HSBC Group Investigator Interview Questions and Answers

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