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Goldman Sachs Corporate Finance Interview Questions and Answers
Goldman Sachs Corporate Finance Interview Experiences
1 interview found
Rajkumar Gopalan
I applied via Referral
Interview Preparation Tips
Experience: The initial interview was via teleconference. They had shortlisted 5 of us and each of
us was interviewed for about 30 mins by a panel of two people – one was Luca
Ferrari (Partner/ MD) and the other was an associate from India. This interview was
purely personal. They ask you about your background and they go through your
resume with reasonable thoroughness and fix on some interesting aspect of it. I had a
lot of questions on my tennis career. They mainly check whether you have the
necessary communication and presentation skills and whether you are a team player. I
would suggest that you stress on your team skills. That is one of the main things that
they look for. Other questions were – “most significant achievement”, “why
iBanking”, “why GS” and the decisions that you had made that led you to ISB.
Tips: On resume:
I showed my resume to different people and got as many inputs from them as
I could. I tried to portray whatever little I’ve done in a way that would be
appropriate for each respective company. I also talked a lot about my extra
curricular activities since both consulting firms and iBanks like candidates
with diverse backgrounds and loads of extra curricular activities.
Foe e.g. I did a project with Stern Stewart. For consulting companies I talked
more about the strategic aspects of the project and for iBanks I talked more
about the financial and valuation aspects of the project.
• Communication skills
I taught at Purdue for two years so that was a big help. Working at PwC also
helped a bit. Didn’t do specific by way of preparation.
• Mock interview practice
Went through quite a few interviews during the placement season since I
seemed to be getting shortlisted everywhere and then dinked. That helped a
lot. I would definitely recommend going through mock interviews, preferably,
with someone who knows something about the interview structure, the types
of questions asked and the industry.
• Collecting information of company / role
I had to do a lot of preparation for Goldman Sachs since I didn’t know too
much about the company or the industry before coming here. The goldman
website is a good place to start. I also went through as many books on
IBanking that I could find. The vault and wetfeet guides on goldman sachs
and on investment banking were also extremely helpful. There’s also a
popular book on Goldman Sachs called “Goldman Sachs: the culture of
success”. It’s a must read for anyone interviewing with them.
• Technical / subject / functional preparations
I did a lot of preparation on valuation – the different methods of valuing
companies. Going through a few examples on this also helps. The electives
course – “cases in corporate financial strategy” helped quite a bit. I’m also told that the course on “capital raising strategies in corporations” also is very
helpful through I didn’t take the course.
Preparations on the global markets and economics of different regions is also
very important. I had a number of questions on the US markets, the Europe
markets and the emerging markets including India. The bank of America
website publishes a weekly report on the global equity and debt markets,
which was very helpful. I also talked to people who were familiar with the
stock markets to get an understanding of what had been going on.
I also did a lot of preparation on the major M&A deals and IPOs that had
occurred in the last couple of years, both in India and abroad. You have to
know both the strategic rationale behind the deal and the financial aspects of
it.
• PPT’s stage
They’ll tell you a bit about the company but you can get better information
from the website and the guides on goldman sachs and on investment banking
Skill Tips: Recommended reading:
Monkey business, den of thieves, barbarians at the gates, Goldman Sachs: the culture of
success, Vault and wetfeet guides on investment banking, vault and wetfeet guides on GS,
Website:
GS website, bank of America website to get their weekly global capital markets report,
economic times website to get to know the latest IPOs and m&a deals happening around
the world and then do research on each one.
Skills:
College Name: Indian School Of Business (ISB)
Top trending discussions
Interview questions from similar companies
I applied via campus placement at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
Interview Questionnaire
11 Questions
- Q1. Walk me through you resume?
- Ans.
I have experience in finance and accounting, with a focus on corporate finance.
Started my career as a financial analyst at XYZ company
Managed financial reporting and analysis for ABC corporation
Led a team of 5 analysts in developing financial models for a merger and acquisition deal
Currently working as a senior financial analyst at DEF corporation
- Q2. Do you have any experience in finance? Where did you learn about finance from ?
- Ans.
Yes, I have experience in finance. I learned about finance through my education and work experience.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance from XYZ University
I have worked as a financial analyst at ABC Company for 2 years
I have experience in financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting
I have also taken courses in accounting and economics
I stay updated on industry trends and news through financial publications and conf
- Q3. P/E ratio ?
- Ans.
P/E ratio is a financial metric used to evaluate a company's stock price relative to its earnings per share.
Calculated by dividing the market price per share by the earnings per share
Helps investors determine if a stock is overvalued or undervalued
A high P/E ratio may indicate that investors have high expectations for future growth
A low P/E ratio may indicate that the company is undervalued
Can vary widely between indus...
- Q4. What do you know about mergers and acquisitions ?
- Ans.
Mergers and acquisitions refer to the consolidation of companies or assets through various financial transactions.
Mergers involve the combination of two or more companies to form a new entity.
Acquisitions involve one company purchasing another company or its assets.
M&A can be friendly or hostile, depending on the willingness of the parties involved.
M&A can result in cost savings, increased market share, and improved pr...
- Q5. If I give you Rs.5000 per month for a year or give you Rs.50000 at the beginning of the year, which is a better deal ?
- Ans.
Receiving Rs.50000 at the beginning of the year is a better deal.
Receiving a lump sum amount at the beginning of the year allows for better investment opportunities.
The time value of money principle suggests that money received earlier is worth more than the same amount received later.
Rs.50000 received at the beginning of the year can be invested in a fixed deposit or mutual fund, earning interest throughout the year.
R...
- Q6. Draw the income statement for a carpenter who buys wood at certain price and sells it at ___ some price? try and mention all the possible expenditures which may happen
- Ans.
Income statement for a carpenter buying and selling wood
Revenue from selling wood
Cost of purchasing wood
Labor costs for carpentry work
Equipment and tool expenses
Transportation costs for wood delivery
Overhead expenses such as rent and utilities
Taxes and other fees
Net income or loss
- Q7. Question related to a finance project done by me : What are weather derivatives? Which countries as actually using it?
- Q8. Why Finance ? Why DB?
- Ans.
Finance is my passion and DB is a leading global bank with a strong reputation in the industry.
I have always been interested in finance and enjoy analyzing financial data.
DB is a well-respected global bank with a strong reputation in the industry.
I am impressed by DB's commitment to innovation and technology in finance.
DB's focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility aligns with my values.
I am excited about th...
- Q9. Tell me something about yourself ?
- Ans.
I am a highly motivated finance professional with experience in corporate finance and investment banking.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance and an MBA from a top business school.
I have worked for several years in investment banking, where I gained experience in financial modeling, valuation, and deal execution.
I have also worked in corporate finance, where I have been responsible for financial planning and analysis,...
- Q10. One negative quality that might affect your performance at DB
- Ans.
I tend to overthink and can sometimes get stuck in analysis paralysis.
I have a tendency to overanalyze situations
I can get stuck in decision-making processes
I am working on improving my ability to make quick and effective decisions
For example, in my previous job, I would spend too much time analyzing data before making a decision
- Q11. Is less number of PORs a reason for your CGPA ?
- Ans.
No, the number of PORs is not a reason for my CGPA.
My CGPA is based on my academic performance and not on my extracurricular activities.
While PORs can enhance my resume, they do not directly impact my grades.
I have managed to maintain a good CGPA despite being involved in fewer PORs.
My focus has always been on academics and I have dedicated my time accordingly.
Interview Preparation Tips
Experience: Resume short-listing was done on the basis of CGPA, extra curricular activities and only those having a overall strong profile with a good balance of PORs and academics were short-listed
Tips: Well, one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that your resume needs to be perfect from you side.When I say perfect, it means there should be no typographical errors, no spelling or grammatical mistakes. It should be edited properly and thoroughly checked so that any chances of mistakes can be nullified. Your resume should have information related to projects (research or applied), any intern-ship or other experience of similar kind, relevant courses ( finance or statistics course, in this case ), positions of responsibilities ( PORs ), extracurricular activities and other skill sets. Points in resume should be concise and self explanatory. You should keep in mind that the interviewer takes only a few seconds to review a resume and therefore appropriate details in your resume should be highlighted to make it easy for interviewer to review it. For Deutsche Bank, having a intern-ship experience or a academic project in finance or a foreign exposure definitely helps. PORs also helps in the same fashion. Your resume should be as uncluttered as possible and at the same time should have all the details of above mentioned things presented concisely.
Round: Group Discussion
Experience: It was the first time in many years that DB decided to have a group discussion round. So most of us did not have anyone to share their experience with us. We had around 6 people, at once, in this round. Personally, It was a good experience for me, although I did not read about this topic much and had a discussion with my friend about net neutrality just a few minutes before my GD. I spoke against net neutrality contrary to all other five candidates with me. I described how moving away from net neutrality will help in providing resources to more people and open up the gates of world of internet to the deprived ones. I was objected by al,most everyone in the group but the idea is to maintain your cool, listen to other candidates and try and defend your idea and express your opinion about the topic.
Tips: Some basic tips for every group discussion goes without saying. Starting or ending the course of discussion definitely helps but at the same time it is important to understand that it is not a compulsory action that needs to be taken .I observed it in my discussion that people were so much adamant about initiating the discussion that the moderator had to request people to calm down and not create a fish market there. The idea is to think wisely before you speak. After hearing the topic, you should take your time decide whether you wish to speak for or against and then think of various points and aspects of the topic. Its always helpful to take a pen and a notepad so that you can write the points in short which you can refer later in the discussion. You should NEVER switch from the stand you have taken in the beginning. This is regarded as a weakness so NEVER do that. At the same time it not at all means that you should initiate a war of words(quarrel) with the candidates who has expressing the opposite opinion in the discussion. You need to be humble, polite while you talk. Do not use HINDI/any other native language in the discussion. Be confident while you speak and let other other complete. Try not to interrupt someone and avoid blame game to other candidates, be generalised in you opinion instead of grilling other candidates. If you plan to start the discussion, It would be helpful if you describe the problem briefly, lay down the important points which you think needs to be discussed also can suggest the way discussion can be undertaken and at the same time invite other candidates to share their views when you have finished sharing yours. If you are planning to conclude a discussion, you must remember that its a discussion and not a debate, so it is not necessary that you discussion will end up with one party emerging as correct, so you should try to jot down all the points mentioned by the two parties during the discussion and a give a generalised overview of the discussion, instead of forcing your own opinion onto it. You can try and discuss the pros and cons that were explained by different candidates and try and give a possible solution to make the system better.
Topics of GDs for DB are generally based on the current issues in the country . So you should read about current issues as that will help you to use the recent events and other highlights during the discussion to support your point.
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: I was the first candidate from the short-listed candidates to be interviewed so the interviewers were not bored of taking interviews. The interview started well. I was not able to answer the very first finance question that they asked me related to P/E ratio. But, after that I was able to answer all questions comfortably. So overall the technical interview went well.
Tips: You should be aware of all the current issues. For that you can read Economic times follow Bloomberg, Business Insider regularly, talk and discuss with your other friends to learn more about the same. For the finance topics, you look at Khan Academy lectures on finance. They are very concise and at the same time introduce you to the basics of finance. You can also look at J.C. Hull's Options futures and derivatives. Sometimes they may ask some puzzles. For that Braingle.com and TechInterviews is a good site to begin with followed by PratikPoddar's CSE Blog. Its important that you remain confident throughout the interview. Its okay if you don't know answer to all the questions being asked. You can politely mention that you do not know answer to the following question and that you will follow up on the same after the interview and then at the end of the interview you can followup with the interviewer. This shows that you are interested to learn new things and are not here just because you are short-listed. It is good to ask question related to the company at the end of the interview. You can frame questions based on PPT of the company.
Round: HR Interview
Experience: All the questions were standard HR question. Other than the negative quality question, all the other question passed swiftly.
Tips: Answers should be prepared to these standard HR questions. Negative quality question should be answered carefully so that it does not influence your interview much.
Skills: Confidence, Finance Current Affairs, Finance Basics
Duration: 2
College Name: IIT Kanpur
Motivation: I wanted to get some experience in finance and understand more about investment banking. This was the main motivation for me.
Funny Moments: I was held on the negative quality question for quite a few minutes. They asked me who are my friends here at IITK and asked what would they say about my negative quality. I happened to take up one of my friend's name who was one of the guys offered a PPO from DB and was also under the mentorship of one of my interviewers. He almost gave this a guy a call to enquire for my negative qualities. I ended up laughing over this incident in the interview which was not received pleasantly by the interviewer. One lesson learnt from this incident was t never laugh unless the joke is funny to interviewer :P :P .
I applied via campus placement at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
Interview Questionnaire
11 Questions
- Q1. Walk me through you resume?
- Ans.
I have experience in finance and accounting, with a focus on corporate finance.
Started my career as a financial analyst at XYZ company
Managed financial reporting and analysis for ABC corporation
Led a team of 5 analysts in developing financial models for a merger and acquisition deal
Currently working as a senior financial analyst at DEF corporation
- Q2. Do you have any experience in finance? Where did you learn about finance from ?
- Ans.
Yes, I have experience in finance. I learned about finance through my education and work experience.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance from XYZ University
I have worked as a financial analyst at ABC Company for 2 years
I have experience in financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting
I have also taken courses in accounting and economics
I stay updated on industry trends and news through financial publications and conf
- Q3. P/E ratio ?
- Ans.
P/E ratio is a financial metric used to evaluate a company's stock price relative to its earnings per share.
Calculated by dividing the market price per share by the earnings per share
Helps investors determine if a stock is overvalued or undervalued
A high P/E ratio may indicate that investors have high expectations for future growth
A low P/E ratio may indicate that the company is undervalued
Can vary widely between indus...
- Q4. What do you know about mergers and acquisitions ?
- Ans.
Mergers and acquisitions refer to the consolidation of companies or assets through various financial transactions.
Mergers involve the combination of two or more companies to form a new entity.
Acquisitions involve one company purchasing another company or its assets.
M&A can be friendly or hostile, depending on the willingness of the parties involved.
M&A can result in cost savings, increased market share, and improved pr...
- Q5. If I give you Rs.5000 per month for a year or give you Rs.50000 at the beginning of the year, which is a better deal ?
- Ans.
Receiving Rs.50000 at the beginning of the year is a better deal.
Receiving a lump sum amount at the beginning of the year allows for better investment opportunities.
The time value of money principle suggests that money received earlier is worth more than the same amount received later.
Rs.50000 received at the beginning of the year can be invested in a fixed deposit or mutual fund, earning interest throughout the year.
R...
- Q6. Draw the income statement for a carpenter who buys wood at certain price and sells it at ___ some price? try and mention all the possible expenditures which may happen
- Ans.
Income statement for a carpenter buying and selling wood
Revenue from selling wood
Cost of purchasing wood
Labor costs for carpentry work
Equipment and tool expenses
Transportation costs for wood delivery
Overhead expenses such as rent and utilities
Taxes and other fees
Net income or loss
- Q7. Question related to a finance project done by me : What are weather derivatives? Which countries as actually using it?
- Q8. Why Finance ? Why DB?
- Ans.
Finance is my passion and DB is a leading global bank with a strong reputation in the industry.
I have always been interested in finance and enjoy analyzing financial data.
DB is a well-respected global bank with a strong reputation in the industry.
I am impressed by DB's commitment to innovation and technology in finance.
DB's focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility aligns with my values.
I am excited about th...
- Q9. Tell me something about yourself ?
- Ans.
I am a highly motivated finance professional with experience in corporate finance and investment banking.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance and an MBA from a top business school.
I have worked for several years in investment banking, where I gained experience in financial modeling, valuation, and deal execution.
I have also worked in corporate finance, where I have been responsible for financial planning and analysis,...
- Q10. One negative quality that might affect your performance at DB
- Ans.
I tend to overthink and can sometimes get stuck in analysis paralysis.
I have a tendency to overanalyze situations
I can get stuck in decision-making processes
I am working on improving my ability to make quick and effective decisions
For example, in my previous job, I would spend too much time analyzing data before making a decision
- Q11. Is less number of PORs a reason for your CGPA ?
- Ans.
No, the number of PORs is not a reason for my CGPA.
My CGPA is based on my academic performance and not on my extracurricular activities.
While PORs can enhance my resume, they do not directly impact my grades.
I have managed to maintain a good CGPA despite being involved in fewer PORs.
My focus has always been on academics and I have dedicated my time accordingly.
Interview Preparation Tips
Experience: Resume short-listing was done on the basis of CGPA, extra curricular activities and only those having a overall strong profile with a good balance of PORs and academics were short-listed
Tips: Well, one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that your resume needs to be perfect from you side.When I say perfect, it means there should be no typographical errors, no spelling or grammatical mistakes. It should be edited properly and thoroughly checked so that any chances of mistakes can be nullified. Your resume should have information related to projects (research or applied), any intern-ship or other experience of similar kind, relevant courses ( finance or statistics course, in this case ), positions of responsibilities ( PORs ), extracurricular activities and other skill sets. Points in resume should be concise and self explanatory. You should keep in mind that the interviewer takes only a few seconds to review a resume and therefore appropriate details in your resume should be highlighted to make it easy for interviewer to review it. For Deutsche Bank, having a intern-ship experience or a academic project in finance or a foreign exposure definitely helps. PORs also helps in the same fashion. Your resume should be as uncluttered as possible and at the same time should have all the details of above mentioned things presented concisely.
Round: Group Discussion
Experience: It was the first time in many years that DB decided to have a group discussion round. So most of us did not have anyone to share their experience with us. We had around 6 people, at once, in this round. Personally, It was a good experience for me, although I did not read about this topic much and had a discussion with my friend about net neutrality just a few minutes before my GD. I spoke against net neutrality contrary to all other five candidates with me. I described how moving away from net neutrality will help in providing resources to more people and open up the gates of world of internet to the deprived ones. I was objected by al,most everyone in the group but the idea is to maintain your cool, listen to other candidates and try and defend your idea and express your opinion about the topic.
Tips: Some basic tips for every group discussion goes without saying. Starting or ending the course of discussion definitely helps but at the same time it is important to understand that it is not a compulsory action that needs to be taken .I observed it in my discussion that people were so much adamant about initiating the discussion that the moderator had to request people to calm down and not create a fish market there. The idea is to think wisely before you speak. After hearing the topic, you should take your time decide whether you wish to speak for or against and then think of various points and aspects of the topic. Its always helpful to take a pen and a notepad so that you can write the points in short which you can refer later in the discussion. You should NEVER switch from the stand you have taken in the beginning. This is regarded as a weakness so NEVER do that. At the same time it not at all means that you should initiate a war of words(quarrel) with the candidates who has expressing the opposite opinion in the discussion. You need to be humble, polite while you talk. Do not use HINDI/any other native language in the discussion. Be confident while you speak and let other other complete. Try not to interrupt someone and avoid blame game to other candidates, be generalised in you opinion instead of grilling other candidates. If you plan to start the discussion, It would be helpful if you describe the problem briefly, lay down the important points which you think needs to be discussed also can suggest the way discussion can be undertaken and at the same time invite other candidates to share their views when you have finished sharing yours. If you are planning to conclude a discussion, you must remember that its a discussion and not a debate, so it is not necessary that you discussion will end up with one party emerging as correct, so you should try to jot down all the points mentioned by the two parties during the discussion and a give a generalised overview of the discussion, instead of forcing your own opinion onto it. You can try and discuss the pros and cons that were explained by different candidates and try and give a possible solution to make the system better.
Topics of GDs for DB are generally based on the current issues in the country . So you should read about current issues as that will help you to use the recent events and other highlights during the discussion to support your point.
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: I was the first candidate from the short-listed candidates to be interviewed so the interviewers were not bored of taking interviews. The interview started well. I was not able to answer the very first finance question that they asked me related to P/E ratio. But, after that I was able to answer all questions comfortably. So overall the technical interview went well.
Tips: You should be aware of all the current issues. For that you can read Economic times follow Bloomberg, Business Insider regularly, talk and discuss with your other friends to learn more about the same. For the finance topics, you look at Khan Academy lectures on finance. They are very concise and at the same time introduce you to the basics of finance. You can also look at J.C. Hull's Options futures and derivatives. Sometimes they may ask some puzzles. For that Braingle.com and TechInterviews is a good site to begin with followed by PratikPoddar's CSE Blog. Its important that you remain confident throughout the interview. Its okay if you don't know answer to all the questions being asked. You can politely mention that you do not know answer to the following question and that you will follow up on the same after the interview and then at the end of the interview you can followup with the interviewer. This shows that you are interested to learn new things and are not here just because you are short-listed. It is good to ask question related to the company at the end of the interview. You can frame questions based on PPT of the company.
Round: HR Interview
Experience: All the questions were standard HR question. Other than the negative quality question, all the other question passed swiftly.
Tips: Answers should be prepared to these standard HR questions. Negative quality question should be answered carefully so that it does not influence your interview much.
Skills: Confidence, Finance Current Affairs, Finance Basics
Duration: 2
College Name: IIT Kanpur
Motivation: I wanted to get some experience in finance and understand more about investment banking. This was the main motivation for me.
Funny Moments: I was held on the negative quality question for quite a few minutes. They asked me who are my friends here at IITK and asked what would they say about my negative quality. I happened to take up one of my friend's name who was one of the guys offered a PPO from DB and was also under the mentorship of one of my interviewers. He almost gave this a guy a call to enquire for my negative qualities. I ended up laughing over this incident in the interview which was not received pleasantly by the interviewer. One lesson learnt from this incident was t never laugh unless the joke is funny to interviewer :P :P .
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