^
hi, a few months ago I was in a group assessment at a Big 4 and managed to land a cadetship. So based on my experience (which may be different for applying for an internship but I think is pretty much the same), here are my tips for the group assessment (note I was tired so some things may be badly worded):
TASK: we were given a company briefing with several options on the best way to market the company. In the given in the time we had (1 hr), the goal was to choose just ONE option based on a set criteria (e.g. finances, short term vs long term etc).
Tips:
- be proactive in discussion, but don't try to dominate and scold what others say.
- Read the news, media etc especially on government policy to ensure that your input is meaningful and that you have intelligence.
- If there is a whiteboard, try to be the guy that uses it to write down the group's ideas. That way it looks like your proactive and puts you in strong position to direct the flow of the discussion which shows your leadership skills.
- Praise other people's ideas, this shows that you are willing to listen to others and that you are not arrogant.
- Understand what is asked of you at the very start of the assessment (VERY IMPORTANT). If you feel the team is not moving in this direction, tell them.
These are just general tips as group assessments differ between the Big 4. You should also google 'assessment centres Big 4' and there are plenty of websites (wikijob is particularly good) that give you further advice specific to each firm.