Citicorp Research Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Total Questions: 60

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Basic introduction. Some specific questions and you just need to make then understand who you are as a person

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Basic introduction. Some specific questions and you just need to make then understand who you are as a person

Skills: Communication And Confidence, Problem Solving Abilties
College Name: Lady Shri Ram College

Round: Test
Experience: Easy, time was sufficient, Mostly Quantitative Aptitude
Tips: Chill and steam on till the end
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 15

Round: Puzzle Interview
Experience: Question was simple I forgot to take into account a factor in my equation but was able to correct my answer immediately upon given a hint

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Nothing special routine HR Questions

General Tips: Relax know yourself and your resume back and front
Skill Tips: A programming background helps
Skills: Quantitative Aptitude
Duration: 2
College Name: IIT Madras
Motivation: To get PPO and pursue an MBA abroad also the stipend is not bad
Funny Moments: When he asked me how much I wanted AmEx I told him that I told the Microsoft Interviewer that I would take an offer from AmEx irrespective. This was before I got interviewed for Microsoft.

PS I got offers from both AmEx and Microsoft

Round: Test
Experience: It was a decent test as normal apti tests but you have to keep little extra knowledge about retail banking and econometrics.
Tips: Just practice well for all aptitude test and boost your speed with accuracy.
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: It was a good discussion but in between there was a chaos as number of people in my group was too big(14) as far as GDs are concerned.But overall it was good and everyone whosoever wanted, had put their points.
Tips: Don't fight during GD. Make sure that whenever you get chance you utilize it fully and make a very effective point. Also keep in mind it is a GD so you should be humble to others as well.
Duration: 30 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: It was a very weird experience.
After get shortlisted from test late in the night, our GD was early in the morning and then followed by interview. And then something really strange happened.I was waiting for my turn since afternoon and I was the last one to be interviewed. When I was called for my turn, all three panel of interviewers came out of their rooms and they announced the result before taking my interview so it was shocking because as par our campus rule you can not straight away declare the results to candidates before the whole process gets over. It shook me and I was very angry at that time but I kept myself calm and turned that anger into a positive way thanks to my friend who were there with me during that time. All I thought was I will get a chance and now I don't have anything to lose so I have to make a better impact on them than the other guys and convince them to increase their selected candidate list. The interview started with general HR questions, why do you want to join us? Why do you think we should hire you? And then they started asking questions over my project which I mentioned in my resume. After that there were few basic probability questions and some analytical puzzles. And during my interview I said I like to play with numbers so they threw me a multiplication 55555*55555 and it took me around 25-30 seconds to do it so I think that was a really effective part of my interview well at last I got selected in HSBC.
Tips: Don't get panic and never lose your calm. Situations can be more worst than what you thought it to be but be confident on yourself. Sooner or later you will be rewarded for your work. Good luck in advance :)

General Tips: Just be yourself and be confident. Be with those who make you feel comfortable. Keep calm and eventually everything will fall in the right place.
Skill Tips: I would say that patience is not a skill but it is as important as any other skill during your interviews. You might encounter some serious situations which might take you on your nerve so be patient.
During your interviews make sure whatever you know you should be able to communicate it well enough otherwise your knowledge is of no use. At the same time ensure that you don't really show off that you know more. If you know more about that problem be humble to the interviewer as discuss or share your thoughts in a very polite manner. And last but not the least is the analytical skills. You might be asked to decode some case or do guesstimates to be prepared for it. Practice it a lot with your friends or else whichever way you like it to be done.
Skills: Analytical skill, Communication, Patience
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Motivation: My only motivation was to get a analytical job which I was targeting. And apart from it there was a reason in my life to get this job and do something for someone very special. So, this keeps me motivated even today.
Funny Moments: The whole placement process right from companies visiting your campus to giving test and getting shortlisted for the interviews was really stressful but when I look back I cherish all those moments where we all friend sat together abusing some bull shit companies their procedure. How we used to run like a wild animal from one test to another one PPT to another. Those late might discussion talking about our future. Those were the lifetime memories, good or bad, which will stay with us always.

Godd luck again for your placements. :)

Round: Test
Experience: The test was on amcat platform where you can not skip the question and you have to attempt each and every question.the key thing here is accuracy specially in first two section coz in retail banking and econometric will be new for everyone.I am from Industrial Engg and Management(M.tech) so we have some basic idea of Econometrics.
Tips: Maintain the accuracy and try to give few hours in studying the basic of Retail Banking and Econometric, coz these are the two section where u can take the lead. and never forget that this is the mass rejection process

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: Follow the basic rule of GD and try to give valid example with your point.
Tips: Read the Newspaper and be aware of what is happening around.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: my interview was around 35-40 minutes process in which they as the technical part from my resume
Tips: just be confident and they will try to stress you out.so be calm and compose and try to understand the question properly before start giving your answer
they expect the logic how you attempt the question


Round: HR Interview
Experience: be ready for the puzzles
Tips: The process is going to be time talking so be ready to wait, and dont sound low in the interview coz this is the day u are waiting for your entire life.

Skills:
College Name: NIT Tiruchirappalli

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Q: Give me five steps to estimate the number of traffic lights in Bombay.
Me: I will divide the city into equidistant lines, both vertical and horizontal; sort of a mesh. Then I would take vertical and horizontal rectangles i.e. the rectangles which fall on length and breadth of the city. Starting with the horizontal ones I would try to estimate the number of roads going from east to west in each rectangle(depending on the type of area: residential, commercial or a highway) Similarly I would try to estimate the number of roads going from north to south in each vertical rectangle. Now I have the average number of roads per unit length and per unit breadth. Now, I can calculate the average number of roads intersecting per rectangle. Now if I have the data, I can also use the traffic density data to further improve my estimate, i.e. whether the traffic light is required in that rectangle or not.(depending upon the traffic density)
Q: Lets say that golden quadrilateral gets completed tomorrow. What would be its impact on the sales of Ashok Leyland?
Me: Sir, they would increase, as more and more traffic will shift from railways to roadways as the average time taken by road will decrease.
Q: If I say that the sales will decreases by road, the truk will make the same number of trips in less amount of time, thereby rendering overcapacity in the road transport market therefore the sales will decrease.
Me: (I actually didn't let him complete, I interrupted him in between and said that I got the logic)
Tips: Don't try to overstate the facts.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Just be Yourself.
Maintain an eye - eye contact with the person taking your interview and always maintain a smile on your face.
Most of the cases for an experienced employees they just see the attitude that you maintain while giving the interview.
So, just be confident and smiling.
Thank you !!!

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - I think its more about staying calm and being in control and be confident about whatever you speak

Round: HR Interview
Experience: 1. At First, I missed the Credit Suisse GD since I hadn’t brought along a portfolio manager (one who handles your interview schedule and attends to the ever-ringing mobile phone).
2. I proceeded to Credit Suisse, and requested their HR contact to give me a chance since I could not turn up for the GDs.
3. It was here that I handed over my mobile phone to my friend Apratim Tiwari, who was managing the Credit Suisse procedures, and requested him to pursue the HR guy to schedule an interview, and also handle my phone when I was interviewing and he had successfully managed to get me an interview with Credit Suisse.
4. The interview went well. They were apparently quite impressed.
5. Two more rounds of interviews, and the HR guy made me an offer.
6. But, since Deutsche Bank was my dream company, I was also interviewing with them and got selected.
Tips: You would need to focus on three broad areas for a comprehensive preparation:
(a) HR questions: This is the most important part for any interview. In companies like DB, your communication skills coupled with your preparation of such questions account for more than 70% of a candidate’s selection. Answering questions about your career goals, interests, and your career thus far should become second nature by the end of November. You must also know the firms and job profiles inside out. I worked on this specific area, and by the end of the placement session, I had gained a reputation among my wingies for my expertise at answering HR questions.
(b) Puzzles: Since this is a non-core sector, puzzles are the only way to objectively test the ability of candidates with diverse backgrounds. Look up braingle.com and techinterview.org. These two should suffice. Also, whenever you come across a puzzle that you’ve already encountered, pretend as if you’re going through it for the first time. Don’t rush through. This is your opportunity to impress them. Do not squander it away!
(c) Finance and economic affairs: If you have a comprehensive knowledge of the financial markets, national economy, and international affairs, in addition to the above two, it is highly improbable that you won’t be selected. For brushing up these, read the Economist (print or online), and read through the opinion pages of Economic Times or the Business Standard for 2-3 months leading to the Placement season. You must also regularly read a newspaper like the Hindu or Indian Express to keep yourself abreast of the latest events which frequently become a focal point of group discussions (for Credit Suisse). You CANNOT afford to walk into the interview ignorant of terms like European debt crisis, global financial crisis, fiscal cliff, QE, and basic finance like options, hedging etc. Wikipedia, Investopedia and J.C.Hull (first few chapters) are great sources to pick up these.

General Tips: 1. If you are a B.Tech. student, do not be under the wrong impression that you can target all sectors- core as well as non-core. It is really difficult to prepare comprehensively for all companies, especially if you are in the B.Tech. program owing to time constraints.
2. The Dual degree students have an edge over you for precisely two reasons. Firstly, they get more time to prepare for the placements, and have learnt vicariously from their B.Tech. batchmates' experiences. Secondly, they tend to have higher retention rates (good for the companies).
3. Work on your English communication skills which are crucial for performing well in interviews and GDs.
Let neither of these become an obstacle by leaving no stone unturned in the course of your preparations.
4. You can’t appear for more than 4 companies in the first slot. It is not realistic. Hence, decide beforehand. I knew I hadn’t prepared enough for consulting or core, hence I opted out of ITC and Opera.
5. If you are shortlisted in multiple companies, ask a reliable friend to accompany you to the interviews, and handle your mobile phone (“managing one’s portfolio”). You’ll thank me someday for this advice.
6. I was happy that I prepared as much as I did, neglecting my college academics in the process. It is a decision I am proud of.
7. My Morgan Stanley internship distinguished me from scores of other candidates. I had never truly appreciated its importance till then. That also goes to show how important it is to get a good internship.
Skill Tips: 1. I scored a 100 percentile in CAT and the preparation made a huge impact on preparing for any of the interviews.
2. I also interned at Morgan Stanley which was further a plus for me.
3. I had received Honda YES Award, University of Tokyo-IIT Scholarship and my academic background was quite good.
Skills: Problem solving skills, Finance Basics, Basic HR questions, Economic affairs
College Name: IIT KANPUR