Quantizer Research Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - 1. Research the company
2. Practice your responce

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: First step involved writing down everything that I had accomplished in my tenure at IITB. Then, grading each point on the basis of accomplishment and innovation involved along with details in about 4-5 lines. Carefully went through 10 resumes from the previous year to get an idea of the prevailing format. Prepared a resume and got the feedback from 4- 5 people and then on the basis of the feedback finalized the resume. I attended the Pre-Placement talks of companies, I was interested in. It was a good exposure for understanding the skill sets and the values that companies were looking for in a candidate and the possible future paths in the organisation. The talks also helped in  increasing the overall awareness about the different companies  
.

Round: Test
Experience: a) Written DI based test with emphasis on interpreting graphs, calculating percentages etc. 100 people shortlisted. Candidates go through psychometric test
Tips: Interview preparation was best done in groups of 2-3 at a time: One interviewer, one interviewee and one observer. Tests were best prepared for by referring to the CAT study material

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: c) ~40 people selected after this stage d) 3-4 interviews –first case study , second HR , third and fourth case study. 3 people made final offers. a) First case study involved understanding the details of two marketing strategies. Then, comparing the effectiveness of the two in terms of revenue generated incase of limited budget and in case of specific no. of customers to be contacted. The final task involved calculating the point at which transition occurred in effectiveness for the two strategies for the two cases.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: b) Second interview consisted of HR questions like a. Why capital one? b. Why not research? c. An instance of working under time and resource constraints? d. An instance of leadership. e. An instance of innovation and thought leadership.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: c) Third interview was again a case study involving credit card strategies. The task involved calculating the effect of reduction in the credit limit or an increase in the rate of lending for high risk customers. In both the cases, it was required to calculate the % reduction in customers for the profit to remain same. Then a question was asked regarding which strategy I thought was better and how would I decide it? Note: Capital one case studies are simple mathematical case studies with a focus on understanding and calculations. These are different from the ones asked by consultancy companies like Mckinsey BCG etc. where the candidate is expected to ask the right questions before supplying any data. All the data for case studies in Capital one is provided at the start itself. If someone wants to appear for this company, what all should he/she ideally prepare? Someone preparing for Capital One should practice numerical case studies like the ones gives in Tucks Case study book 2002. They should also try the case studies available on the capital one website. Its important to prepare the HR based questions well because they might ultimately decide whether you are in or out. Another important advice is that you should think aloud while solving the case studies. It helps a lot in avoiding silly mistakes as well as in keeping the interviewer interested.

College Name: IIT BOMBAY

Round: Group Activity
Experience: There was initially an interview of about 5 mins in which they asked me to describe a situation where I worked in a team.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Then there was a case study round. It was a slightly involved case on the credit card industry and involved a lot of
calculations. There were 3 different credit card strategies with different rates of interest and credit limits and we had to choose the best strategy for the company. I came up with correct strategy and hence got through the first round. 

The 2nd case was that of Dominos evaluating a new scheme wherein they would offer a 30% discount instead of 100%, in cases where the pizzas could not be delivered within 30 minutes. Next the discount was changed to 70%. I was asked to evaluate the on-time delivery that they can risk not to have in order to make the same profit as they make when they give 100% discount and have 90% on-time delivery. Then I was asked to plot a graph between on-time delivery and the discount offered and interpret it. It was there that I lost track and couldn't come up with the right conclusion. Nevertheless I was selected for the next round.

Round: Behavioural Interview
Experience: It was a behavioral interview wherein I had to describe them 3 situations in detail. During the entire interview the interviewer kept writing something on the paper. The key to this round was choosing the right incidents and then describing each and every point in detail. It lasted for about 30 mins. Ideally there were to be only 2 rounds of case interview and one behavioral interview but I was again called for a 3rd case interview round. It was very similar to the 1st case except that the credit card company was replaced by a dish-tv one. This one didn't go very well as I was very much exhausted and hence faltered at several places.

College Name: IIT KANPUR

Round: Test
Experience: The process of selection included a written aptitude test (DI based), followed by an online psychometric test.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: There were 2 case interviews and a HR interview Interview 1: Case Study on home loans. I was asked to consider all the sources of revenue and expenses of a firm involved in home loans. The second part involved calculating the default rate the firm can afford. The interviewer was quite helpful and gave me hints by saying ‘are u sure?’, ‘u can look at the calculations again, the numbers seem too out of the way.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Interview 2: HR. The interviewer had a collection of the answers of the online psychometric test of every candidate. Situational cases based on the replies were constructed and grilled upon. A few general questions “Why CapOne?” etc were also asked

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Interview 3: Case Interview, The first 2 interviews were absolute crack so I was immediately called for the third and final interview. It was a case on Pizza (the second favorite topic of CapOne). I was asked to analyze a scheme in which Pizza Hut is considering the option of giving 30% discount to customers to which it is unable to deliver in time (30 minutes) instead of the free pizza (100% discount) option. The revenues and market size in both cases was calculated. The profits for both cases and break even point was calculated (on the basis of the no of customers that the firm can afford to lose to have the same overall profit in the second case.) The interviewer was looking for the term ‘profitability’ to explain the results obtained through calculations. That was a take away. After the interview, the interviewer (who was an IIMA alumni) discussed (for 15 mins) the scheduling process of the placement cell and suggested the dream job funda as is followed in IIMs.

General Tips: The first 2 interviews went amazing. The key idea being good practice and following case study tips (think
aloud, organize your thoughts properly etc.). I messed up the last part of the second case interview and that made the difference, I kept revolving round the point and confused the interviewer. Prepare well, don’t get over confident. The process of resume short listing might sound weird to a few, but one should never compare himself to others. Don’t stress yourself too hard, don’t get disheartened. Reach the venue at least 15-20 mins before the interview. Ensure that your formals, shoes, copies of CV etc. are in place a day before the interview. And most importantly stay cool headed!
College Name: IIT BOMBAY

Round: Test
Experience: CAT-type data interpretation test.30 questions in 35 minutes.Fast graph interpretation and quick calculations.
Tips: CAT preparation will help.
Duration: 35 minutes
Total Questions: 30

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: A simple case, based on the credit card industry or any other field, is given. Cases lay more focus on quantitative skills apart from the focus on asking the right questions.There is a shortlist made after each case round.
Tips:  Fast calculation and insight into what data may be required to solve the case are essential.Practice the cases given on their website and at www.beprepared.in.

Round: Behavorial Interview
Experience: Questions are asked based on incidents- give examples of instances when you led a team successfully or when you had to go against your team, etc.
Tips:  Practice HR questions from HLPQ.

General Tips: Positions Of Responsibility (PORs) are required but not mandatory. They are of secondary importance if one has scored well in the exam. A good CV with good internships/projects will help one to get shortlisted.
Skill Tips: "Student needs to be quick with simple percentage calculations."
Skills: Basic Quantitative skills
College Name: IIT Kharagpur

Round: Test
Experience: The test was purely based on Data Interpretation. Every page had 3 charts and 5 objective questions based on those charts. There was severe time constraint in the paper and my selectivity among the questions proved beneficial in clearing the cut-off.
Duration: 60 minutes
Total Questions: 30

Round: Interview
Experience: Preliminary Case Interview: Duration -10 minutes (Just after the Written Test) - One on One Case Interview.

"Tell me about yourself" was the first question asked to me. I just told him a few things about myself mainly focusing on the financial projects I did. Then he gave me a trivial case study as follows, "There are two economical classes, Prime and Sub-Prime, and I had to give a Motorcycle loan to one of them. Whom should I give?" I was supposed to ask him any information that I would require to solve this case study. Whenever I used to get stuck he gave me hints to work upon. And finally, based on the value he gave me I could compare the profit from both the classes. The main thing about the case study was the way of solving it and how interactive was I with the interviewer.
After this, the next round was held during the placement time. They had given us the link for few practice case-studies. The Case Study given at their website is the most important one. It helps you understand the standard approach they look for in a candidate.

Round: Interview
Experience: 1st Case Interview: Duration – 50 minutes

My interview was of the longest duration compared to others, so if your interview is a lengthy one then be happy :). The case was based on Credit insurance involving simple mathematics to reach a logical conclusion. 
The Case Study: - "Capital One reached its customers for new offers through postal mail. They had 2 kinds of postal services, A class and C class. In A Class, if the customer had changed his address then the postal service would update the address on the letter and it would reach the customer at the new address. In C Class, if the address is changed then the customer would not get the mail. I was supposed to tell which one of the postal service was better in two conditions, 1st when no. of mail to be made is fixed and 2nd when amount to be spend in mailing is fixed."
I found this case simpler than the earlier one. I managed to complete the case in just 20 minutes. The interviewer was very impressed with the speed with which I was able to solve the case. It was enough to make me realize that I had made it.
Tips: The main thing that you need to remember in Case Study of this sort is that you need to speak your mind. It helps the interviewer understand the way you are thinking. So if you have made some calculation mistake he wouldn’t mind that because he knows that you are going in the right direction. This was something the interviewer told me that he liked about
me.

General Tips: The Biggest question that all of us face in final year is "WHAT NEXT". With the options like CAT/GRE/CORE/FINANCE/CONSULTING it becomes extremely difficult to select just one. Initially I had no idea what it was going to be, but after my internship I knew that I wouldn't be going for either core or higher studies. After talking to seniors, I realized that doing MBA after one or two years of work experience would be better - you know what you have to focus on and would also give you a smoother platform to change your field of job if
you are not comfortable in it. So my choices just narrowed down to jobs in either finance or consulting. Looking at the job scenario in our placement season, I knew I had to prepare for all of them. That is one of the reasons I appeared for CAT because it is always good to have an option and also preparing for CAT helps a lot in placement preparation. One needs to be thoroughly prepared for each of the placement processes.

Resume:
A resume is one of the most important things which mark the first impression upon the interviewer. You should devote ample time to work upon it. Every company looks for a different kind of candidate to suit their purpose; make sure your resume fits that profile. Prepare resumes separately for each sector with some minor changes for companies of same sector. Get your resume checked and rechecked by some alumnus in the company you are
applying for.

PPTs:
The best way to know about the company is through its PPT. It gives you the details of the work profile and also tells you what kind of candidate the company is looking for. It is an opportunity to get all your queries, regarding the company and the work profile clarified.

Written Test:
Usually the CAT preparation is more than enough to crack the data interpretation and aptitude tests (excluding the technical tests). Practice plays an important role here to be able to solve the lengthy tests speedily and accurately. People aiming the finance companies must read Economic Times (specially the editorials) regularly to form a broader perspective of the financial situation all over the world.
Group Discussions:
I used to think that GD is just another formal bulla session that we have. But it turned out to be a complete disaster when I had a GD round during an Internship process. It is just not what you speak that matters, but also how well you convey your points, how well you work in a group, do you understand the group dynamics, your body language, and other group etiquette that matter. The most disappointing thing was that when SPO had started this session for GD practice very few people turned up. It is through these sessions that you learn
the Do's and Don’ts of a GD. With every GD session that we used to have, I used to learn some new thing or the other.
Case Studies:
At first case studies seem to be highly intimidating. The workshops on Case Study by SPO helped me clear all my apprehensions, and then the process became a lot easier. Initially we used to solve a case in a group of 2-3 people and afterwards we did it individually discussing the methodology that we adopted and the different solutions that we approached. The discussions were the most important part as we learned what mistake we committed. It helped us frame our mindset in the right direction.
HR Interviews:
To be able to do well in an HR interview one needs to do a lot of introspection about one’s own self. This helps you in answering some very basic questions like your strengths, weakness, your future objective etc. You should be able to modify your answers according to the company profile. I prepared for HR interview in a group of 3. Initially, we gathered all the questions that the interviewer is likely to ask. We divided our answers based on the
company profile and also prepared examples to support our qualities. Finally we conducted 3-4 rounds of mock interviews.
College Name: IIT KANPUR