PwC Interview Questions

PwC, short for PricewaterhouseCoopers, is a multinational professional services firm that provides audit, tax, and consulting services to a diverse range of clients across various industries. Founded in 1998, PwC has grown to become one of the largest accounting firms in the world, with operations in over 157 countries and a workforce of more than 284,000 professionals. 

Apart from its core business, PwC is also known for its thought leadership and research. The company regularly publishes reports and insights on a wide range of topics, including emerging technologies, sustainability, and global economic trends. PwC's research is widely respected and has been featured in top-tier media outlets such as The New York Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg.

According to recent statistics, the demand for PwC jobs has been steadily increasing, with a 4% year-over-year growth rate in 2021. With such high competition, it's essential to prepare thoroughly for your interview. 

PwC is known for its rigorous selection process, which includes multiple rounds of interviews and assessments. The company places a strong emphasis on communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and a collaborative mindset. By following this blog, you'll be well-equipped to ace your PwC interview and secure your future in the industry.

• Process
• Freshers
• Experienced
• PwC Leadership Principles
• Tips to Crack PwC Interview
• FAQ for PwC
• Conclusion

PwC Recruitment Process

PwC is one of the most esteemed professional services companies in the world, with a vast network of offices and clients across various industries. PwC has a rigorous recruitment process that aims to find the best talent for their organization. Here is a breakdown of the four crucial rounds of the PwC recruitment process.

1. Aptitude Round

The first step in the recruitment process is the aptitude round. The aptitude round is an online test that assesses the candidate's analytical, logical, and reasoning abilities. The test includes multiple-choice questions on topics like quantitative aptitude, verbal reasoning, and logical reasoning. The time limit for the test is usually between 60 to 90 minutes, and the test results determine whether the candidate moves on to the next round.

2. Technical Round

The second round is the technical round, where the candidate's knowledge and skills are tested. This round may involve a written test, a coding challenge, or a case study. The technical round varies depending on the position the candidate is applying for. For instance, a candidate applying for an audit position may be asked to analyze a company's financial statements, while a candidate applying for a consulting position may be asked to solve a business case.

3. Partner Round

The third round is the partner round, where the candidate meets with a partner or a senior member of the team. The partner round is a crucial round as the candidate's personality, communication skills, and ability to work in a team are evaluated. The candidate may be asked behavioral questions, situational questions, or questions related to their experience. The candidate's knowledge of the company and the industry is also evaluated in this round.

4. HR Round

The final round is the HR round, where the candidate meets with the HR team to discuss their compensation, benefits, and any other questions they may have. The HR round is also an opportunity for the candidate to learn more about the company culture, values, and opportunities for growth. The HR team may ask the candidate questions related to their salary expectations, their willingness to relocate, and their availability to join.

Top 10 PwC Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does RDBMS stand for?

2. What are the characteristics of Vectors?

3. What is a Stored Procedure?

4. Difference between linear and non-linear data structure?

5. What is the difference between list and tuple in python?

6. What Is merge sort? What is the time & Space complexity for merge sort?

7. What is Bootstrap?

8. What is SQL Query to find min, max, and average salary from a table?

9. Suggest a method of joining two tables

10. What do you mean by “normalisation”?

PwC Technical Interview Questions for Freshers

1. What does RDBMS stand for?

RDBMS stands for Relational Database Management System. It is a program that allows user to create, delete and update a relational database. A Relational Database is a system that stores and receives data in a tabular format i.e., with rows and columns

2. What is DML or Data Manipulation Language?

Data Manipulation Language or DML is a framework of functions to modify the data. It is offered by the Database Management System. 

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3. What are the characteristics of Vectors?

Following are some characteristics of Vectors:

• Vectors are resizable.
• Vectors automatically deallocate when they reach the end of their scope.
• Vector can be copied or assigned to another vector.

4. What are the characteristics of Arrays?

Following are some characteristics of Arrays:

• Arrays are fixed
• Vector reallocate elements and allocate new space.
• The array cannot be copied or assigned to another array. 

5. What is a Dangling Pointer?

A Dangling Pointer points to a previously released location. Undefined behavior occurs when a dangling pointer is dereferenced. 

6. What do you mean by Assessment Year?

The assessment year is the time from April 01 to March 31 next year. During this time, previous year’s income of an individual is taxed and assessed for income tax filing purposes.

7. What do you mean by Financial Year?

Financial year is the time from 1st April to 31st March the following year. This is the period when your income is earned. The income earned is taxed after the financial year ends.

8. What is a Statutory Audit? 

A Statutory Audit is a review of the accuracy of a company's or government's financial statements and records. 

9. What is the purpose of Statutory Audit?

The purpose of a statutory audit is to determine whether an organization provides a fair and accurate representation of its financial position by examining information such as bank balances, bookkeeping records, and financial transactions.

10. What is Internal Audit?

Internal audits evaluate a company’s internal controls, its corporate governance and accounting processes. These are conducted to improve an organization’s internal operations.

11. What are the advantages of Internal Audit?

Internal Audit has several advantages. Some are mentioned below:

• It increases the organization’s accountability
• It allows the identification and remedy of deficiencies, thereby serving as an early warning system 
• It improves an organization’s control environment. 
• It suggests recommendations that can make the company’s procedure efficient and effective 

13. What are some advantages of proprietorship?

Following are some advantages of Proprietorships

• They are easy to establish.

• They are easier to operate as they are owned by a single person who takes care of everything and is the sole decision-maker. 

• They enjoy more privacy as they are not scrutinized by the government or the public.

14. What are some disadvantages of proprietorship?

The following are some disadvantages of Proprietorships: 

• Unlimited liability is the most disturbing aspect as in case of any loss, the individual has to utilize his personal assets.

• Difficulty in obtaining funds is also a major roadblock.

• Higher tax incidence.

15. What do you mean by Amortization and Impairment?

Impairment is referred to long-term intangible assets. On the other hand, Amortization is a regular decrease in the value of an intangible asset or the way to pay off a debt over a period by periodic payments.

16. What are Intercompany Reconciliation reports?

Intercompany Reconciliation reports are used in reconciling all the intercompany receivables and intercompany payables accounts and identify differences between the,

17. What is a Stored Procedure?

A Stored Procedure is a code in SQL that can be stored for later use and n number of times. So, instead of calling any query, users can simply call the stored procedure.

Related Article: SQL Server Data Modeling

18. Why do we create indexes?

Indexes are super helpful because they retrieve data from the database more quickly. The users cannot see the indexes, they are just used to speed up searches/queries.

19. Define BCNF.

BCNF is an acronym for Boyce-Codd NF (normal form). It is the fourth form of normalization on a database. Normalization reduces or removes redundancy in the data, and maintains the database without any duplicate values.

20. What is the major difference between Exclusive lock and Shared lock?

Exclusive lock does not allow other users to read a locked resource. On the other hand, a shared lock allows other users to read the locked resource, but they cannot update or change it.

21. What do you mean by vouching?

Vouching is a part of audit seeking to authenticate the transactions recorded in a company’s book of accounts. It is widely known as “the backbone of auditing.”

PwC Technical Interview Questions for Experienced

22. What is the difference between Binary Tree and Binary Search Tress

A binary tree is a type of tree data structure in which each node has at most two children, referred to as the left child and the right child. It is a hierarchical structure that consists of nodes connected by edges. The topmost node of the tree is called the root node.

On the other hand, a binary search tree (BST) is a specific type of binary tree where the value of each node follows a particular ordering. In a BST, the left subtree of a node contains only values that are less than the node's value, while the right subtree contains only values that are greater than the node's value. This ordering property enables efficient searching, insertion, and deletion of nodes in the tree.

23. Difference between linear and non-linear data structure?

Property	Linear Data Structure	Non-linear Data Structure
Organization	Elements are arranged in a linear order, such as a sequence or a list	Elements are organized in a hierarchical or non-sequential manner
Traversal	Elements are accessed sequentially, typically using a loop	Traversal may require recursion or other complex algorithms to access all elements
Memory Usage	Typically have a fixed memory usage per element, making them efficient for large datasets	Can have variable memory usage per element, making them less efficient for large datasets
Examples	Arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues	Trees, graphs

24. Check If the string is a palindrome of not?

A palindrome string is referred to the string that is equal to the original string when reversed.  Here is the code how to chec

25. Print 1 – 100 without using loops?

#include<iostream>




void printVal(unt i)

{

if(i > 100)

 return;

std: :cout <<i<<"\n";

printVal(++i);

} 

int main()  {

int   i = 1

printVal(i);

}

26. What is the difference between list and tuple in python?

Feature	List	Tuple
Mutability	Mutable: elements can be added, removed, or modified after creation	Immutable: elements cannot be added, removed, or modified after creation
Syntax	Enclosed in square brackets []	Enclosed in parentheses ()
Indexing	Elements are accessed using zero-based index	Elements are accessed using zero-based index
Size	Can grow or shrink dynamically as elements are added or removed	Fixed size, cannot be changed after creation
Performance	Slightly slower than tuples because of their dynamic nature	Slightly faster than lists because of their static nature
Memory Usage	Require more memory because they can grow or shrink dynamically	Require less memory because they have a fixed size
Common Use	Used for collections of data that need to be modified frequently	Used for collections of data that should not be modified after creation, or for returning multiple values from a function

27. What is a dangling pointer? How to handle it?

A dangling pointer is referred to the pointer that points to the area which was freed previously for example:

Here secondPtr and firstPtr are pointing the same location. SecondPtr deletes the data where as fisrtPtr keep pointing the location and become the dangling pointer.

28. What Is merge sort? What is the time & Space complexity for merge sort?

Merge sort is a popular sorting algorithm that uses the divide-and-conquer strategy to sort a list of elements. The algorithm first divides the list into equal halves and recursively sorts them. Then, the sorted sub-lists are merged to produce a single sorted list.

Here are the steps involved in merge sort:

Divide the unsorted list into n sub-lists, each containing one element.

Repeatedly merge sub-lists to produce new sorted sub-lists until there is only one sub-list remaining. This will be the sorted list.

The time complexity of merge sort is O(n log n) in the worst, best and average case, where n is the number of elements to be sorted. This makes merge sort more efficient than other comparison-based sorting algorithms, such as bubble sort and insertion sort, which have a worst-case time complexity of O(n^2).

The space complexity of merge sort is O(n), where n is the number of elements to be sorted. This is because merge sort needs to create temporary arrays to store the sorted sub-lists during the merging process. However, this additional space requirement is usually considered reasonable and manageable, especially for large datasets.

29. What is the output of the following code:

int main() {
for (;;)
std: :cout<<’’hello/n’’;
}

This will print Hello infinite time, as the loop runs on forever.

30. What is Bootstrap?

Bootstrap is front-end framework used for building responsive websites which provides pre-designed UI components, such as forms, buttons, and navigation menus, that can be easily customized and integrated into web pages. Bootstrap, web developers can save time and effort by reusing code and achieving a consistent look and feel across different web pages.

Visit here to know: AngularJS vs Bootstrap

31. What will be the output of the below python program?

class myClass:
def_init-(self):
self.x=10
self._y=20
obj=myClass()
print(obj._y)

The output will be 20.

32. Advantage of a vector over an array in C++?

• Vectors have dynamic size, while arrays have fixed size.
• Vectors can resize themselves automatically as needed, while arrays cannot.
• Vectors come with convenient built-in functions, such as push_back() and pop_back().
• Vectors are safer to use than arrays, as they perform bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

Related Page: C++ Interview Questions and Answers

34. What is SQL Query to find min, max, and average salary from a table?

Answer:

To find the maximum salary,

SELECT MAX(Salary) from Employee; // To just get the max salary

SELECT * from Employee where Salary = (SELECT MAX(Salary) from Employee); // Employees with highest salary

To find the average salary,

SELECT AVG(Salary) from Employee;

To find the minimum salary,

SELECT MIN(Salary) from Employee; // To just get the min salary

SELECT * from Employee where Salary = (SELECT MIN(Salary) from Employee); // Employees with lowest salary

35. Do you think BCNF is better than 2NF and 3NF? If yes, why?

Yes, BCNF (Boyce-Codd Normal Form) is considered better than 2NF (Second Normal Form) and 3NF (Third Normal Form) in terms of reducing data redundancy and improving data consistency. Here's why:

• Elimination of redundant data
• Improved data consistency
• Higher normal form

36. What is the difference between exclusive lock and shared lock?

In database management systems, both exclusive lock and shared lock are used to control access to a resource, such as a database object or a file. The main difference between them is as follows:

• Exclusive lock: When an exclusive lock is applied to a resource, it prevents any other user or process from accessing or modifying the resource until the lock is released. Only the user who has acquired the exclusive lock can access or modify the resource. This is also known as a write lock.
  
  
• Shared lock: When a shared lock is applied to a resource, it allows multiple users or processes to access the resource simultaneously, but prevents any user or process from modifying the resource until the lock is released. This is also known as a read lock.

37. Explain about cross-functional audits.

Cross-functional audits involve assessing risks and opportunities that span across different functions or departments within an organization. They provide a comprehensive and integrated view of an organization's operations, processes, and controls, and identify areas for improvement that require cross-functional coordination and collaboration. Cross-functional audits can improve collaboration, assess risks comprehensively, and identify opportunities for process improvement that require cross-functional cooperation.

38. Suggest a method of joining two tables.

One method of joining two tables in a relational database is by using the SQL JOIN clause. The JOIN clause allows you to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them. Here's an example of how to use the JOIN clause:

Suppose you have two tables named "orders" and "customers" with the following structure:

orders:

order_id

customer_id

order_date

total_amount

customers:

customer_id

customer_name

email

phone

To join these two tables based on the customer_id column, you would use the following SQL query:

SELECT *

FROM orders

JOIN customers

ON orders.customer_id = customers.customer_id;

This query will return a result set that includes all columns from both tables where the customer_id column matches in both tables. You can also specify which columns you want to include in the result set by listing them explicitly after the SELECT keyword.

39. What are audit control procedures?

Audit control procedures refer to the policies and procedures that an organization implements to ensure that its financial and operational information is accurate, reliable, and secure. These procedures are designed to identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could impact the integrity of an organization's financial or operational data.

40. What do you know about big data?

Big data refers to extremely large and complex data sets that cannot be easily processed or analyzed using traditional data processing tools and techniques. This data is typically characterized by its volume, velocity, and variety, and is generated from a wide range of sources such as social media, sensors, and mobile devices.

Grace your interview by having these: Big Data Hadoop Testing Interview Questions

41. What do you mean by “normalisation”?

In a database Normalization is the process of organizing data to reduce redundancy and dependency between tables. The process involves breaking down a larger table into smaller ones and interlinking them with keys.

42. What are the main duties and responsibilities of a finance executive?

A finance executive is responsible for managing an organization's financial operations and ensuring compliance with financial regulations. The main duties and responsibilities of a finance executive may include financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, managing financial transactions and reporting, overseeing tax and accounting functions, and managing relationships with external stakeholders such as investors, banks, and auditors. They also provide financial guidance to the management team to support business decisions and ensure the financial health and sustainability of the organization.

PwC Leadership Principles

PWC,  is known for its service and operations globally. Being one of the world's leading professionals its core values are: acting with integrity, making a difference, caring, working together, and reimagining the possible. PWC is committed to these values and so has been able to build a strong reputation for excellence in the industry. 

Integrity is a crucial value for PWC, as it ensures the company has high ethical standards in all its operations. PWC strives to make a difference by creating value for its clients, employees, and society at large. Caring is another important value that PWC upholds, as it demonstrates a genuine concern for the well-being of all stakeholders.

Working together is a key value at PWC, as it fosters collaboration and teamwork among its employees. By working together, PWC is better able to deliver exceptional results for its clients. Finally, reimagining the possible is a value that drives innovation at PWC and allows it to remain at the forefront of the industry.

Tips to Crack PwC Interview

Here are 10 tips to prepare for an interview with PWC:

• Before you go into any interview, it's important to know about the company you're applying to. Research PWC's history, values, and services to gain a better understanding of what they're all about.
• Review the job description for the role you're applying for and make sure you have a clear understanding of what the job entails. This will help you prepare for questions about your skills and experience.
• Go through common interview questions and practice your responses in advance. This will help you feel more comfortable and confident during the actual interview.
• Make sure you dress professionally for the interview. It's better to be overdressed than underdressed, so opt for business attire to make a good impression.
• Bring several copies of your resume to the interview, in case the interviewer requests one or if there are multiple interviewers.
• Come up with a few questions to ask the interviewer about the company, the role, or the team you'll be working with. This shows that you're interested and engaged in the interview.
• Arrive at least 10-15 minutes early for the interview to allow time for unexpected delays. Being late can give a bad first impression and throw off the interviewer's schedule.
• Bring a notepad and pen to take notes during the interview. This shows that you're attentive and interested in what the interviewer has to say.
• Be confident in your skills and experience, but also be humble and willing to learn. PWC is looking for candidates who are both competent and team players.
• Send a thank-you note or email to the interviewer after the interview to show your appreciation for their time and to reiterate your interest in the role. This can help keep you top of mind and show that you're a proactive candidate.

Frequently Asked Questions about PsW Interview:

1. How do I prepare for a PwC interview?

One of the most important tips to prepare for a PwC interview is to do your own research, a detailed one for drafting a strategy. Focus more on problem solving and critical thinking, as it can make you stand out in the pool.

2. Is PwC interview hard?

Yes, if not well-prepared or unclear about your skillset, knowledge and vision, the interview can be challenging.

3. What questions do PwC ask in interviews?

Some noteworthy questions that PwC ask in interviews are:

• Questions based on your background, experience, and past achievements.
• Questions based on the technical aspect of the job role.
• Questions based on business acumen
• Questions based on critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
• Questions based on any current affair related to finances.

4. How many rounds in PwC interview?

There are two rounds in PwC interview:

• First is a general round with the HR
• Secondly, technical round

5. Is Deloitte or PwC better?

This is a subjective choice. If we try to answer it objectively, the choice is difficult because both the companies have a great brand value. As far as working in either of them is concerned, it totally depends on the role which you are assigned to. If we talk about opportunities, PWC has more domestic projects whereas Deloitte has mostly international clients. 

6. How do you get selected in PwC?

1. The first step is to fill the online application form
2. The next round will be a situational judgement test
3. Next, a games-based psychometric assessment 
4. Followed by a video interview 
5. Lastly, the final assessment day

7. What does PwC look for in a candidate?

PwC looks for a solid proof that you have the right set of skills and qualities to succeed within its organisation. They also look for business acumen, problem solving skills, and leadership skills.

8. What are the 5 qualities of PwC?

Following are the five qualities of PwC

• Purpose-driven
• Value-driven
• Sustainable and sensitive towards the environment
• Inclusive of diversity
• Socially responsible

Conclusion

Since PwC is a top choice for job seekers looking for challenging and rewarding careers in the accounting and consulting industries. With a strong focus on professional development, a commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and a reputation for thought leadership, PwC offers its employees the opportunity to make a meaningful impact and drive positive change.

To excel in your PwC interview, you need to come up with a solid strategy. First, research the company's values and culture to understand what they're looking for in their employees. Next, practice common interview questions with a friend or mentor to hone your communication skills. Additionally, be prepared to talk about your relevant experience and how it aligns with the company's goals. 

By preparing effectively and practicing these questions, you'll be able to showcase your skills and stand out from the competition. So, gear up, prepare well, and get ready to lead the industry!

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