.