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Goldman Sachs Summer Employee Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

Updated 20 May 2017

Goldman Sachs Summer Employee Interview Experiences

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Summer Employee Interview Questions & Answers

user image Abhijeet Krishnan

posted on 20 May 2017

Interview Questionnaire 

8 Questions

  • Q1. How would you code a linked list? Show the code
  • Ans. 

    A linked list is a data structure where each element contains a reference to the next element.

    • Create a Node class with data and next pointer

    • Create a LinkedList class with head pointer

    • Implement methods like insert, delete, search, etc.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. How would you design an elevator system for a building?
  • Ans. 

    Designing an elevator system for a building involves considering factors like capacity, speed, safety, and efficiency.

    • Determine the number of floors and the expected traffic flow in the building

    • Calculate the required capacity and speed of the elevators

    • Consider safety features such as emergency stop buttons, fire-resistant materials, and backup power supply

    • Implement efficient algorithms for elevator scheduling to minimi...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What is the difference between OOP and procedural programming?
  • Ans. 

    OOP focuses on objects and their interactions, while procedural programming focuses on procedures and functions.

    • OOP organizes code into objects that encapsulate data and behavior.

    • Procedural programming uses functions to manipulate data.

    • OOP supports concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation.

    • Procedural programming is more straightforward and linear in nature.

    • OOP promotes code reusability and modularity.

    • P...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. When would Java be used over C/C++?
  • Ans. 

    Java is used over C/C++ when platform independence, ease of use, and security are important.

    • Java is platform independent, meaning it can run on any operating system or hardware that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). C/C++ code needs to be compiled separately for each platform.

    • Java has automatic memory management, reducing the risk of memory leaks and making it easier to write and maintain code. C/C++ requires manual me...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. Given 10 balls which weigh the same, except for one, and a beam balance, what is the minimum number of weighs to find the odd ball?
  • Ans. 

    The minimum number of weighs to find the odd ball is 4.

    • Divide the 10 balls into 3 groups of 3, 3, and 4.

    • Compare the weights of the two groups of 3 balls.

    • If the weights are equal, the odd ball is in the group of 4.

    • If the weights are unequal, the odd ball is in the lighter group of 3.

    • Divide the lighter group of 3 balls into individual balls and compare their weights.

    • The odd ball will be identified in the 4th weigh.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q6. Given an island in the center of a lake, and you are standing outside the lake, how would you reach the center?
  • Ans. 

    To reach the center of the island, one can use a boat or any other means to cross the lake.

    • Use a boat to reach the island

    • Swim across the lake if it's not too far

    • If the lake is frozen, walk or skate across the ice

    • If there is a bridge or causeway connecting the island, use it to reach the center

  • Answered by AI
  • Q7. Describe a time when you made a suggestion in a group and had it implemented
  • Ans. 

    I suggested a new marketing strategy in a team meeting and it was successfully implemented.

    • Suggested a new marketing strategy during a team meeting

    • Explained the benefits and potential outcomes of the strategy

    • Received positive feedback and support from team members

    • Collaborated with the team to refine and finalize the strategy

    • Implemented the strategy and achieved successful results

  • Answered by AI
  • Q8. Describe a time when you had to motivate people to work on something
  • Ans. 

    Motivated team members by setting clear goals, providing support, and recognizing their efforts

    • Clearly communicated the importance of the project and how each team member's contribution was vital

    • Provided necessary resources and support to help team members succeed

    • Recognized and praised team members for their hard work and achievements

    • Encouraged collaboration and teamwork to boost morale and productivity

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: There was a single coding question presented on the HackerRank platform. It was an algorithmic puzzle, where we had to code up a solution which passed the given test cases. Credit was given to solutions which passed the maximum test cases, but also which were readable and modularized.
Tips: Solve questions on online judge platforms like Codechef or HackerRank.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 1

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The above questions were asked. I answered. The interviewer was helpful, and was discussing with me as well.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Questions were asked, I answered. The interviewer was a bit more strict here, and caught minor errors in terminology, but it was comfortable overall.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The interviewer asked a series of logic puzzles. Some were open ended, and prompted a lot of discussion with the interviewer.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Very standard HR questions were asked

Skills: Coding Skills And Knowledge On Data Structures, Solving Logic Puzzles
College Name: Visvesvaraya National Institute Of Technology

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview questions from similar companies

Interview Questionnaire 

11 Questions

  • Q1. Put in +,-,*,/ between the digits 3,3,8,8 (in any order ) such that the result was 24
  • Q2. If an ant had to travel along the walls, what is the minimum distance between the opposite ends of a cuboid?
  • Ans. 

    The minimum distance between opposite ends of a cuboid is the length of the diagonal of the cuboid.

    • To find the diagonal, use the Pythagorean theorem: diagonal = sqrt(length^2 + width^2 + height^2)

    • The length, width, and height of the cuboid must be known to calculate the diagonal

    • The ant can travel along any of the three pairs of opposite walls, so the minimum distance is the shortest diagonal

    • Example: A cuboid with lengt...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. Why do you wish to work in the finance sector?
  • Ans. 

    I wish to work in the finance sector because of my interest in financial markets and my desire to help individuals and businesses make informed financial decisions.

    • I have a strong passion for finance and economics

    • I enjoy analyzing financial data and making informed decisions

    • I want to help individuals and businesses make informed financial decisions

    • I am interested in the constantly evolving financial markets

    • I believe th...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. Why Deutsche Bank?
  • Ans. 

    Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong reputation and diverse range of services.

    • Deutsche Bank has a strong reputation in the industry

    • It offers a diverse range of services including investment banking, wealth management, and retail banking

    • The bank has a global presence with operations in over 70 countries

    • Deutsche Bank has a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility

    • It has a strong fo

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. Why should we hire you?
  • Ans. 

    I have the skills, experience, and passion to excel in this role.

    • I have a proven track record of success in similar roles.

    • I possess the necessary technical skills and knowledge.

    • I am a quick learner and adaptable to new situations.

    • I am a team player and can work collaboratively with others.

    • I am passionate about this industry and eager to contribute to its growth.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q6. What is your biggest repent and failure in IIT Kanpur?
  • Ans. 

    My biggest regret in IIT Kanpur was not taking advantage of all the opportunities available.

    • I wish I had participated in more extracurricular activities.

    • I regret not networking with more professors and alumni.

    • I failed to prioritize my time effectively and missed out on valuable experiences.

    • I wish I had taken more challenging courses and pushed myself academically.

    • I failed to seek help when I struggled with certain subj...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q7. What has been the best moment of yours in IITK?
  • Ans. 

    Winning the inter-hostel sports championship in my final year.

    • Being a part of the hostel sports team for four years.

    • Training hard and strategizing with the team to improve our performance.

    • Winning the championship after a tough competition with other hostels.

    • Celebrating with my teammates and hostel mates after the victory.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q8. Explain about your intern paper?
  • Ans. 

    My intern paper was about the impact of social media on mental health.

    • Researched the effects of social media on mental health

    • Analyzed data from surveys and studies

    • Discussed potential solutions to mitigate negative effects

    • Presented findings to team and received positive feedback

  • Answered by AI
  • Q9. Rank the Bonds, CDS and Loans in order of the interest rates they offered?
  • Ans. 

    Ranking of interest rates offered by Bonds, CDS and Loans.

    • CDS usually offer the highest interest rates due to their higher risk

    • Bonds offer lower interest rates than CDS but are less risky

    • Loans typically offer the lowest interest rates as they are secured by collateral

    • Interest rates can vary depending on the issuer's creditworthiness and market conditions

  • Answered by AI
  • Q10. Tell about three important things that were currently happening in the world of Business
  • Ans. 

    1. Digital transformation 2. E-commerce boom 3. Sustainability and social responsibility

    • Companies are investing heavily in digital transformation to stay competitive

    • E-commerce sales have skyrocketed due to the pandemic and changing consumer behavior

    • Businesses are increasingly focusing on sustainability and social responsibility to meet consumer demands and reduce their environmental impact

  • Answered by AI
  • Q11. Explain Fiscal Cliff, Euro-Debt Crisis and the Palestine war
  • Ans. 

    Fiscal Cliff is a term used to describe a combination of tax increases and spending cuts. Euro-Debt Crisis refers to the financial crisis faced by some European countries. Palestine war is a conflict between Israel and Palestine.

    • Fiscal Cliff: Combination of tax increases and spending cuts in the US

    • Euro-Debt Crisis: Financial crisis faced by some European countries like Greece, Spain, and Portugal

    • Palestine war: Conflict...

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: This year we had a resume based shortlisting across all IITs. There were around 35 students who were shortlisted form IITK. But, most probably DB would be continuing with its aptitude test based shortlisting, like the previous years (they ask around 25 aptitude questions, and 1 essay on some current topic).
Tips: DB resorts to resume based shortlisting again, they give a tremendous weight age to your CPI , any background in finance (intern in financial firms or on some related topic, so you see a lot of ECO and Maths Students being shortlisted.) Also, they look at the overall profile as well, but the above 2 factors were the most important this year. A comprehensive study of any of the CAT Maths material of CL or Time will suffice your preparations : focus more on how fast you can solve a problem.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: 1.This was a mixed interview of both HR and Technical.
2. It lasted for 30 minutes. I entered the room and was greeted by 3 people, shook my hands with all of them.
3. They asked me if I was hungry or not, I told them that I was thirsty rather and they offered me a Tropicana. (The reason I am citing this is, after my selection, in the night Mr. Nishant told me that this had set up the tone in the room, because the earlier 4 candidates whom they interviewed were too shy and refused to have anything, they judged it as my confidence rather, though it was never an intended one).
4. I was asked about how many companies I was interviewing in slot 1, and they seemed to be impressed on hearing the number 7.
5. They asked me what my preference order was, and I told them the truth that I would definitely interview with DB, Credit Suisse and Worldquant, and if time permits maybe with BCG or Opera.
6. Then they asked me to give a brief introduction, and asked me to stop when I was talking about my intern at Morgan Stanley and the paper I published over there. Mr. Nishant asked me if I was offered a PPO by them, and I told them the truth about my mentor not finding any position for me. He gave a sarcastic remark at MS, that going by the markets, its evident that they are not in a good shape now, and all I did was smile.
7. I was asked that if I got an offer from Morgan in my 8th sem, would I go. I told them, that if I got into DB/WQ/Credit Suisse/BCG , then definitely no, o/w yes. The reason I cited was that, inspite of all the money, I had to go through the entire placement procedure which in itself was a big pain, then an offer after that doesn’t help, they could have given it earlier. All three of them laughed and I seemed to have convinced them. I was asked to explain my work there, which I did pretty well.
8. I was also asked if I sat for DB during the intern procedure and I again told them the truth, as I have written earlier.
Tips: They weren’t judging me on finance or quant, because of my CPI and previous background as an intern. A lot of people were grilled on these though, if they said they were interested in these and all. They were trying to have a conversation with me, and testing my confidence, and when I came out of the room, I knew I had done well.

Round: Other Interview
Experience: 1. It was the second technical interview and the panel was of Mr. Vikram Khanderia (Business Head) and a senior person from algo- trading. It lasted for 20 minutes.
2. I entered the room, greeted them and was asked to describe myself in one minute.
3. I did that pretty well as I thought. Mr. Vikram asked me to explain my paper in Morgan Stanley to the two of them, I took a pen and paper and tried explaining them the whole of it. I actually did pretty bad (I had explained this to others quite well earlier, maybe I became a bit nervous.) They didn’t get the full essence of the work, though understood that it was very valuable to the firm.
4. Then I was asked a very trivial question as to rank the Bonds, CDS and Loans in order of the interest rates they offered, and give an explanation on the same. (I had worked on these instruments during my intern, so was asked this). I knew the order and told them that, but struggled for around 5 minutes with the answer. Then they told me the reason for it, and I was just repenting the way my interview was proceeding.
5. Then Mr. Vikram asked me to tell three important things that were currently happening in the world of Business. (I never used to read ET, but read it the previous day). Told them, that Cinemax had just acquired PVR , and as soon as I told it, he just stood up and lashed at me that how could a small Indian company acquisition affect Wall Street. I then understand what a mockery I had made (and was mentally prepared for the Credit Suisse interview after this, because I was sure to be kicked out from here.)
6. Continuing, he wrote three things on paper : Fiscal Cliff, Euro-Debt Crisis and the Palestine war and asked to me explain all of them. I knew the 1st two very well, and started. Though I wasn’t very convincing because I had become a bit tensed, but still I told all that I knew about them in any order though not very confidently. I was asked some counter questions, which I answered and a small discussion followed as to how could the war affect the oil prices in India and gave some logical explanation.
7. Then, the other person took a piece of paper and told that If he folded it 100 times , what would be its total width, if the width of one side is 1 unit.
8. I found it out and told the answer was 2100 . He asked me to calculate it, and I still can’t believe I told them it was 1024 (210 ) * 1024, and then he asked me re calculate it. I immediately realized what a fool I was making of myself, and told it was 1024* multiplied 10 times ~ 1030. (which was right :P). I was asked to leave.
9. I came out and told the volunteers that I had messed it up and there was no chance I would get selected. So I was going for the CS interview. I was asked to wait for a minute and then the volunteers entered the room and after a minute asked me to go and meet Mr. Vikram.
10. He asked me what my concern was, I told him that I was sorry to have messed his round after such an awesome round 1 and that I won’t get selected. He gave me a smile and said that they had really liked me. I asked them if I would get an offer, because it would be my dream come true so early in the morning, He told me that there were SPO clauses that he couldn’t tell me, but ‘You are intelligent enough to understand. If I were you, I would put my suit off and go out for a drink :P’ ). I was overwhelmed, had a firm handshake with the both of them , and there it was at 9.50 AM. in the morning.

General Tips: I have watched this year’s placement process very closely and would like to point out a few things to the readers, which are very important.
1. Be Realistic : This is perhaps one of the most important factors in the placements. I have seen so many people expect so much from them and when they don’t get shortlisted somewhere, it’s the end of the world for them. You must understand that there are certain limitations on you because of your CV till date (however intellectual or Bakait you might me). The key to this is be realistic, like Being a person from MME or BSBE, its actually difficult for you to crack a quant firm like Goldman/Morgan because of your curriculum here (however good you might be at Algos or Maths), the good thing is to accept it. Not having tremendous peaks in your resume will in not place you among the 20 shortlisted in BCG for instance. So, on a very serious note, everyone knows inside out what he/she is capable of, so please be realistic in your ambitions and try to excel in the options you have. Believe me, the goals may not be sky-high, but definitely are achievable.
2. Resume : Over the years, all the firms tell us that IITB/D resumes are well made than IITK ones. Get some of the resumes from your friends over there, ask some of your IITK seniors for their resume, SPO is always there to help you out. But Please denote at least 2 weeks in preparing your master resume and sub-resumes for every company.
3. PPTs : Try and attend the PPTs of the companies. You can actually get to know a lot about the work culture there and what is expected of you in your initial years. It will help you decide if this is actually the thing for you or not.
4. Don’t Speculate : During October-Nov. , most of the students actually waste a lot of efforts in just speculating ‘Yaar yeh company toh ise le hi legi’. Believe me , it happens a lot, confuses you and wastes a lot of your time (especially if you are a 4 Year student.)
5. DPC : Please form a good DPC at least for your own sake. Yes maybe the post might not be of value, but a hard working student can make a lot of difference to his department placements. You cannot expect the OPCs to call in every company of your department.
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Interview Questionnaire 

4 Questions

  • Q1. One coding question.
  • Q2. Questions on Data Structures
  • Q3. Logical Question: You are a captive. If you say the right answer, the assasin will hang you, if you say the wrong answer, he will shoot you. How do you escape?
  • Q4. Other aptitude questions

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Other Interview
Experience: One year since I took the interview, so no idea exactly what questions they asked. But I was asked to write the code on paper in front of him and was asked to debug it. Some puzzles and aptitude questions along with other basic coding questions. It was great that the guy was interactive and started asking about my projects and college life.
Btw the answer to the logical question is: I should say " you will shoot me". Paradoxical.
Tips: Feel free to ask anything that you would like to know from them. Also frankly say that you don't know a certain topic if you have no clue what it is about. They don't like people wasting their time.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: This was not exactly a technical interview. He asked me to write a code to find the day of week when a certain date in any year of the calendar is given. I answered it and then he starting asking general questions as to why do u want to join the company, etc.
I gave answers to most of them convincingly. But I kept him engaged by explaining my life at college, the extra curriculars I did at college. Also I asked him about his experience as a software engineer. I asked him to reflect upon his career and how I should approach about my career.
Tips: The best part about HR interviews is they expect you to ask them lots and lots of questions. The more they are engaged, the more are your chances of impressing and getting selected. And more importantly, ask the interviewer about his experience with the present firm. This also works with my manager when ever he has a one on one with me :P
Cheers and all the best.

Skills: Soft Skills, General Aptitude, LOGICAL THINKING ABILITIES, Coding Skills And Knowledge On Data Structures
College Name: IIT Hyderabad

I was interviewed before Jun 2016.

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: Since it is a Finance profile, it would help if you have any finance /economics/ MBA projects to write about. DB looks for a good CPI and decent projects or extra curriculars and interest in the finance sector. It also wouldn?t hurt to mention your technical skills here.


Round: Test
Experience: And since most of the finance work in India is back office (with all due respect to all those who have been placed in this sector) you have to be comfortable with numbers and calculations. The test is a typical CAT type paper mostly concentrating on quantitative analysis and data interpretation. There is also a bonus finance section for those who have knowledge on the subject. Again practice cat type papers well and sit with a knowledgeable friend of yours to discuss topics in finance.

Tips: Realize when you are in a recession period. No job comes easy. Most of us who are not insanely intelligent like that one dude in your wing need to practice hard for the test to get through. In a recession/slack scenario core companies save the day. Don?t neglect your core courses.
Duration: 45 minutes

I was interviewed before Jun 2016.

Interview Questionnaire 

4 Questions

  • Q1. You have a decent CPI and are from Maths background so why not go for a
  • Ans. 

    I am passionate about applying my mathematical skills to solve complex problems in the field of analysis.

    • I believe that my strong mathematical background provides me with a solid foundation for analytical work.

    • Mathematics has taught me critical thinking, problem-solving, and data analysis skills that are essential for an analyst role.

    • I enjoy working with numbers and using mathematical models to gain insights and make i...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. -What did they tell you about GMC (Global Markets Center) ?
  • Q3. What is inflation?
  • Ans. 

    Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is increasing.

    • Inflation reduces the purchasing power of money

    • It is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

    • Causes of inflation include increase in money supply, demand-pull, cost-push, etc.

    • Hyperinflation is a severe form of inflation where prices rise rapidly

    • Inflation can have both positive and negative effects on the economy

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. Why is inflation being talked about these days?
  • Ans. 

    Inflation is being talked about these days due to its impact on the economy and people's lives.

    • Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time.

    • It reduces the purchasing power of money, making goods and services more expensive.

    • Inflation can be caused by factors such as increased demand, supply shortages, or changes in government policies.

    • High inflation can erode savings, de...

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Started with an informal chit chat. I grabbed my opportunity. In my first line I told them that
I had done my internship with Lehman Brothers. (Remember I wanted to drive my
interview). No wonder the next 5-6 questions were on my internship. There were followed
by a couple of questions on swaps, spreads etc which I had mentioned in my resume (Note
questions were not out of the blue

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: DB directly shortlisted from resume. There was no test. After the initial shortlisting procedure, I had a months time to prepare.
Tips: I had started preparing for my resume from August when SPO had asked to send in master resume. After making a rough draft I had sent it to a lot of seniors from my department who were placed in different companies and edited it accordingly.

Round: Test
Tips: I had used the material from T.I.M.E and also from CL to prepare for it. Also,there were some classes arranged by SPO and CL which I had joined.

Round: Group Discussion
Tips: I did not prepare much for the GDs. I just participated in 3-4 mock GDs organized by the placement preparation cell.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: I had prepared all my interns and projects along with the courses written in the resume. I had prepared my answers from all the basic questions which are generally asked in an interview and was very thorough with them. I had also gained sufficient knowledge about the work profile of DB along with all major deals in the past year. Specially, for DB's interview I had also prepared for the current affairs by reading newspapers daily for about 3 months and also kept up to date about some major happenings in and around the world such as Syria happening, US shutdown, crisis and bubbles, etc.


I had my interview scheduled at 6:30 in the morning with DB. My first interview went really well and the person told me that I should definitely see the next panel.
Tips: Please do not write those courses in your resume which you found tough as it will create problem at the end moment when you have to prepare so much.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: My second interview was fine and most of the questions were from current affairs and my resume. They also asked me to guesstimate in this interview.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: In my third interview  I messed up some economics related concepts.I thought they wouldn't like me but I was called again

Round: HR Interview
Experience: My fourth interview also did not go well but then somebody from the HR hinted that they liked me for a certain profile and would want to know my take on that.

General Tips: Be yourself and give your best shot. Have faith in yourself. Do not panic.
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: First, I had a look at loads and loads of ‘good’ people’s resumes, which left me feeling very inferior. Then I looked some ‘not-so-great’ people’s resumes who landed up with good jobs nevertheless, which gave me hope. I prepared a rough draft (which eventually had no relation/similarity to the final resume) which was sent to infinite people for an honest critique, and an honest appraisal I received which shook me to the core. Tips from order (chronologically or in order of importance?) to which stuff to include and NOT include were garnered. I never found the need to look at resume-writing material, with one workshop organized by McKinsey and other people’s resumes being enough
Tips: Pre-placement talks are greatly under appreciated by students, with the focus being the pizzas most of the times. Yes, the pizza is important, but it helps if you pay attention first to what the company people say (and not just the compensation package). I had an ambitious resolution to note down all the biggie companies’ good points with things said and qualities expected and such stuff- needless to say, this resolution fell flat on it’s face midway through PPT season. However, if not anything else, the PPTs were a great source for picking up the jargon for preparing in the final days. And asking questions after the PPT is over by sacrificing a pizza can be beneficial too, especially if you are targeting a particular company/type of company. (Note- As luck would have it, the company i got recruited by was the single company who's PPT i DID NOT attend, with me having to rely on second-hand information. So you decide). As for actually choosing the job, I had full (maybe a bit too much?) faith in the placement body’s infinite wisdom for deciding the order of companies invited for placements. I had consultancy and finance as my two preferred options, for which I talked to loads of seniors, relatives and family friends. It is important to know what you want to do, or at least what you don’t want to do (in my case, a coding/tech job was out of the question), because this is often asked during your interview. And the long discussions I had, although sometimes leaving me in a more confused state than before, helped me eventually.

Round: Test
Experience: Deutsche Bank took a written test as Round 1 for elimination. This was followed by a shortlist of 92 people, who had to sit for a Tech interview. ~80% of these people went ahead to give an HR interview, with 22 people being offered jobs eventually. The written test had 3 parts- The 1st part was a proper CAT-style test which focused on quantitative abilities. Most of the questions were those we already encounter, and almost everyone who got through scored really well in this section. The 2nd part had a few questions on general market awareness, like 'Who has the highest market cap' or 'what's the current oil price per barrel'. The 3rd part was finance-based, with questions on inflation, coupon rates, options, futures, currency conversions etc.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The first 'Tech' interview started off with a fairly non-tech question- 'Give us 3 reasons why we should hire you.' Then, they went on to questions on quick arithmetic (what's 58 x 62?), probability (how do i divide 50R and 50W balls into two identical containers so that if i pick a ball from a random container, the probability of picking a W ball is maximum?) and finance (what are options? what is strike price? what is a premium?). They asked me whether I had any other nonacademic courses I had done in my stay in IIT which I liked, which was where the Literature and Economic Reforms courses from past semesters came in handy. The interviews for different people were very different, with some people getting deep into finance or economics, some concentrating more on things like market awareness, stocks, shares etc and some having to survive stress interviews.
Tips: First, there's a test to crack, which requires a good quantitative base. This is where CAT preparation helps a lot. There are general awareness questions which depend more on, well, the student's general awareness. The finance section is typically unworkable- it helps if you can write down out there whatever you know however wrong it might be, because those guys simply want to know how much you know, even if it might be slightly irrelevant to the question asked :P Then, there is the tech interview. Now many people (including the company people during the PPT) will tell you 'It's ok if you don't have finance fundaes', but they sing a totally different tune during the actual interview. And honestly this makes sense- if you want to get hired by a finance company, the least you can do is read up some basic finance stuff, instead of sitting there and saying 'I have zot finance knowledge, hire me.' There was a Derivatives workshop organized by Lehman Brothers which, although not being too helpful, at least introduced me to the jargon. Then some quickie wiki sufficed to increase my fin-gyaan. And it always helps if you start off with a 'I know very little of finance, but what i know i know it well' kind of a statement :)

Round: HR Interview
Experience: The second HR interview was a pretty cool one, starting off with the standard question 'Tell me something about yourself' to things like hobbies and non-academic stuff done in IIT life and elsewhere. Questions like these present a nice opportunity to the interviewee to lead the interview as and how he/she likes. I mentioned my passion for international football, from where we embarked on a long discussion on which club i like, which are my favorite players, why, etc. I was asked what are the parameters i give importance to in selecting a job. I was asked whether have prepared for CAT, what scores am I expecting, what do I wish to do in the next 2/3/5/10 years, what do I expect from this job, etc. There were two people conducting the interview, with one fellow asking most of the questions. I addressed the second person with a 'don't you have anything to ask?' to which she asked me 'tell me five people you would love to invite for a DB sponsored dinner'. A creative, tongue-in-cheek, honest and somewhat humorous answer got me through it. They then asked me - 'Do you have any questions for us?' where i got cleared a few doubts about the quality of work, the training and future growth opportunities as an employee of Deutsch Bank. The tests took ~45 minutes to finish, and each interview was for around 20 minutes or so.
Tips: The most important thing I did was sit down with 2 other friends and conduct mock-stress-HR interviews of each other. This thing helped me greatly, primarily because I treated it with proper seriousness. Many things come to light if your friend’s are forthright and frank, because this is the place where you can go wrong as much as you want without severe repercussions (This mock interview especially helped a friend of mine when we asked him questions which seemed off-tangent but ended up being asked in his actual interview!). Also what proved to be extremely helpful was a long and intensive Wikipedia session, where I sat down with a friend and wiki-ed for each and every word mentioned in the job description document supplied by the company along with the JAF.

General Tips: For most companies, your resume is all they will know about you, so make sure you know properly what you have written in the resume, where it is and how many points. This prevents you from being surprised when the interviewer refers to stuff which, let's just say, has been made to look bigger and better than it actually is. Bluffing in resumes or during the interview is of no use, people can catch these things very easily. Instead, it helps if you can make things appear a wee bit fancier than they are, as long as you can pull them off. The interviewer is god. Treat him/her with respect and argue decently without getting dirty, however irrational things might sometime seem. An honest 'I don't know' is better than some contrived bluff, as long as the 'I-don't-knows' are rare. Impromptu interviews seldom go well. Some preparation is always essential. Prepare for HR questions, and don't be surprised if you are asked a lot of Department-specific questions. A knowledge of what the company does is important, as also is knowing what the job profile being offered does and doesn't include :) Vis., dressing, étiquettes, coffee etc Dress well, first impressions are important. Don't wear a suit if you aren't sure you'll be comfortable (i wasn't), a tie
works just fine. But informal clothing is a no-no. Have a bath and a shave (for boys mainly). Have a folder containing some spare sheets and copies of your resume. Have a decent, working pen. Avoid plastic bags or similar things which make irritating noises. And don't get too frazzled by questions asked to other candidates. Make eye-contact (but don't try to play mindgames) with the interviewer while talking. And smile, enjoy the interview, or at least give the impression that you are having a good time :)
College Name: IIT BOMBAY

I was interviewed in Dec 2016.

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: Programming section had basic questions on C++ & data structures.
Tips: Try to score maximum in aptitude test, they consider your score while placement.
Duration: 2 hours
Total Questions: 35

Round: Technical Interview 1
Experience: Questions asked during this round:
Introduce yourself.
Questions on projects & internships.
Questions on Final year project in detail (max part of interview was on final year project).
Basic concepts of C++.
Few programs on C++.
Puzzles.


Round: Technical Interview 2
Experience: ? 2 interviewers were there.
? Stressed interview.
? They grilled me a lot on C++ & data structures.
One interviewer started asking questions, and before I could complete my answer, another used to cut me in
middle & start asking another question. I realized it

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: It was an easy test overall, basic programming things were asked in technical part of test whereas aptitude questions were also relatively easy.
Tips: You just need to know things which were there in CS101 for technical part of test .Nothing else is required.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 1

Skills: Problem
College Name: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: Firstly, studied the resumes of seniors who had a similar profile like me and had secured good jobs. Then, attended the Mckinsey resume writing workshop which also helped a lot. I had also looked up the Mckinsey website for tips on resume writing. After doing all the homework, drafted a resume on my own and passed it on to a trusted senior who suggested changes. After making changes, passed it on to at least 4-5 seniors who also suggested changes. So, finally, after getting it reviewed by several experienced persons, drafted the final version.Frankly, I attended very few (only 3) PPTs. Only those which I was serious about. I do admit that going to a PPT does give you a good idea of what the job is going to be like and will help you choose between two jobs. However, I also believe that missing a PPT does not actually blind you and you can easily ask people around you about the details of the PPT which actually gives you enough information for the time being.Resume shortlisting close to 80 people were shortlisted.First interview (25 minutes) close to 40 were shortlisted. Second interview (10-15 mins) 20 were recruited.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: This was always going to be easy for me I presumed, and it actually was. Frankly, since I have good communication skills and PR skills, I only had to look up certain standard questions which my seniors sent me by email. However, eventually, the HR part I handled on the spot.
Tips: First prepare your answers to certain questions which you think you will be asked. Then get your friend/senior to ask you those plus any other questions he thinks are relevant and take feedback from him after the session.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: I looked up a lot of PDFs (available on institution servers), of which I would say the most useful was Kellogg_casepack2001_CASES. The others were also pretty good, like the Harvard one, but the best thing about the Kellogg casepack was the way they presented the solutions.
Tips: The best way to do case studies is in pairs. Pick you partner, pick some case studies which each will ask the other on that day (say 3-4 per day or more). The person who is going to play the interviewer should read the case well and come prepared before presenting it to the interviewee.

Round: Puzzle Interview
Experience: I only looked up puzzles at the end of the first day, after losing out on Mckinsey. Googled for a lot of puzzlesall night and prepared as much as I could.

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: I was pretty good at that already. So, left it to myself.
Tips: Obviously should be done in groups of 5-8.

Skill Tips: Dress well. It matters a lot. Especially for these big Ibanks and consults. Of course, what you do in the interview matters, but looking good will always add to the overall effect. Do not overlook this. It is better to wear a suit for the ibanks and consultancies. For the rest, formal shirt, tie would do.
College Name: IIT BOMBAY
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