10+ S&P Global Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

Questions related to finance and accounting

• IPO stands for Initial Public Offering, which is the first time a company's stock is offered to the public

• Balance sheet has two sides - assets and liabilities & equity

• Depreciation is the decrease in value of an asset over time due to wear and tear or obsolescence

• Financial statements include income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement

Preference shareholders have fixed dividends and priority over equity shareholders in case of liquidation, while equity shareholders have voting rights and residual claim on assets.

• Preference shareholders receive fixed dividends before equity shareholders.

• Preference shareholders have priority over equity shareholders in case of liquidation.

• Equity shareholders have voting rights in the company.

• Equity shareholders have a residual claim on assets after all other obligations are ...read more

Money is a medium of exchange that is widely accepted in transactions and represents value.

• Money is a form of currency used to facilitate trade and commerce.

• It can be in the form of physical objects like coins and banknotes, or digital representations like electronic money.

• Money serves as a store of value, unit of account, and a medium of exchange.

• Types of money include fiat money, commodity money, and representative money.

• Fiat money is government-issued currency that is not ...read more

Private equity involves investing in private companies or buying out public companies to restructure and improve their value.

• Private equity firms raise funds from investors to acquire companies.

• Investments are typically long-term, ranging from 4 to 7 years.

• Examples include firms like Blackstone and KKR, which manage billions in assets.

• Private equity can involve leveraged buyouts (LBOs), where debt is used to finance acquisitions.

• The goal is to improve operational efficiency a...read more

Completed a 6-month data analysis internship at XYZ Company

• Worked on various data analysis projects to extract insights and trends

• Utilized tools such as Excel, SQL, and Tableau to manipulate and visualize data

• Collaborated with team members to present findings and recommendations

• Gained hands-on experience in data cleaning, data visualization, and statistical analysis

Design a seating arrangement for a high-security meeting with specific table assignments for security personnel and guests.

• Create a loop to iterate through each row from 1 to N.

• Assign tables on either end of each row to security personnel.

• For rows with only one table, assign it to security personnel.

• Display the seating arrangement with the number of people at each table.

• Example: For 4 rows, the output pattern is 1, 11, 121, 1221.

The task is to insert a given interval into a list of non-overlapping intervals while maintaining sorted order.

• Iterate through the list of intervals to find the correct position to insert the given interval.

• Merge any overlapping intervals with the given interval.

• Update the list of intervals accordingly.

• Handle edge cases such as when the given interval completely overlaps with existing intervals.

Quick sort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that sorts an array by choosing a pivot point and partitioning the array into two parts recursively.

• Choose a pivot element (e.g., rightmost element) to partition the array into two subarrays.

• Recursively apply quick sort to the subarrays until the entire array is sorted.

• Time complexity can be optimized to NlogN in the worst case by selecting the pivot strategically.

• Ensure the implementation handles the given constraints for input ar...read more

Environment refers to the surroundings in which an organism operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelationships.

• A company can affect the environment through pollution, deforestation, waste generation, and resource depletion.

• Examples of products with negative effects on the environment include single-use plastics, fossil fuel-based vehicles, and chemical pesticides.

• Products with positive effects on the environment include...read more

A bond is a debt security that represents a loan made by an investor to a borrower.

• Bonds are issued by governments, municipalities, and corporations.

• They are used to raise capital and finance projects.

• Different types of bonds include government bonds, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and convertible bonds.

• Government bonds are issued by national governments and are considered low-risk.

• Corporate bonds are issued by companies to raise capital and offer higher yields.

• Municipal b...read more

Waste management involves the collection, transportation, and disposal of waste in an environmentally friendly manner. Recycling is a key component of waste management.

• Separate waste into categories like paper, plastic, glass, and metal for recycling

• Utilize recycling facilities or programs provided by local governments or organizations

• Encourage the use of recycled products to promote a circular economy

• Implement composting for organic waste to reduce landfill usage

Yes, I am familiar with various computer software programs.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Experience with statistical analysis software such as SPSS or SAS

• Familiar with programming languages like Python or R

• Knowledge of data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI

I am passionate about product management because it allows me to blend my technical skills with my creativity to solve real-world problems. My favorite AI product is Google Assistant.

• Product management combines technical skills with creativity

• Allows for solving real-world problems

• Favorite AI product: Google Assistant

Balance sheet is a financial statement that shows a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity at a specific point in time.

• Balance sheet provides a snapshot of a company's financial position.

• It consists of three main components: assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity.

• Assets are what the company owns, liabilities are what it owes, and shareholders' equity is the difference between the two.

• Net Profit is the amount by which revenues exceed expenses in a given...read more

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a set of criteria used to evaluate a company's performance in these areas.

• Environmental criteria focus on a company's impact on the environment, such as carbon emissions, waste management, and resource conservation.

• Social criteria assess how a company manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which it operates.

• Governance criteria look at the company's leadership, executive pay...read more