Goldman Sachs interview, step by step
Goldman's student process is a video interview of about 30 minutes on HireVue, then a superday of two to five interviews, depending on the division. Goldman says its interviews focus on real-world problems and how you have handled, or would handle, work situations.
Updated
- A 30-minute video first. Goldman's first interview runs on HireVue. Engineering applicants take a HackerRank test.
- Then a superday. Two to five interviews for campus hires, with people you could end up working with.
- 30 to 60 minutes each. One on one or in pairs. Goldman doesn't share the lineup in advance.
- Four values. Partnership, client service, integrity and excellence. Goldman tells you to read them.
- No finance degree needed. Goldman says its people come from all kinds of backgrounds.
What Goldman says it looks for
Goldman doesn't publish a scorecard. Its students pages and interview guide say this much:
How you handle real problems
Goldman says its interviews focus on real-world problems and how you have navigated, or would navigate, different work situations. The specific questions depend on the role.
Its four values
Partnership, client service, integrity and excellence. Goldman's interview guide asks you to read them and its 14 Business Principles before you interview.
A two-way conversation
Goldman wants you to leave knowing what working there is like, so it expects you to ask questions at every stage.
Any background
You don't need finance experience. Goldman recruits from all academic backgrounds and asks you to look at every division before you pick one.
From Goldman's interview prep guide, its values page and its Prepare page.
How the Goldman process runs
For students and new graduates, as Goldman describes it. Programs run from one-week spring internships to full-time roles.
The six steps, from Goldman's Prepare page
Step 1
Plan your timeline
The Summer Analyst Program is nine to ten weeks, usually in your third or penultimate year. Goldman reviews applications throughout the season.
Step 2
Choose your divisions
Goldman asks you to learn about every division first, since the same skills fit several. It has about 20 divisions.
Step 3
Apply
One online application, with updates when it's received, during the season and at the end. Status is in the portal.
Step 4
Video interview
About 30 minutes on HireVue. Engineering applicants take a HackerRank assessment.
Step 5
Superday
Two to five interviews for campus hires, depending on the division, with a mix of senior people, peers and juniors from the team.
Step 6
Decision
Goldman aims to be in touch within two weeks of your interview. If not, check in with your recruiter.
Goldman does not publish the questions in its video interview or how it scores them. Live interviews run only on HireVue or a Goldman Zoom account.
14 Goldman Sachs interview questions
Our own wording, built on what Goldman says it asks about: your experience, real work situations, its values and the division you chose.
The HireVue round4 questions
Goldman says these focus on your experience. Keep each one to a single story.
Walk me through your background and why you're here today.
What a strong answer does
Two minutes, ending on why Goldman and why this division. Pick the parts of your story that lead there. Example answer
Tell me about a time you had more work than you could finish on time.
What a strong answer does
Show how you chose what came first and who you told. Goldman's interviews ask how you handled real work situations. Example answer
- “What did you drop, and who did you tell?”
- “What would you do differently next time?”
Tell me about a time you made a mistake that affected other people.
What a strong answer does
Own it early, say what you fixed and what you changed so it didn't happen again. This is where integrity shows.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly.
What a strong answer does
Name what you learned, how fast and how you checked you had it right. Example answer
Why Goldman, and its values4 questions
Goldman tells candidates to read its values and principles. Expect them to come up.
Why Goldman Sachs?
What a strong answer does
Tie one of its values, or something a Goldman person told you, to your own experience. Prestige alone tells the interviewer nothing. Example answer
- “Who have you spoken to here, and what did you learn?”
- “Why not the bank you're also interviewing with?”
Partnership is one of our values. Tell me about a time you put a team's result ahead of your own.
What a strong answer does
Give a real cost to you, such as credit or time, and what the team got from it.
Tell me about a time you went beyond what someone expected of you.
What a strong answer does
Client service at Goldman means exceeding expectations. Show you understood what the person needed first. Example answer
Tell me about a time you were under pressure to cut a corner. What did you do?
What a strong answer does
Say what was at stake and the line you held. A calm, specific answer beats a heroic one.
Your division4 questions
Questions at the superday depend on the division, Goldman says. Know why you picked yours.
Why investment banking rather than markets or asset management?
What a strong answer does
Show you looked at the other divisions, as Goldman asks, and chose for a reason tied to the work. Example answer
What do you think an analyst in this division actually does all day?
What a strong answer does
Be concrete about the work and the hours. It shows you spoke to people who do it. Example answer
Tell me about a market or deal story you've followed. What did you take from it?
What a strong answer does
One story you can explain in depth beats five headlines. Goldman's guide points you to its Briefings newsletter and its results.
Pitch me a stock.
What a strong answer does
For markets and asset management. A clear thesis, two reasons, one risk and what would change your mind. Example answer
Technicals2 questions
For banking roles, expect some. Goldman says no finance background is needed, so they test understanding, not jargon.
Walk me through a DCF.
What a strong answer does
Cash flows, discount rate, terminal value, then the bridge to equity value, in plain words. Example answer
Why would one company want to acquire another?
What a strong answer does
Name the main reasons, then say which one you'd trust most and why. Example answer
More to prepare with
Mistakes that cost Goldman candidates
Picking a division without looking at the rest
Goldman asks you to explore every division first. A vague answer to why yours stands out.
Treating the video round as a formality
It is the step between your application and the superday, so prepare it like a live interview.
Arriving with no questions
Goldman calls the interview a two-way conversation and suggests preparing questions for each stage.
Trusting an interview invite from anywhere else
Goldman interviews only on HireVue or a Goldman Zoom account, and never offers a job without an interview.
How to prepare for Goldman
Built on what Goldman's own pages tell candidates to do.
Before you apply
Go to a Goldman event
Register on My GS Events for sessions and workshops, and ask your careers office for alumni at the firm.
Before the video
Read the values and principles
Pick the one value you can show best with a real story, and practice that story out loud.
Before the superday
Study your division
Read its People Profiles, the latest results and Briefings. Prepare a few questions for each interviewer.
On the day
Dress as if in person
Goldman asks for in-person interview attire on video, the camera on and the webcam at eye level.
Goldman's own prep resources
Worth reading before you practice. All on goldmansachs.com.
Prepare pageThe six steps
From choosing your path to the superday, with the 30-minute video interview and two to five final interviews.
Goldman: PrepareInterview prep guidePDF, what to expect
What the questions focus on, how long interviews last, the interview day, virtual setup and engineering tests.
Goldman: interview prepPurpose and valuesFour values, 14 principles
Partnership, client service, integrity and excellence, and the Business Principles John Whitehead wrote in 1979.
Goldman: valuesSummer Analyst ProgramAmericas program page
Nine to ten weeks for undergraduates, usually in the third or penultimate year, with orientation and training.
Goldman: Summer AnalystThe superday is a conversation, practice it out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks banking fit and technical questions one at a time, follows up like a real interviewer and scores every answer. Free for 7 days.
Questions people ask
What is the Goldman Sachs interview process?
For students, Goldman lists six steps: plan your timeline, choose your path, connect at events, apply, a first video interview of about 30 minutes, then a superday of two to five interviews depending on the division.
What questions does Goldman ask in the HireVue?
Goldman doesn't publish them. Its interview guide says its interviews focus on real-world problems and how you have navigated, or would navigate, work situations, with questions that depend on the role. Prepare stories from your own experience.
How long is the Goldman HireVue?
About 30 minutes, according to Goldman's Prepare page. Engineering applicants take a HackerRank assessment as well.
How many interviews are in a Goldman superday?
Goldman says it typically holds two to five interviews for campus hires, depending on the division. Each runs 30 to 60 minutes, one on one or in pairs, with senior people, peers and sometimes junior team members.
Will I know who is interviewing me?
No. Goldman says it typically doesn't share the interviewer lineup in advance, because it can change at the last minute. Ask your recruiter how to prepare.
When will I hear back after a Goldman interview?
Goldman's guide says it aims to be in touch within two weeks. If you haven't heard by then, check in with your recruiter.
Do I need finance experience to get a Goldman internship?
No. Goldman says its people come from all backgrounds, experiences and industries. For banking roles, still expect some technical questions in the superday.
What should I wear to a Goldman video interview?
Goldman asks you to dress as you would for an in-person interview. For engineering, it suggests business casual.