Before you begin
This is a free workbook — no cost, no catch. Just share a few details so I know who's using it, then it's all yours.
Your progress in the workbook stays private in your own browser. This one-time step just lets me know you're here.
Your Big 4 Career Prep Workbook
A working checklist, not a PDF you read once and forget. Track your own progress in the browser as you go — come back to it, tick off what you've mastered, and print it as your record once you're ready.
Why This Workbook Exists
Twenty-two years ago, the first big company that ever invited me for a test was EY.
I came from Surakarta, a small town in Central Java. It's a 1.5-hour flight to Jakarta if you have that kind of budget. I didn't. I took the longer way, 8 hours by car, or back then, before the toll road existed, more than 14 hours by bus. I went anyway, with the spirit to grow, and honestly, not much else. No idea what the test would look like. No idea who I was competing against. Information back then was a privilege, and I simply didn't have it.
I remember the psychometric test most. I watched the other candidates finishing questions like they were playing a game, fast, confident, like they'd seen this exact shape of test before. I remember thinking, very clearly: this is not my game. Not yet.
I failed that round. But I've never forgotten how much it meant that a company like EY was even willing to open that door to a fresh grad with nothing to show but ambition, when plenty of smaller firms wouldn't. That gap hasn't closed, by the way. Fresh-grad hiring is still brutal in most parts of the world. The NEET numbers for 18–24 year olds tell you that clearly enough.
That's part of why I've spent the last while running the Future Builders Fellowship, walking alongside youth aged 18–24 as they figure out their path, whether that's a career or building something of their own. And this time, I want to focus that energy specifically on those aiming for a Big 4 seat, and on the professionals who already have a career but are eyeing a switch into consultancy and wondering what Gen Z is doing differently to prepare.
So I'm building a free e-workbook. Not a PDF you read once and forget, an actual working checklist: what to prepare, how to translate the experience you already have (even if it feels like "not enough"), which skills to drill before the process starts. You track your own progress in the browser as you go, come back to it, tick off what you've mastered, and once you're done, print it as your own record. If a round doesn't go your way, reset it and go again on what you missed.
I'm building this because I know exactly what it feels like to walk in with just spirit and nothing else. That was enough to get me a seat at the table, but sustenance (rizq) has its own timing, and I want the next person's path there to be a little less about luck, and a little more about being genuinely ready.
If you try it, tell me. I read every bit of feedback, and I'll use it to make the next version better. And if you're further along in your career and want something built for where you are, shout out, if I can put it together, I will.
All the best, fellows.
— Henny
Research and Target a Specific Department
Landing a job at a Big Four firm as a fresh graduate requires targeted preparation, strategic networking, and a polished application. Choose a specific service line instead of applying blindly.
- Prosple — Big 4 careers: Tax vs. Audit vs. Consulting. A clear side-by-side comparison of hours, pay, variety of work, and exit options across service lines, from reviews by actual entry-level Big 4 staff.
Build Your Profile and Resume
Tailor your resume to mirror the exact keywords in the job description, and show impact with numbers, not just duties.
Impact Tracker — turn your experience into bullet points
Even if it feels like "not enough" — a project, a student org role, a part-time job. Log it here, then translate it into a number.
- ResumeAtlas — 30+ free ATS resume templates. No signup, includes versions built specifically for final-year students and fresh graduates with no full-time experience yet.
- Jobscan — free ATS resume builder & keyword scanner. Paste a job description in and it flags exactly which keywords your resume is missing.
Increase Your English Proficiency
If English isn't your first language, this step deserves its own slot, not an afterthought. If your target role has no specific test requirement, use the DET (Duolingo English Test) to measure your progress cheaply and quickly — it's a fraction of the cost and time of IELTS/TOEFL, and widely accepted.
The best-practice approach, backed by second-language acquisition research (Krashen's Comprehensible Input theory): consume content you can understand roughly 60–90% of without help — challenging enough to stretch you, not so hard it overwhelms you. Volume and consistency beat intensity.
Practice Tracker
Log each practice session — which skill, what you did, how it went.
- GoArno — free unlimited DET practice. A Duolingo Global Partner Network member offering free practice questions for every DET question type, with AI scoring, no credit card required.
- Leonardo English — Comprehensible Input, the science-backed method. A clear, practical explainer of the research behind learning through content you enjoy rather than drilling grammar in isolation.
Network with Professionals
Internal referrals significantly boost your chances of getting your resume past the initial screening.
Outreach Tracker
Every person you reach out to, logged — so nothing falls through the cracks.
- Corporate Finance Institute — cold email template for an informational interview. Written specifically for finance/accounting career paths, with guidance on subject lines and tone.
- Resume Worded — informational interview email templates. Ready-to-adapt scripts for alumni, cold contacts, and warm intros.
Submit Your Application
Regularly monitor official job boards, and don't skip campus events where recruiters scout directly.
Career portals checked:
Application Tracker
- Big Four Events — Big 4 recruitment timeline, application to offer. A detailed breakdown of what happens at each stage and roughly how long it takes.
Ace the Online Assessments
Practice numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning — and answer situational judgement questions honestly while aligning with the firm's core values.
Practice Tracker
- Practice Aptitude Tests — free numerical, verbal & situational judgement tests. Full-length, instant score, worked solutions for every question, no sign-up required.
Clear the Interviews
Review fundamentals, practice structuring case studies out loud, and research the firm's recent news before your partner round.
Interview Prep Tracker
- PrepLounge — free Case Interview Basics course. Fully free, no premium needed: frameworks, structured problem-solving, and how to practice with a partner.
- Prosple — how to break into Big 4 consulting as a student. A student-specific guide covering what recruiters actually look for.
Overview
A quick look at where you stand across all seven steps.
Share Me The Journey
If you try it, tell me. I read every bit of feedback, and I'll use it to make the next version better. And if you're further along in your career and want something built for where you are, shout out — if I can put it together, I will.
All the best, fellows.
— Henny