R Big 4 (2024)

FAQs

Which Big 4 is the hardest to get in? ›

Out of the Big 4 audit/consulting firms, which one is the toughest to get into? It's Deloitte earlier :) They used to claim that their acceptance rate into the firm is less than or equal to Harvard's. They evaluate all aspects of you as a person.

A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE FIRMS PwC is the largest by revenue and the most prestigious of the Big Four with a strong and established audit client base.

In tax and audit, there doesn't seem to be a clear winner in terms of which firm is better. One auditor recommends checking the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's (PCAOB) to determine which firm has the best (or at least least problematic) audit practice. Ranking the Big 4 can be tricky.

Because of their reputation and reach across several industries, the Big Four are known to employ thousands of graduates every year. Despite this, competition for places in any of the firms is fierce and gruelling. Consequently, landing a job with one of the Big Four firms is sometimes viewed as a difficult task.

Nonetheless, there does seem to be something to the notion that Deloitte and PWC pay their consultants the most. Managementconsulted, a website which tracks pay for consultants in the U.S. says PwC and Deloitte pay newly hired graduate consultants $93k and $101k respectively, while KPMG and EY pay $75k and $80k.

Many students let GPA intimidate them from taking the next step toward their career, and it shouldn't. We have heard stories of students who had Big 4 internships with a 3.23 GPA and actually were able to get the internship over their competitive peer who had a 3.99.

KPMG Work Culture

Though the smallest of the Big 4 firms, KPMG is known to have the best work-life balance amongst its employees. The company places an emphasis on employee engagement and has the lowest churn rate of the Big 4. KPMG is somewhere between the more agile Deloitte and the old-school style of PwC.

KPMG is perhaps the best for guiding you through your professional qualifications and has a trainee community called the Academy to help give training a more social feel.

Whether you joined a Big 4 as a springboard for your career or were set on making partner, we generally advise professionals to make a move around three to six years of experience, in order not to leave either too early or too far into their Big 4 career.

Why KPMG and not other Big 4? ›

KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler) has fewer employees than any of the 'Big 4. ' Nevertheless, this discrepancy does not diminish the company's reputation, quality of service, and working environment. The strict selection criteria and recruiting process may explain this difference.

Deloitte has a heavy focus on the quality of their people whilst the other three balance people, environment, and learning opportunities between them.

I've seen staff fired several reasons - working for another firm while still employed by PwC, using corporate card to pay for $30k of personal expenses, never doing the work that was assigned to them.

It is not about working long hours per day. It is about the work culture that can drive people insane and affect mental health. Managers get pressure from their managers and they simply pass on that pressure to their reportees.

This typically means working nights and weekends, which could substantially impact your personal life. Work/life balance may be incredibly difficult to maintain while working at a Big 4 firm. If you enjoy working on many projects at once, starting your career at a Big 4 firm may not afford you this luxury.

We can estimate that based on job openings for students, Deloitte's acceptance rate is around 3.7% (which makes sense, considering it's also the biggest of the Big Four), based on 2,500 entry level job openings and 250,000 total applicants (which includes applicants to non-entry level roles).

PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) LLP

PwC is widely considered to be the world's most prestigious and progressive accounting firm. It offers extensive career development opportunities, including formal coaching and mentoring, informal mentoring, excellent trainings, and clear promotion paths.