Most candidates prepare for "the KPMG assessment" as if the network ran one shared exam. It does not. KPMG is a network of independent member firms, and as of late 2026 the UK graduate, UK undergraduate/insight, and US early-career funnels publish different stage lists on their own careers sites. Prepare for the wrong one and you burn the only week that matters.
After this guide you should be able to name which careers page governs your invitation, list the stages that page actually describes, and spend your prep on that format rather than on folklore about a single global test.
CoachNed is not affiliated with KPMG or any KPMG member firm.
Start with the careers page that invited you
Open the email and the careers domain it points to before you open a practice book. The labels below are the entity each claim in this article applies to.
| Entity (careers site) | What that site publishes as the early screen | Final stage named on that site |
|---|---|---|
| KPMG UK graduates (graduate application process) | Skills ranking (~20 min suggested) then timed cognitive (36 min); then a recorded video interview | In-person Launch Pad half-day |
| KPMG UK undergraduates / insight (undergraduate application process) | Transforming Small Businesses, then Delivering Outcomes | Not the same published graduate Launch Pad list on that page; follow your invitation |
| KPMG US early career (early career hiring guide) | No published immersive online assessment; selected candidates get two live video interviews with business leaders | Offer or office visit; most decisions within about two weeks of interviewing |
Other member firms (Canada, Australia, Germany, and so on) run their own pages and invitation wording. If your link is not .co.uk or kpmguscareers.com, do not assume either table above applies. Treat the invitation email as the authority for your country.
Scale context only: KPMG International reported 276,030 partners and staff across the network for the year ended 30 September 2025 in its December 2025 revenue release. That is why early filters feel aggressive; it is not a pass-mark disclosure.
KPMG UK graduates: skills, cognitive, video, Launch Pad
As of the current KPMG UK graduate application process, Stage 2 is two online assessments, not the older "Transforming Small Businesses" brand that still appears on the undergraduate track.
Skills assessment. Untimed ranking of how you would think, feel, or respond in work scenarios. KPMG UK suggests about 20 minutes. Answer as yourself at work, not as the person you think a recruiter wants.
Cognitive assessment. Timed. KPMG UK gives 36 minutes for numerical and logical reasoning: interpret information, calculate, draw conclusions. The firm points candidates to SHL-style practice materials on that same page. Block a quiet half-hour; do not sandwich this between lectures.
Video interview (Stage 3). Six pre-recorded questions delivered by an AI avatar named Leah. You get preparation time, then you record. KPMG UK says to allow about 40 minutes for the sitting, and that a Student Recruitment teammember scores the recordings even though the interviewer face is generated. That means the bar is still human judgement: clarity, motivation for the programme, and evidence of the skills the firm lists on Is KPMG right for me?.
Launch Pad (Stage 4). In-person half-day with assessed and non-assessed activities. If successful, KPMG UK says you receive a job offer within two working days. This article stays at the funnel level; day-of tasks, group dynamics, and analytical exercises belong in the sibling Launch Pad guide.
Integrity note from the same graduate page: KPMG UK expects independent work, forbids AI or third-party help that produces answers that are not yours, and warns that dishonest candidates can be withdrawn. Treat that as a hard rule, not optional etiquette.
KPMG UK undergraduates and insight: Transforming Small Businesses
If you applied via the undergraduate or insight programmes, KPMG UK's undergraduate process still names the immersive pair many blogs treat as universal.
Transforming Small Businesses. Automatic invite after the form. Three fictional small businesses, ranking how you would respond, plus analysis with pen, paper, and a basic calculator. Untimed in the sense of no per-question clock, but KPMG UK suggests about 90 minutes in one sitting and a five-calendar-day window from invitation. Chrome on a laptop, stable connection. You get a personalised strengths feedback report afterward; the firm says that report is separate from the pass/fail outcome.
Delivering Outcomes. Invitation only if Stage 2 goes well. Continues a fictional project linked to one of the earlier businesses. Ranking, timed webcam responses, and written answers. Mostly untimed; KPMG UK suggests about 60 minutes in one sitting, again within five calendar days.
The interviewer-side read: these stages are not testing whether you memorised an audit mnemonic. They are testing whether you can extract a number or a fact from messy materials, then choose a response that looks like a junior who escalates risk and does not invent data. That is the same muscle as case math and chart reading, even when the UI looks like an inbox.
KPMG US early career: two live videos, not Launch Pad
KPMG US early career publishes a different product. Application takes about 10 minutes with a resume and, for students or recent graduates, an unofficial transcript. Rolling recruiting; maximum two active applications. Selected candidates complete two live video interviews with business leaders. Most decisions land within about two weeks of interviewing; next step is an offer or an invitation to visit an office.
What that page does not publish: Transforming Small Businesses, Delivering Outcomes, a 36-minute SHL-style cognitive block, Leah the avatar, or Launch Pad. Candidate forums invent game batteries and cut scores for US campus roles; treat those as folklore unless your own invitation names a vendor and a deadline. Experienced-hire and niche technical roles can add screens the early-career page never mentions. Again, the invitation wins.
Preparation for the US route therefore looks like behavioural and motivation practice under live camera pressure, plus light business judgement for Advisory-leaning roles, not a week of immersive scenario drill.
What the sheet rewards when numbers appear
Whether you sit KPMG UK's 36-minute cognitive block or the undergraduate analysis prompts, the scoring pattern I see across Big Four screens is the same: supportable arithmetic beats clever narrative.
Worked example you can reproduce. Invented cafe "Northline Roasters" (not a real KPMG case). Month 1 revenue £42,000, costs £31,500. Month 2 revenue £48,300, costs £34,200.
| Metric | Month 1 | Month 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 42,000 | 48,300 |
| Costs | 31,500 | 34,200 |
| Profit | 10,500 | 14,100 |
| Margin | 10,500 / 42,000 = 25.0% | 14,100 / 48,300 ≈ 29.2% |
Revenue rose about 15 percent; profit rose about 34 percent; margin improved. The supportable conclusion is that profitability strengthened. The unsupported conclusion is "the loyalty app caused it" when the materials never say so. On ranking items, choose the option that checks the numbers and escalates missing data, not the option that sounds most enthusiastic.
Ned's rule. If your invitation domain and stage names do not match the page you practised against, stop practising that page. Thirty honest minutes on the real format beats three days on a neighbour firm's simulation.
How to spend the week before your window
- Screenshot your invitation: member firm, stage name, deadline, browser rules.
- If you are on the UK graduate cognitive block, rehearse timed numerical and logical items until a 36-minute sitting feels routine. The free quick math drill is adjacent practice, not a KPMG clone.
- If you are on Transforming Small Businesses / Delivering Outcomes, practice extracting facts from messy emails and tables, then ranking responses that stay inside the evidence.
- If you are on US live video, prepare three STAR stories mapped to Integrity, Excellence, Courage, Together, and For Better (the network values language), plus a crisp why-this-programme answer. Record yourself once on camera.
- Keep case structure warm if Launch Pad or an Advisory interview sits later in your funnel.
Practice this today
Open your invitation. Write one line: "I am preparing for [exact stage name] on [careers domain]." Then run a single timed numerical set for 20 minutes, or record one two-minute behavioural answer to camera if your next stage is video. For structured case reps that transfer to Launch Pad and Advisory judgement, start the five-minute first rep at /start (no account required) or the ~18 minute voice case at /interview. Everything on CoachNed is open for seven days with no card; then $120 for a recruiting season or $49 a month.
Day-of Launch Pad detail lives in KPMG Launch Pad. Case and values-heavy interview prep lives in KPMG case interview.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one KPMG online assessment for every country?
No. KPMG UK graduates, KPMG UK undergraduates, and KPMG US early career publish different stage lists. Other member firms publish their own. Match prep to the careers site and invitation that named your stages.
How long is Transforming Small Businesses?
On the KPMG UK undergraduate / insight process, the firm suggests about 90 minutes in one sitting inside a five-calendar-day window. That name does not appear on the current KPMG UK graduate Stage 2 description, which instead lists skills and cognitive assessments.
Does KPMG US use Launch Pad?
Not on the published US early-career hiring page. That page describes two live video interviews with business leaders, then an offer or office visit. Launch Pad is the named final stage on KPMG UK's graduate process.
What is the KPMG pass mark?
KPMG does not publish a public percentage cut-off on the careers pages cited here. Vendor blogs invent ranges; treat them as unconfirmed. Prepare to finish the timed sections cleanly and to evidence the skills the firm lists, not to chase a folklore score.
Can I use AI during the KPMG UK online assessments?
KPMG UK's graduate and undergraduate process pages state that assessments must be completed independently, without AI or other resources producing answers that are not your own, and that dishonest conduct can lead to withdrawal and further action. Follow that rule.
Sources
- KPMG UK graduate application process — UK graduate stages: skills (~20 min), cognitive (36 min), Leah video (6 questions, ~40 min), Launch Pad, two-day offer. Checked 2026-09-24.
- KPMG UK undergraduate application process — Transforming Small Businesses (~90 min, five-day window) and Delivering Outcomes (~60 min suggested). Checked 2026-09-24.
- KPMG US early career — US application logistics, two live video interviews, ~two-week decision window. Checked 2026-09-24.
- KPMG UK: Is KPMG right for me? — skills and behaviours assessed across the UK process. Checked 2026-09-24.
- KPMG delivers 5.1% rise in global revenue (16 Dec 2025) — network headcount 276,030 as of 30 Sep 2025. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Our values | KPMG UK — Integrity, Excellence, Courage, Together, For Better. Checked 2026-09-24.