Interview questions with example answers
60 questions from consulting and finance interviews. Each page takes one answer from weak to strong and shows what changed.
Case openings
How to open and structure a case in the first two minutes.
- Your client is a regional grocery chain. Profits are down 20% over two years. How would you structure the problem?
- A European e-bike maker is thinking about entering the US market. How would you structure the decision?
- A US coffee chain is considering opening in India. How would you approach it?
- A software company is launching a new analytics add-on for its existing customers. How would you set the price?
- An airline is deciding whether to raise its checked-bag fee. How would you think about it?
- A private equity firm is considering buying a regional chain of dental clinics. How would you assess the deal?
- A large food company wants to acquire a plant-based snack startup. Should it?
- A gym chain wants to double its revenue in five years. How would you approach the problem?
- A regional bank's customer growth has stalled. How would you structure the problem?
- A hospital's emergency room wait times have doubled in a year. How would you structure the problem?
- A manufacturer's on-time delivery rate has dropped from 95% to 80%. How would you find out why?
- A city wants to cut traffic deaths in half within ten years. How would you approach it?
- A food bank's demand is up 30% while donations are flat. How would you help?
- An airline's profits are falling even though it is carrying more passengers. What is going on?
- A software company is growing 40% a year and still losing money. How would you assess whether that is a problem?
- A clothing retailer needs to cut costs by 10% without hurting sales. Where would you look?
- A consumer goods company is deciding whether to launch a premium pet food line. How would you structure the decision?
- You have finished the analysis on a market entry case and the CEO walks in. What is your recommendation?
Behavioral and fit
Stories and motivation questions for consulting and banking.
- Why do you want to go into consulting?
- Why do you want to work at this firm?
- Why do you want to go into investment banking?
- Give me a quick overview of your background and what brought you to consulting.
- Walk me through your background and why you are here today.
- Tell me about a time you led a group to a result that mattered.
- Tell me about a time you had to work closely with someone who saw a problem very differently from you.
- Describe a time the numbers and the stories you were hearing did not match. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.
- Tell me about a time you achieved something difficult against real obstacles.
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Tell me about a conflict you had with a teammate.
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Tell me about a time you received tough feedback.
- Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without all the information you wanted.
- Tell me about a time you had more work than you could finish on time.
- Why should we hire you?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Finance technicals
Investment banking and private equity technical questions.
- Walk me through a DCF.
- How do the three financial statements link together?
- Depreciation goes up by $10. Walk me through the three statements.
- Walk me through a basic LBO.
- What is WACC and how do you calculate it?
- What is the difference between enterprise value and equity value?
- How would you value a company?
- How do you tell whether an acquisition is accretive or dilutive?
- What makes a company a good LBO candidate?
- Two companies have the same earnings but trade at different P/E multiples. Why?
- A company raises $100 of debt to buy equipment. Walk me through the three statements at the time of purchase.
- What is working capital, and why does it matter for cash flow?
- What is EBITDA, and why do bankers use it?
- When would you not use a DCF to value a company?
- Pitch me a stock.
- Why private equity?
Market sizing
Estimation questions, answered out loud with the math shown.
- How many gas stations are there in the United States?
- Estimate the annual market for electric scooters in the United States.
- How many cups of coffee are sold in New York City each day?
- How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?
- How much revenue does a coffee shop in a busy airport terminal make in a day?
- How many commercial flights take off in the United States each day?
- Estimate the size of the US market for wedding dresses.
- How many diapers are used in the United States each year?
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