The entire process is made up of five stages: application, verbal and numerical tests, phone interview, assessment centre, and finally a partner interview. Application I applied online via the Moore Kingston Smith website in early August. It was the typical application process of filling in information and then answering some background and motivational questions. Put the effort in here to answer these. Verbal and Numerical Tests Ten days or so after my application had been submitted and accepted I was invited to complete online verbal and numberical reasoning tests. The verbal was fine but the numerical felt like I didn't have enough time to complete everything so focus on picking up the pace a bit. As always, do some percentages practise first. Phone Interview About a week after I completed the numerical and verbal reasoning tests I received an invitation to ook a phone interview with HR. The phone interview took place roughly a month later, with questions like "Why do you want to work at Moore Kingston Smith?", "Why a career in chartered accountancy?", "Working at Moore Kingston Smith, what do you imagine you’ll be doing?", "What attributes should an accountant have?", and "What do you know about the ACA?". The interview lasted for about 10 minutes, and at the end I was immediately invited to an assessment centre. Virtual Assessment Centre The assessment centre took place roughly a week after the phone interview. It all took place via Zoom due to COVID-19. It started with an introduction to the AAT and ACA schemes and then we all introduced ourselves and told everyone something about ourselves that displayed problem-solving and teamwork (in non-COVID times they would have done a team-building exercise). After this there were more numerical and verbal reasoning tests which you were required to pass to continue - if you did not pass you were told via phone call and let go after completion. We then presented a 5 minute SWOT analysis on a company of our choice (I would recommend volunteering to go first) to others in the group, two members of HR and two managers. We were asked questions by the managers after our presentation about why we chose the company and what we thought about how they were going to deal with competition and COVID etc. They seemed to want a good demonstration of business awareness and research as well as confidence and communication skills. Finally there was a HR competency-based interview for 30-45 minutes. This was pleasant as while there were competency-based questions such as "Tell me about a time you had to build a team relationship", there were also others about why you chose your A-levels and degree as well as just chatting and getting to know you. Partner Interview Several days after the assessment centre I was emailed inviting me to a (virtual) interview with a partner at the branch that I was applying for. The interview was very nice; this was much more about getting to know me and my motivations. I was again asked about my degree as well as my hobbies and motivations. The questions to me only lasted about 20 minutes, with the rest of the 45 minute interview being the partner answering my questions (make sure you have at least three prepared). I was then phoned a couple of day after the partner interview with an offer, which I enthusiastically accepted.

The whole process had four stages: application, telephone interview, assessment centre and finally an interview. The application The initial application consists of standard background questions along with some motivational questions. Take your time with these and answer them as best you can. Although there is no word limit, I think around 250 words would be a good amount. Following this, there are numerical and verbal reasoning tests to take. If you're used to doing these then they should be fairly easy however if it is your first time, I would recommend practising beforehand. Telephone Interview If you pass those tests, you will be invited to have a brief telephone interview. Mine only lasted around 10 minutes and consisted of motivation questions regarding the industry as well as being asked what I imagine I would be doing on the job. Just prepare for standard interview questions thinking about the role you've applied for, MKS and the ACA. You don't need to know excessive details but have good core knowledge. At the end of the interview, I was instantly invited to an assessment centre day the following week. Assessment Centre Prior to attending the day, you will get an email explaining the format of the day as well as details about a short presentation you will have to prepare. The actual day starts off with someone from HR explaining a little bit about the company and then you will do an ice breaker game. Following that, the group will be split into two and you will have to complete a logic exercise whilst being assessed by a manager. The actual task is relatively straight forward and quite enjoyable. Make sure you a contributing but not overpowering. Also, make sure that one person in the group keeps track of the time. Following this exercise, there are paper-based numerical and verbal reasoning tests to complete. The verbal was quite similar to the online test however the numerical was significantly harder. The other people in my group agreed and I don't believe any of us fully completed the test. With the tests done, you will move onto lunch with some managers. Here is a good time to ask any questions you might have and also eat to gain back some energy. After lunch, you are again split into two groups for the presentations. At the end of each presentation, you are allowed to ask questions so make sure you are focused on what is being said. To round off the day, there is an interview with a member of the HR team. This is a mix of competency and motivational questions along with a bit about your background and hobbies. You are allowed to take notes in with you so I would prepare a few days before so you can answer to the best of your ability. Overall, the assessment centre was a really enjoyable experience. Everyone from MKS made us all feel really welcomed and comfortable which definitely helped nearer the end of the day where we had our presentations and the interview. After getting home, I received a call from them saying that they would like to invite me to have a final interview in the office of my choice (West End) the following week. Final Interview Prior to the interview, you will get sent a short personality test to complete but I wouldn't think too much into it. The actual interview was very relaxed and felt it was more them getting to know me rather than them trying to probe out all the technical details I knew. The focus began on me and my hobbies along with some work I had done at uni. Then they went more in detail about the particular office and what they offer there. They had my personality test answers with them but they said they wouldn't bother going over it as they liked how I had come across throughout the interview. It ended with a small tour of the office which was really nice. Later on in the evening, I received a call from the HR team in which they said that they would like to make me an offer. Overall the recruitment experience with MKS is among the best out of any firms I have dealt with in the past. They are quick to provide feedback and have a really friendly atmosphere. I am excited to begin my training contract here and will be sure to leave a review of the firm once I have settled in.