KPMG · Primly Community

KPMG new grad entry level interview, how to prep and what to actually expect

jp_newgrad · 5 replies

Went through the KPMG new grad / entry level process last fall for an associate software engineer role in their technology consulting practice. It took me way longer to find solid prep info than it should have, so here's everything I can remember.

How I got in: Applied through the KPMG campus portal. Heard back in about 3 weeks. They're big on campus recruiting so if your school has a KPMG relationship that definitely helps.

The process:

First there's an online assessment. Two parts: a verbal reasoning section and a basic coding assessment. The coding was medium-easy. Think array manipulation, string parsing. I saw one dynamic programming question but it was a well-known pattern. Nothing close to leetcode hard.

Then a HireVue video interview. This is where a lot of people apparently get filtered. Three questions, pre-recorded, you get one chance. Standard behavioral stuff but framed toward consulting: tell me about a time you adapted to change, describe a situation where you had to explain a technical concept to a non-technical stakeholder. Record yourself answering these before you do the real one. Your first take is almost always rough.

Then a final round. For entry level this was two back-to-back 45-min interviews. One technical, one behavioral. The technical for me was: design a simple REST API for a client reporting dashboard. We talked through endpoints, auth, what happens if the upstream data source is slow. No coding, just whiteboarding the approach. The behavioral round was STAR method the whole way. They asked about teamwork, conflict resolution, and a leadership example even at entry level.

What helped me prep: Practicing STAR stories out loud until I wasn't reading off notes. The HireVue is unforgiving when you sound like you're reading.

Total comp for the NYC associate offer I got: $85k base, $5k signing. Not exciting by tech company standards but KPMG has solid training, real client exposure fast, and it's a known name for future job hunting.

Happy to answer questions if anyone else is applying this cycle.

5 replies

qa_quinn

The HireVue filter is brutal. I've done a few now and you can always tell when your first answer sounds terrible vs. your third. Did they give any feedback when people don't pass it, or just silence?

bootcamp_bri

Do you know if they consider bootcamp grads or is it strictly four-year CS degree? The campus portal language makes it sound like they want traditional backgrounds.

jp_newgrad

My cohort had at least two people who didn't have traditional CS degrees. One had a math degree plus a coding bootcamp cert. KPMG seems to care more about the assessment scores and interview performance than the credential itself, at least for technology consulting roles. I wouldn't self-select out.

analyst_ana

The $85k in NYC feels low but KPMG also has pretty strong exit options. Lot of people use it as a 2-3 year launchpad. Just framing it differently since starting pay looks rough on paper.

veteran_vance

Does the campus recruiter path work for non-traditional candidates like veterans? Or is it really only for current students / recent grads?