PA Consulting interview, from tests to delivery
PA Consulting's early careers process has three stages: an application form and task-based online assessments, a second stage that varies by role (such as a technical assessment or a presentation), then an assessment event and final interview that typically include one-to-one interviews, group exercises, presentations and case studies. Its general hiring process adds an introductory call with a recruiter and a final interview that may be with a Partner or Lead. PA asks candidates not to use AI tools, including note takers, in interviews, and says doing so could influence the outcome. Want to rehearse a public sector case out loud? Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs a free public sector case with no sign-up.
Updated
- Three early careers stages. Online tests, a stage that varies by role, then an assessment event and final interview.
- Case studies at the end. Alongside one-to-one interviews, group exercises and presentations.
- No AI in interviews. Not even note takers or meeting assistants, PA says.
- Clearance for everyone. All early careers candidates must obtain security clearance.
- One application. One early careers role across all programs, and six months' wait after a rejection.
A PA-style case, worked: clearing a hospital backlog, then delivering it
PA lists health and government among its industries, and its values stress turning expertise into action. So the case below, which we wrote, doesn't stop at the answer: it ends on a delivery plan, then a weak and a strong close.
Example case: Riverside Hospital's outpatient backlogSoreno's invented case
We made this case up. Each figure is worked from the prompt's numbers.
The prompt
Clear 12,000 waiting patients in a year
Riverside Hospital has 12,000 patients waiting for an outpatient appointment. It gets 900 referrals a week but sees only 850, since 10% of booked patients miss their slot, so the list grows by 50 a week. The board wants it cleared in 52 weeks without a new building.
The target
About 281 extra slots a week
Clearing 12,000 in 52 weeks takes 231 a week, plus 50 to stop the growth: about 281 extra slots every week.
Free case math drillsLever 1
Saturday clinics: 120 slots
4 Saturday clinics of 30 slots each add 120 a week, if staff will work them.
Lever 2
Phone follow-ups: 85 slots
40% of slots are follow-ups. Moving half of them, 170 a week, from 20 minute visits to 10 minute calls frees 1,700 minutes, or 85 new visits.
Lever 3
Fewer no-shows: 47 slots
10% of patients miss their slot. If text reminders halve that to 5%, about 47 more booked slots a week turn into visits.
Add it up
252 a week: 59 weeks, not 52
Together the levers add about 252 slots, cutting the list by 202 a week after new referrals. That clears it in about 59 weeks. Hitting 52 weeks needs about 29 more slots a week, for example from an outside provider.
Delivery plan
Who, in what order, measured how
Month 1: text reminders, the fastest lever, owned by the booking team. Months 1 to 3: phone follow-ups, agreed with each clinic's consultants. Month 2 on: Saturday clinics once staff rotas are agreed, plus outside capacity for the gap. Track the waiting list, slots used and patient satisfaction weekly.
The close: weak and strongTwo sample answers we wrote
PA's consulting internship page stresses helping clients implement, not just suggesting. That is the gap between these two.
Weak answer
"Add clinics and use phone calls"
"They should add Saturday clinics, move some follow-ups to phone and send reminders, which will reduce the backlog." It names the levers but not whether they hit the deadline, who does what, or what could go wrong.
Strong answer
The answer, the gap, the plan, the risk
"The three levers add about 252 slots a week and clear the list in 59 weeks, so on their own they miss the 52 week target. I'd add about 29 slots a week from an outside provider until the list is clear. Start reminders this month, phone follow-ups next, Saturdays once rotas are agreed. The biggest risk is staff fatigue on Saturdays, so I'd pay overtime and review it monthly, and report the waiting list to the board every week."
Why it works
It turns the answer into action
It answers the deadline question honestly, closes the gap with a specific step, orders the work and names an owner and a measure, which is what delivery-focused cases reward.
See a real sample report
From PA Consulting: values and PA Consulting: UK internships.
What PA Consulting looks for
PA publishes no interview rubric. Its careers pages say what interviews are for, and its five values describe how it works.
Your ideas and problem solving
PA says it keeps AI out of interviews so it can understand your ideas, problem-solving skills and perspectives.
Interest in the role
Assessments and interviews test your interest in, and ability to do, the role. Its FAQs ask you to show your interest in your one chosen program throughout.
Turning expertise into action
A PA value: the fast, practical application of specialist expertise. Its consulting internship page says you won't just suggest solutions but help clients implement them.
Working better together
A value built on multidisciplinary teams. Expect group exercises in the assessment event.
Challenge and ownership
Two more values: challenging where it matters, and owning the outcome. Have a story for each.
The real you
Be yourself, PA advises, so it can see whether its environment suits you. Your application should be an accurate and honest reflection of you.
From PA Consulting: careers, PA Consulting: values and PA Consulting: UK internships.
PA Consulting's process, step by step
From PA's early careers FAQs and its careers page. All early careers roles follow the same three stages. Its careers page gives the general steps for any role, which vary by career path.
Early careers stages, then the general steps
Early careers, stage 1
Application form and online assessments
Your academic background and motivation for the role, then task-based online assessments. They aren't timed, but some tasks need quick responses on your keyboard.
From PA: early careers FAQs.
Early careers, stage 2
A stage that depends on the role
A review of your application by the business area, a technical assessment, or a presentation you prepare on a set topic. PA shares details when you reach it.
From PA: early careers FAQs.
Early careers, stage 3
Assessment event and final interview
Virtual with a face-to-face final interview, or all in person, depending on the role. Typically one-to-one interviews, group exercises, presentations and case studies. Some roles add coding tests or technical interviews.
From PA: early careers FAQs.
General process
Application, call, interviews
An online application, an introductory call with a recruiter on your fit for the role, then phone and virtual interviews.
From PA Consulting: careers.
General process
Assessments, then a final interview
A mix that may include online tests, technical assessments, assessment centres, case studies, group exercises or competency based interviews. At least one interview is face to face where possible, and the final one may be with a Partner or Lead for your function.
From PA Consulting: careers.
Any role
Take-home work and coding tests
Take-home assignments should show your own thinking. Coding assessments run on HackerRank, which checks for plagiarism and AI use.
From PA Consulting: careers.
Read October 30, 2026. UK early careers vacancies go live in October (apprenticeships from November) and recruit on a rolling basis. PA aims to confirm next steps within two to three weeks of each stage. It publishes no case length or sample case.
12 PA Consulting practice questions
Written by us, across the industries PA lists (health, government, defense, energy, financial services, transport, consumer) and its focus on delivery. Competency questions built on its values close the list.
Health and government cases4 questions
End every answer with how it gets delivered.
A hospital's emergency department wait times have doubled. What would you look at?
What a strong answer does
Follow a patient from arrival to discharge and find where time grew. Check arrivals against how fast beds free up, then propose a fix with an owner. Practice it, see a model answer
A government department wants to move a paper benefit application online. How would you make it work?
What a strong answer does
Map who applies and where they struggle today. Plan a phased launch with help for people who can't go online, and say what you'd measure.
A defense agency must cut procurement costs by 15% without delaying equipment. Where would you start?
What a strong answer does
Split spend by category and supplier, then find savings from buying together, renegotiating and simplifying specs. Protect the items on the critical path.
A city wants to cut traffic deaths in half. How would you plan it?
What a strong answer does
Break deaths down by place, time and road user before choosing fixes. Rank fixes by lives saved per pound and phase them. Practice it, see a model answer
Energy, finance and consumer cases4 questions
Show the numbers, then the change it takes.
An energy supplier's customer complaints have tripled after a billing system change. What do you do?
What a strong answer does
Sort complaints by cause and find which part of the new system drives most. Fix that first, and plan how to stop it recurring.
A bank wants to cut its operating costs by 10%. How would you approach it?
What a strong answer does
Split cost into people, technology and property, find the biggest gaps against peers, and phase the changes so service doesn't drop.
A train operator's on-time performance has fallen for a year. How would you turn it around?
What a strong answer does
Split delays by cause, such as staff, trains, track and timetable. Fix the biggest cause you control, and say how you'd track progress weekly.
A consumer goods maker wants to launch a refill version of its product. Is it worth it?
What a strong answer does
Size the buyers who'd switch, what each refill earns against the original, and the supply chain changes. Say what a pilot should prove.
Competency questions4 questions
One real example each: situation, what you did, the result.
Why PA Consulting, and why this program?
What a strong answer does
Name the program or business area you applied to and something specific about its work. PA lets you apply to one role, so show why this one. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you challenged someone's idea.
What a strong answer does
Show why it mattered, how you raised it with respect and what changed. PA's values include challenging where it matters. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you owned a result when things went wrong.
What a strong answer does
Take responsibility, show what you did to fix it, and what you changed afterwards. Owning the outcome is a PA value. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you worked in a team with very different skills.
What a strong answer does
Say what each person brought, how you made it work and the result. PA's values stress multidisciplinary teams. Practice it, see a model answer
More to prepare with
Mistakes to avoid at PA Consulting
Using AI tools in an interview
PA asks that no AI tools, including note takers and meeting assistants, are used during interviews, and says it could affect the outcome.
Generic take-home work
PA wants your own thinking and analysis, and warns that AI-generated content can lack specificity or depth.
Hiding clearance details
Long stays abroad can affect clearance. PA asks you to be honest on the form, since telling it only at offer could see the offer withdrawn.
Applying to several roles
You can apply for one early careers role across all programs, and a rejection means a six month wait.
Rushing your answers
PA advises taking your time in written and spoken assessments, pausing before you answer and asking for a question to be repeated if needed.
How to prepare for PA Consulting
What PA advises, then three practice habits of ours.
PA's advice
Check your CV carefully
It's the first thing PA reads. Keep it up to date and accurate, check spelling and grammar, and add achievements or hobbies you're proud of.
From PA Consulting: careers.
PA's advice
Plan questions to ask
Prepare a few questions about the role or your interviewer's experience at PA, to show curiosity and serious interest.
From PA Consulting: careers.
PA's advice
Ask for adjustments early
PA can add time or share materials in advance. Email its early careers team when you get each invitation.
From PA: early careers FAQs.
PA's advice
Learn its values
Challenge where it matters, turn expertise into action, work better together, act with humanity, own the outcome. Prepare a story for each.
From PA Consulting: values.
Our suggestion
End every practice case with a delivery plan
After your recommendation, add the order of steps, an owner, one measure and the main risk. Practice it until it takes under a minute.
Our suggestion
Rehearse a short presentation
Stage two or the assessment event can ask for one. Practice five minutes on a set topic with three points and a recommendation.
Our suggestion
Practice a group case
Run one with friends: agree the question, split the work, keep time and bring in quieter voices.
PA Consulting's own pages
Free on paconsulting.com. The summaries are ours.
CareersHiring process and tips
Every step from application to decision, its rule against AI tools in interviews, take-home and HackerRank coding rules, and tips on your CV, pacing and questions.
PA Consulting: careersEarly careers FAQsStages, dates and eligibility
The three stages, when roles open and start, security clearance, no visa sponsorship, the one role rule and adjustments.
PA: early careers FAQsUK graduate programsConsulting, digital and technical
An 18 month Graduate Consulting Rotational Programme in London open to any degree, and an 18 month digital program.
PA: UK graduate programmesUK summer internshipsEight week internships
For penultimate year students, a condensed version of the consulting rotational program, ending with a showcase of your project.
PA: UK summer internshipsOur valuesFive values
What each value means, with a line from a PA colleague on each.
PA Consulting: valuesSolve it, then show how it gets done
Soreno's AI interviewer runs public sector, health and operations cases, checks your capacity and cost math as you say it, and scores whether your close turns into a plan. Free for 7 days. Soreno is not affiliated with PA Consulting.
Questions people ask
What is PA Consulting's interview process?
For early careers: an application form and online assessments, a second stage that varies by role, then an assessment event and final interview. Its general process for any role adds an introductory call with a recruiter and a final interview that may be with a Partner or Lead.
Does PA Consulting use case studies?
Yes. Its early careers final stage typically includes case studies along with interviews, group exercises and presentations, and its general hiring process can include case studies too.
What are PA Consulting's online assessments like?
Task-based and not timed, PA says, though some tasks need you to respond quickly by tapping your keyboard.
Can I use AI in a PA Consulting interview?
No. PA asks that no AI tools, including note takers and meeting assistants, are used during interviews. Take-home work should be your own thinking.
Do I need security clearance to join PA?
All early careers candidates must obtain it. Time abroad, such as 29 or more days in a row or over six months in the last five years, can affect it.
When do PA Consulting applications open?
UK graduate, internship, placement and spring week roles go live in October, and apprenticeships from November. PA recruits on a rolling basis, so apply early.
Can I apply to more than one PA role?
No. You can apply for one early careers role across all programs, and after a rejection you wait six months to apply for another.
Is Soreno affiliated with PA Consulting?
No. Soreno is independent of PA Consulting and wrote the hospital case and every practice question here.