Most "free EY resources" lists bury the only pages that define what you will sit: EY's own assessment FAQs, interview tip sheets, and EY-Parthenon's published case examples. Prep sites invent calendars; the firm publishes clocks, formats, and scoring language. Use those first, university case volume second, CoachNed timed practice last.
You should leave with the right EY link for your market, a 10-hour free prep plan, and an honest map of CoachNed's free surfaces.
The ranking that other roundups get backwards
If you only have one free hour this week, spend it on EY material for your country and service line. Everything else is volume.
| Priority | Source | What it gives you | When to open it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your invitation email and local EY careers page | Exact assessment mix, deadlines, sitting rules | The day you apply |
| 2 | EY published prep (assessment FAQ, interview tips, practice hub) | Timing, integrity rules, STAR criteria, practice items | Before you sit anything timed |
| 3 | EY-Parthenon careers pages with case examples | Real structure of problem-solving interviews where published | If you applied to strategy / Parthenon |
| 4 | University career-center case guidance | How to practice structure and oral delivery for free | After the format is clear |
| 5 | CoachNed free surfaces | Timed case and math reps with scores | To convert reading into performance |
CoachNed is not affiliated with EY or EY-Parthenon. Their pages are the authority on process; this article only ranks free materials you can actually use.
What EY already publishes for free
Match the market you applied to. Formats differ by country and service line. Treat forum folklore as folklore.
United States Early Careers assessment
EY US publishes a dedicated Early Careers skills assessment FAQ. As of the page checked 2026-09-24, the firm states that:
- The invitation arrives by email from
talentcentral@shl.com, typically within 12 business hours of applying. - Completing the assessment is mandatory for applicable Early Careers roles.
- You should finish within 48 hours of the invitation.
- The sitting has three sections: two untimed, one timed; the whole run typically takes 45 to 60 minutes.
- Practice questions for the timed portion are available inside the assessment platform.
- You may take the assessment once in a recruitment cycle; generative AI assistance is prohibited.
- Individual scores are not released to candidates.
That FAQ is the highest-leverage free document for US Early Careers applicants. It beats any generic "aptitude test tip sheet" because it is the format contract for that route.
EY US also publishes Early Careers application timelines and guidance: apply to no more than two jobs in six months; expect the skills-assessment invite within one business day; interviews may include prerecorded video, live video, and case study interviews depending on business needs.
United Kingdom student applications
For UK student programmes, EY's How to apply page describes online assessments (including a Realistic Job Preview and behavioural skills content), an Experience Day for later stages, and a preparation hub inside the assessment portal with practice assessments. Use the portal practice the invitation points to; that is EY's free prep for that route, not a third-party clone.
Australia early careers and recruitment days
EY Australia's student program application hub describes an online assessment with multiple-choice, slider, and video responses, typically 45–60 minutes, plus an Assessment Preparation Hub with practice assessments. Later stages can include a recruitment day with behavioural interviews and a group case-style activity. Interviews are framed around STAR. The hub is the free practice EY wants you to use before you sit their simulation.
Interview tips from EY itself
EY US careers publishes Interview tips: the process leans on behavioral interviewing; answers are judged on whether you gave a relevant experience, what action you took, and what resulted. The page recommends preparing 10 to 15 adjustable examples and treating the conversation as two-way.
The downloadable Tips for your EY interviews PDF (© 2025 Ernst & Young LLP) adds concrete format notes: interviews are typically video, generally 30 to 45 minutes, and may be behavioral, case study, or both. Case study here means a sample business scenario you read and discuss with the facilitator. Video tips cover quiet space, tech checks, and looking at the camera.
If you are building a story bank, start from those three scoring questions on the interview-tips page, not from a memorized PEI taxonomy invented elsewhere.
What EY-Parthenon publishes for free
EY-Parthenon is a strategy brand inside EY. Process details vary by country. Use the country page for the role you applied to.
US Consultant Program
The EY-Parthenon Strategy Consultant Program page states that selected applicants can expect a mix of behavioral and case-based interviews with multiple EY-Parthenon professionals, with offer decisions typically within a week of interviews. It lists target MBA campuses and US office locations. It does not publish a full case library on that page; treat campus events and the recruiter's invitation as the next layer of official guidance.
Australia: worked case examples on the careers site
EY-Parthenon Strategy Australia publishes one of the most useful free consulting resources any Big Four sub-brand has put on a careers page. On Careers in EY-Parthenon Strategy, the firm describes first-round two problem-solving interviews run blind (the interviewer does not see your CV until you meet), plus a traditional fit discussion the same day. Preparation guidance is explicit: do not recite a scripted framework; talk through structure, ask clarifying questions, and show how you think.
The same page includes a multi-part electricity-plant investment case with suggested answer directions: demand and supply analysis, a market-sizing style energy-use estimate with ballpark math, capacity vs. peak-demand implications for prices, and option-value logic when NPV is near break-even. That is free primary material. Work it aloud before you buy anything.
Ned's rule. Rank free prep by who writes the score sheet. EY's FAQ and tip PDF beat a 40-page third-party PDF every time, because the interviewer was trained on the firm's language, not on a blog's.
University and other free primary sources
Once the format is clear, you need oral case volume. Prefer institutional pages over commercial roundups.
| Free source | Use it for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Career Education — Preparing for a Case Interview | Practice with a partner; firm-site cases; industry reading | Ignore any third-party prep brands it mentions; stick to firm and school guidance |
| UVA Darden Career Center — 10 case interview tips | Clarifying the question, pausing to structure, adapting mid-case | School-blog tips, not EY format |
| Your campus career office mock interviews | Live feedback on delivery | Book early in peak season |
MBA consulting clubs circulate casebooks as free PDFs. Use them for prompt volume after EY-Parthenon's electricity case or EY's in-portal practice items. A 2013 casebook is not a description of EY's 2026 online assessment.
Worked example: a 10-hour free prep week
Assume you applied Monday morning to a US Early Careers Consulting role and the SHL invite lands Monday afternoon. You have 10 free hours before a possible first interview. Here is a reproducible allocation. Numbers are Ned's estimates, not EY policy.
| Hour block | Wrong order (common) | Better free order |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | Download random "EY tips" PDFs | Read EY US assessment FAQ end to end; note 48-hour clock and three-section structure |
| 1–2 | Watch long YouTube "case frameworks" | Open the platform practice questions for the timed section; do them once under the clock |
| 2–4 | Memorize a profitability tree | Read EY interview tips + PDF; write 12 story bullets mapped to action and result |
| 4–7 | Solo-read three casebooks silently | Two live cases with a classmate (40 min each) + 20 min debrief each |
| 7–9 | More silent reading | Drill mental math: percentages, break-evens, and chart reads for 90 minutes |
| 9–10 | Panic-reread forums | One timed synthesis: 3-minute recommendation on a practice prompt; record yourself |
Score the week: 2 for EY's practice items, 2 for sitting inside the 48-hour window without integrity flags, 2 for twelve stories that cover action and result, 2 for two live cases, 2 for a recorded recommendation. Ten means you optimized for the score sheet. Under six usually means you optimized for reading volume.
Mini math from the EY-Parthenon Australia sample logic: if residential demand is 30% of total and you estimate 7,500 MW residential average, total system demand is 7,500 / 0.30 = 25,000 MW. Annual energy at that load is roughly 25 GW × 8,760 h ≈ 219,000 GWh. The point is showing the components, not winning a trivia contest.
Where CoachNed fits (honestly free)
After EY's pages and a couple of partner cases, add timed practice:
/start— five-minute first rep: three typed turns of a case with instant scores. No account required for that first pass./drills/quick-math— free forever mental-math reps for the timed reasoning muscle EY's FAQ describes.- Full product: everything is open for seven days, no card; then $120 for a recruiting season or $49 a month. Use that when you need more live cases, voice interviews, or behavioral follow-ups — not before you have opened EY's FAQ.
One assignment for today
Open the EY page that matches your market (US assessment FAQ, UK How to apply, or AU application hub). Write a half-page "format contract" note: sections, timing, integrity rules, and what practice EY offers inside the portal. Then run one 20-minute live case with a friend on any prompt, ending with a 60-second recommendation. If you need a solo warm-up first, use /start.
Frequently asked questions
Are these official EY recruiting resources?
Only the ey.com links and the PDF cited above are EY materials. CoachNed pages are independent practice tools. University career pages are institutional guidance. Always verify deadlines and formats on your invitation and local careers page.
What free EY resource should I use first?
Your invitation, then the official assessment FAQ or preparation hub for your country. For US Early Careers, that is the skills assessment FAQ with the 48-hour window and 45–60 minute sitting. For strategy applicants with access to the Australia Parthenon careers case, work that electricity plant sequence aloud next.
Does EY publish free practice cases?
It depends on the brand and country. EY-Parthenon Strategy Australia publishes multi-part practice questions with suggested answers on its careers site. Broader EY routes more often point you to in-portal practice assessments and interview tip pages rather than a public case library. US EY-Parthenon describes behavioral-plus-case interviews without posting a full public case pack on the Consultant Program FAQ.
Can I prepare for the EY skills assessment without paying?
Yes. EY US says preparation is not required for the experience and work-style sections, and that practice questions for the timed portion sit inside the platform. Outside the portal, free mental-math drills (including CoachNed's /drills/quick-math) help with speed under time pressure. Do not use generative AI on the assessment; EY prohibits it.
How is CoachNed different from EY's free prep?
EY defines and scores its own process. CoachNed gives timed case and math practice with feedback. Use EY to know the rules; use CoachNed to get repetitions after the rules are clear.
Sources
- Early Careers skills assessment — frequently asked questions | EY - US — 48-hour window, three sections, 45–60 minutes, practice in platform, one sitting per cycle. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Early Careers application timelines and guidance | EY - US — two-application guidance, assessment invite timing, interview format range. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Interview tips | EY - US — behavioral scoring criteria and 10–15 story prep. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Tips for your EY interviews (PDF) — 30–45 minute video interviews; behavioral and/or case study. Checked 2026-09-24.
- How to apply | EY - UK — UK online assessments and in-portal preparation hub. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Student program application hub | EY - Australia — assessment timing, formats, Assessment Preparation Hub, recruitment day. Checked 2026-09-24.
- EY-Parthenon Strategy: Consultant Program | EY - US — US interview mix and offer timing. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Careers in EY-Parthenon Strategy | EY - Australia — blind problem-solving interviews and published practice case. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Preparing for a Case Interview | Columbia Career Education — free university case-prep guidance. Checked 2026-09-24.
- 10 Case Interview Tips from UVA Darden Career Experts — institutional tips on clarifying and structuring. Checked 2026-09-24.