- KPAT stands for KPMG Assessment Test, the online screening stage in KPMG UK's student and graduate recruitment process.
- It has two parts: an untimed Skills Assessment (about 20 minutes) and a timed 36-minute Cognitive Assessment.
- The Cognitive Assessment covers numerical and logical reasoning through information interpretation, calculations, and logical conclusions.
- KPMG recommends SHL behaviour-based and general-ability practice materials and a desktop or laptop for testing.
What Is KPAT, Exactly?
KPAT stands for KPMG Assessment Test, the online assessment stage that KPMG UK uses in its student and graduate recruitment process. If you've applied for a KPMG placement, internship, or graduate scheme, KPAT is the step you'll hit after submitting your application and before any interviews or assessment centre activity.
It's worth being precise about this because "KPAT" is a shared acronym used by unrelated programs in other industries. On this site, and in this article specifically, KPAT refers only to the KPMG hiring assessment - not any other certification or licensing exam that happens to use the same three letters. If you landed here searching for a different KPAT, the content below won't apply to you.
Who Uses KPAT and When
KPAT sits early in KPMG UK's recruitment funnel for student and graduate roles. After you submit an application, KPMG invites you to complete two online assessments before any human reviews your file in depth. This makes KPAT a gatekeeping stage: how you perform shapes whether you're invited to the next stages, which can include a recorded video interview and an in-person Launch Pad event.
Because it's tied to a specific recruitment route, the people who need to prepare for KPAT are almost always students or recent graduates applying to KPMG UK programs - not experienced professionals, and not candidates applying to KPMG offices outside the UK, where the process may differ. If you're unsure whether your application involves this exact assessment, check the eligibility details KPMG lists on your specific job posting; our KPAT Requirements 2026 guide breaks down who typically encounters it and what's expected before you're invited to sit it.
The Two-Part Online Assessment
KPAT is made up of two distinct online exercises. They test different things, run under different time rules, and reward different preparation strategies. Understanding this split matters more than almost anything else you can learn before test day.
Domain 1: Skills Assessment
This is an untimed exercise built around workplace scenarios. You're presented with situations and asked to rank how you would think, feel, or respond to them. KPMG suggests allowing about 20 minutes to complete it, though there's no clock forcing you through.
- Focuses on behavioural judgment, not knowledge or calculation
- Presents ranking-style questions rather than multiple choice
- Rewards honest, consistent responses that reflect how you actually work
- KPMG points candidates toward SHL behaviour-based practice materials to understand the format
Domain 2: Cognitive Assessment
This is the timed portion - 36 minutes total - and it tests numerical and logical reasoning. Expect tasks built around interpreting information, running calculations, and drawing logical conclusions from data presented in tables, charts, or short passages.
- Strict 36-minute window, so pacing matters
- Numerical reasoning draws on percentages, ratios, and data interpretation
- Logical reasoning tests your ability to spot valid conclusions from given premises
- KPMG recommends SHL general-ability practice to get comfortable with the question style
For a deeper breakdown of exactly what shows up inside each section - including the kinds of question stems and data formats you'll see - our KPAT Exam Domains 2026 guide walks through both areas in more detail than we can cover here.
Key Takeaway
Treat the Skills Assessment and Cognitive Assessment as two separate preparation projects. One rewards self-awareness and consistency; the other rewards speed and accuracy under a hard time limit.
What Happens After You Submit
Once you finish both parts, KPMG generates a personalised skills feedback report for you, regardless of outcome. This is a genuinely useful artifact - it gives you a window into how you performed and where your strengths sit relative to the traits and reasoning skills KPMG is measuring.
If your results move you forward, the next steps in the process are a six-question recorded video interview and, potentially, an in-person Launch Pad event. It's important to understand these are later recruitment stages, not additional domains of the online KPAT itself. The online assessment is strictly the Skills Assessment and Cognitive Assessment described above; everything after that belongs to a different part of the hiring journey.
How KPAT Compares to Other Grad Assessments
If you've taken online assessments for other graduate schemes before, some of KPAT's structure will feel familiar - that's largely because KPMG builds its Cognitive and Skills exercises on the same underlying SHL assessment framework many large employers use. Here's a simplified view of how the two KPAT stages differ from each other:
| Feature | Skills Assessment | Cognitive Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Untimed (about 20 minutes suggested) | Timed, 36 minutes |
| Question style | Ranking workplace scenarios | Numerical and logical reasoning items |
| What it measures | Behavioural fit and self-awareness | Reasoning speed and accuracy |
| Recommended practice | SHL behaviour-based materials | SHL general-ability materials |
Because KPAT is a hiring assessment rather than a certification exam, there's no fixed "passing score" published by KPMG in the way a licensing body might publish one. Our KPAT Passing Score 2026 guide explains how KPMG evaluates results in the absence of a single published cutoff, and how to think about performance across both sections realistically.
Preparing for KPAT the Right Way
Generic exam-prep advice doesn't map cleanly onto KPAT, because one section has no clock and the other has a hard 36-minute limit. The most effective preparation plan treats the two sections on their own terms rather than applying one generic study method to both.
Cognitive Assessment Fundamentals
- Work through SHL-style numerical reasoning drills covering percentages, ratios, and data tables
- Practice logical reasoning items that ask you to identify valid conclusions
- Time yourself on short sets to get a feel for the 36-minute pressure
Skills Assessment Reflection
- Review SHL behaviour-based practice scenarios to understand the ranking format
- Reflect honestly on how you actually respond to workplace situations, rather than guessing what sounds "correct"
- Read through sample scenarios slowly since there's no time pressure here
Full Run-Throughs
- Complete full-length practice sessions for the Cognitive Assessment under real time constraints
- Test on a desktop or laptop, matching KPMG's recommended setup
- Request any needed accessibility adjustments well ahead of your scheduled date
Our full KPAT Study Guide 2026 expands this into a complete first-attempt strategy, and if you want an honest sense of how challenging the Cognitive Assessment's timing actually feels in practice, How Hard Is the KPAT Exam? covers that directly. You can also run realistic, timed practice sets on our main practice test platform to build comfort with the pacing before your real assessment window opens.
Common Misconceptions About KPAT
- "KPAT is a certification I can add to my CV." It isn't. There's no credential, badge, or renewal cycle - it's purely an internal screening tool for KPMG's recruitment pipeline.
- "The video interview and Launch Pad are part of the assessment domains." They're separate, later stages of recruitment, not additional sections of the online KPAT itself.
- "Both sections are timed." Only the Cognitive Assessment has a strict clock. The Skills Assessment is untimed, though KPMG suggests about 20 minutes as a rough guide.
- "There's one universal fixed cutoff score." KPMG doesn't publish a single pass/fail number the way a licensing exam might; performance is considered alongside the rest of your application.
If you're weighing how much effort to put into preparation relative to the rest of your application, our ROI analysis and practice test resources can help you calibrate where your time is best spent.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. KPAT is KPMG's online recruitment assessment for student and graduate applicants. It doesn't produce a certificate, and there's no renewal requirement because it isn't a credential in the first place.
The Skills Assessment is untimed, with KPMG suggesting roughly 20 minutes, and the Cognitive Assessment is strictly timed at 36 minutes. Together, most candidates should expect to set aside about an hour.
It focuses on numerical and logical reasoning, including interpreting information, performing calculations, and drawing logical conclusions from the data presented.
Retake policies depend on KPMG's current recruitment cycle and role, so check the specific application guidance you received. Because this is a hiring stage rather than an exam with a set retake schedule, rules can vary by cycle.
Yes. KPMG provides a personalised skills feedback report after you complete both assessments, giving you insight into your results regardless of the recruitment outcome.