Professional services firm PwC has stopped using A-level results as a means of identifying recruits for its graduate programme.

The firm announced this morning it is to scrap the Undergraduate Courses At University And College (UCAS) tariff, which awards points for the qualifications 16 and 17-year-olds have, as entry criteria for its graduate scheme. 

Explaining the move, PwC head of student recruitment Richard Irwin told Recruiter historically larger organisations have tended to rely on UCAS tariffs as a means of identifying suitable graduates due to their reliability in indicating how recruits will fare in professional examinations such as accountancy.

But after conducting in-depth analysis, Irwin added, PwC discovered its current procedures including its online behavioural testing were just as effective in predicting success in professional examinations as the UCAS tariff.

Under PwC’s current recruitment procedures, written applications are assessed for understanding of the business and passion for the role applied for. Graduates also sit online behavioural tests that look for skill sets such as reasoning ability, the potential to build relationships and work in teams. PwC only considers graduates with a 2:1 or higher.

While a PwC statement said the move could drive “radical” changes in the social mobility and diversity of the professional services' industry, Irwin said the desired objective was actually to recruit the best talent as defined by the behavioural skills the professional services firm seeks.

“We want to take the very best on merit but this is really about our definition of merit being sufficiently creative so it doesn’t create unnecessary barriers that mean we miss out on people. We are going to take the best of all comers.”

• Want to comment on this story? The Comment box is at the bottom of the page. Sorry for the glitch but just scroll right down and share your opinions!