30+ PwC Associate Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

Answering SQL related questions on table creation, alteration, and querying with group by and having clauses.

• To create a table with specified columns, use the CREATE TABLE statement with column names and data types.

• To alter a table and add new columns, use the ALTER TABLE statement with ADD COLUMN keyword.

• To create another table with help of existing tables, use the CREATE TABLE statement with SELECT statement.

• To write a query which uses group by clause, use the GROUP BY keyw...read more

Code to check if two strings are anagram or not.

• Convert both strings to lowercase to avoid case sensitivity

• Sort both strings and compare them

• Use a hash table to count the frequency of each character in both strings and compare the hash tables

Fundamental Accounting Assumptions are basic principles that guide the preparation of financial statements.

• The assumptions include: Going Concern, Consistency, Accrual, and Materiality

• Going Concern assumes that the company will continue to operate in the foreseeable future

• Consistency assumes that the company will use the same accounting methods and principles from period to period

• Accrual assumes that revenues and expenses are recognized when earned or incurred, regardless of ...read more

STLC stands for Software Testing Life Cycle. It is a process followed to ensure quality in software development.

• STLC involves planning, designing, executing and reporting of tests.

• It includes various stages like requirement analysis, test planning, test design, test execution, and test closure.

• Each stage has its own set of deliverables and objectives.

• STLC helps in identifying defects early in the development cycle, reducing the cost of fixing them later.

• Examples of STLC model...read more

Normalization is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and dependency.

• First Normal Form (1NF) - Eliminate duplicate columns from the same table.

• Second Normal Form (2NF) - Create separate tables for sets of values that apply to multiple records.

• Third Normal Form (3NF) - Eliminate fields that do not depend on the primary key.

• Fourth Normal Form (4NF) - Eliminate multi-valued dependencies.

• Fifth Normal Form (5NF) - Eliminate redundant data using a join ...read more

Java collections are a group of classes and interfaces used to store and manipulate groups of objects.

• To print elements in reverse order, use the Collections.reverse() method.

• This method takes a List as an argument and reverses the order of its elements.

• Example: List names = new ArrayList<>(); Collections.reverse(names);

• Other commonly used collections in Java include Set, Map, Queue, and Stack.

Explaining the difference between WHERE and HAVING clause and types of joins with examples.

• WHERE clause is used to filter rows based on a condition while HAVING clause is used to filter groups based on a condition

• INNER JOIN returns only the matching rows from both tables while LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the right table

• Combining two tables can be done using JOIN clause with a common column between them

• Example: SELECT * FROM table1 INN...read more

My preferred programming language is Python.

• Python is easy to learn and has a simple syntax.

• It has a vast library of modules and frameworks for various purposes.

• Python is widely used in data science and machine learning.

• It is also great for web development and automation tasks.

• Examples: Flask, Django, NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow.

I would like to work on Artificial Intelligence.

• Developing machine learning algorithms for predictive analysis

• Creating chatbots for customer service

• Implementing computer vision for object recognition

• Exploring natural language processing for sentiment analysis

Code to print the second largest element in array

• Sort the array in descending order and return the second element

• Iterate through the array and keep track of the largest and second largest elements

• Use a priority queue to find the second largest element

Ind AS 115 and Ind AS 116 are accounting standards used for revenue recognition and lease accounting respectively.

• Ind AS 115: It provides guidance on how to recognize revenue from contracts with customers.

• Ind AS 116: It outlines the principles for recognizing, measuring, presenting, and disclosing leases.

• Both standards are part of the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) framework.

• Ind AS 115 replaces the previous revenue recognition standard (Ind AS 18) and provides a compreh...read more

Query to fetch second highest salary in SQL

• Use ORDER BY and LIMIT to select the second highest salary

• Assuming the table name is 'employees' and salary column name is 'salary':

• SELECT salary FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC LIMIT 1,1

STLC is a process of testing software from planning to deployment. It includes planning, designing, executing, and reporting.

• Planning phase involves defining scope, objectives, and test strategy.

• Design phase includes creating test cases, test scenarios, and test data.

• Execution phase involves running test cases, reporting defects, and retesting.

• Reporting phase includes preparing test summary reports and defect reports.

• STLC ensures that software meets quality standards and cust...read more

Answering questions about capital gains, income tax heads, and financial statements.

• Capital gains can be short-term or long-term, with different tax rates applied to each.

• Income tax heads include salary, business/profession, capital gains, house property, and other sources.

• An example of long-term capital gain is selling a property after holding it for more than 2 years.

• An example of short-term capital gain is selling stocks after holding them for less than 1 year.

• Issue of sha...read more

A singleton class is a class that can only have one instance at a time.

• To achieve a singleton class, we need to make the constructor private so that it cannot be instantiated from outside the class.

• We then create a static method that returns the instance of the class, and if the instance does not exist, it creates one.

• Singleton classes are often used for managing resources that should only have one instance, such as database connections or configuration settings.

Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software problems in Java.

• Design patterns provide a standard way to solve common problems in software development.

• They help in making code more maintainable, flexible and reusable.

• Examples of design patterns include Singleton, Factory, Observer, and Decorator.

• Design patterns can be categorized into three types: creational, structural, and behavioral.

Normalization is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.

• Normalization involves breaking down a database into smaller, more manageable tables.

• Each table should have a primary key and only contain data that is related to that key.

• Normalization helps to prevent data inconsistencies and anomalies.

• There are different levels of normalization, with each level building on the previous one.

• For example, first normal form (1NF) requi...read more

Catch block is used to handle exceptions that occur during program execution.

• Catch block is used in conjunction with try block.

• It catches and handles exceptions that occur in the try block.

• Multiple catch blocks can be used to handle different types of exceptions.

• Finally block can be used to execute code regardless of whether an exception was thrown or not.

• Example: try { //code that may throw exception } catch (Exception e) { //handle the exception } finally { //code that will...read more

PWC is a multinational professional services network.

• PWC stands for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

• It provides services in audit, tax, and advisory.

• It operates in over 150 countries.

• Some of its clients include Coca-Cola, Google, and Microsoft.

• It is one of the Big Four accounting firms.

Earthquakes occur due to the movement of tectonic plates. Metamorphosis is the process of transformation in living organisms.

• Earthquakes occur when two tectonic plates move against each other, causing a release of energy in the form of seismic waves.

• Metamorphosis is a process of transformation in living organisms, where an organism undergoes a physical change in form and structure.

• Examples of metamorphosis include the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly and the t...read more

Error is a mistake in code syntax or logic, while exception is an unexpected event during program execution.

• Errors are caused by mistakes in code, such as syntax errors or logical errors.

• Exceptions are unexpected events that occur during program execution, such as a division by zero or a file not found error.

• Errors can be caught and fixed during development, while exceptions are handled during runtime.

• Errors can cause the program to crash, while exceptions can be handled and ...read more

Materiality, audit risk, and assertions are important concepts in auditing.

• Materiality refers to the significance of an item or transaction in the financial statements.

• Audit risk is the risk that the auditor may issue an incorrect opinion on the financial statements.

• Assertions are the representations made by management in the financial statements.

• There are five types of assertions: existence, completeness, accuracy, valuation, and presentation and disclosure.

• Auditors use mate...read more

I would use the quicksort algorithm to efficiently sort the given series of unsorted numbers.

• Implement the quicksort algorithm by selecting a pivot element and partitioning the array into two sub-arrays based on the pivot.

• Recursively apply the quicksort algorithm to the sub-arrays until the entire array is sorted.

• Time complexity of quicksort is O(n log n) on average, making it a good choice for sorting large datasets.

SDLC process involves planning, designing, developing, testing, and deploying software.

• 1. Planning phase involves defining project scope, requirements, and creating a project plan.

• 2. Design phase includes creating system architecture, database design, and user interface design.

• 3. Development phase involves coding, unit testing, and integration testing.

• 4. Testing phase includes system testing, user acceptance testing, and fixing bugs.

• 5. Deployment phase involves releasing the ...read more

My comfortable coding language is Python.

• Python is versatile and easy to read

• I have experience with libraries like Pandas and NumPy

• I have used Python for web development projects

Reverse a string using any programming language

• Use a loop to iterate through the string and append each character to a new string in reverse order

• Alternatively, use built-in string reversal functions or methods depending on the programming language

• Some languages, like Python, allow for string slicing to reverse a string

Business process refers to a series of steps or activities that are undertaken to achieve a specific goal or outcome within an organization.

• Business processes can involve multiple departments or functions working together towards a common objective.

• They often include tasks such as planning, execution, monitoring, and optimization.

• Examples of business processes include procurement, sales, customer service, and product development.

The 5 major gaps found during IA were lack of documentation, inadequate risk assessment, insufficient testing, ineffective communication, and inadequate follow-up.

• Lack of documentation: Missing or incomplete records of audit findings and recommendations.

• Inadequate risk assessment: Failure to properly identify and assess potential risks to the organization.

• Insufficient testing: Limited scope or depth of testing procedures during the internal audit process.

• Ineffective communica...read more

Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion and is often used as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete.

• Fly ash is a fine powder that is produced when coal is burned in power plants.

• It can be used as a partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete to improve workability, durability, and strength.

• The amount of fly ash in cement is typically limited to around 15-35% by weight of the total cementitious materials.

• Fly ash can also reduce the carbon footprint of conc...read more

Multithreading is the ability of a CPU to execute multiple threads concurrently, allowing for improved performance and responsiveness.

• Multithreading allows for parallel execution of multiple tasks within a single process.

• Each thread has its own stack and program counter, but shares the same memory space.

• Examples of multithreading include web servers handling multiple requests simultaneously and video games rendering graphics while processing user input.

Oops concepts refer to Object-Oriented Programming concepts which include inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism, and abstraction.

• Inheritance: Allows a class to inherit properties and behavior from another class.

• Encapsulation: Bundling data and methods that operate on the data into a single unit.

• Polymorphism: Ability to present the same interface for different data types.

• Abstraction: Hiding the complex implementation details and showing only the necessary features.

Queue is a data structure that follows First In First Out (FIFO) principle, while stack follows Last In First Out (LIFO) principle.

• Queue: elements are added at the rear and removed from the front.

• Stack: elements are added and removed from the top.

• Example: In a queue, people waiting in line at a ticket counter are served in the order they arrived. In a stack, plates in a stack are removed from the top.

Oops concept stands for Object-Oriented Programming concepts which include principles like inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism, and abstraction.

• Oops concept is a programming paradigm that focuses on objects and classes.

• It includes principles like inheritance, where a class can inherit properties and methods from another class.

• Encapsulation is another principle where data is kept private within a class and can only be accessed through methods.

• Polymorphism allows objects t...read more