800+ Senior Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

An incident is an unplanned interruption or reduction in quality of an IT service. A change is a modification to an IT service. A problem task is a task to identify the root cause of an incident or problem.

• An incident is an event that disrupts the normal operation of an IT service, such as a server crash or network outage.

• A change is a planned modification to an IT service, such as upgrading software or hardware.

• A problem task is a task to investigate the root cause of an inc...read more

Illustrating public static void main(String args[]) in Java

• public: access modifier indicating that the method can be accessed from anywhere

• static: keyword indicating that the method belongs to the class and not to an instance of the class

• void: return type indicating that the method does not return any value

• main: name of the method that is the entry point of the program

• String args[]: parameter of the method that is an array of strings representing the command line arguments pa...read more

Mandatory checks in client position file

• Client identification information

• Position details including quantity and price

• Trade date and settlement date

• Margin requirements and collateral

• Compliance with regulatory requirements

• Accuracy and completeness of data

CLO stands for Collateralized Loan Obligation. It is a type of structured asset-backed security.

• CLOs are created by pooling together a group of loans, usually corporate loans or bonds.

• The loans are then divided into different tranches based on their level of risk and return.

• Investors can buy into different tranches based on their risk appetite and investment goals.

• Day to day activities involve monitoring the performance of the underlying loans, managing cash flows, and making...read more

I implemented process improvements and negotiated better vendor contracts to reduce costs.

• Identified inefficiencies in current processes and proposed solutions to streamline operations

• Negotiated with vendors to secure better pricing and terms for supplies and services

• Implemented cost-saving measures such as switching to more cost-effective suppliers or technologies

• Analyzed spending patterns and identified areas where costs could be reduced without sacrificing quality

• Collabora...read more

Purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic theory that compares the currencies of different countries based on their purchasing power.

• PPP is used to determine the relative value of currencies by comparing the prices of goods and services in different countries.

• It suggests that exchange rates should adjust to equalize the purchasing power of different currencies.

• For example, if a Big Mac costs $5 in the United States and €4 in Europe, PPP would suggest that the exchange rate...read more

To stop and start JVMs in a WAS backend, use administrative console or scripting. Best practice is to perform rolling restarts.

• Use administrative console to stop and start JVMs individually or in a cluster

• Use scripting (such as wsadmin) for automation and bulk operations

• Perform rolling restarts to minimize downtime and ensure high availability

• Monitor JVM health and performance before and after restarts

Different varieties of Fibonacci series in Python.

• Standard Fibonacci series

• Fibonacci series with user-defined starting numbers

• Fibonacci series with user-defined length

• Fibonacci series with user-defined step

• Fibonacci series with user-defined function

Accounts Payable is mentioned under Current Liabilities in the Balance Sheet.

• Accounts Payable represents the amount owed by a company to its suppliers or vendors for goods or services received but not yet paid for.

• It is listed under Current Liabilities as it is expected to be paid within a year.

• Accounts Payable is an important metric for analyzing a company's liquidity and cash flow.

• Example: If a company has a high accounts payable balance, it may indicate that they are takin...read more

Use find command to locate files with 0KB size and delete them using the rm command.

• Use find command with -size 0 option to locate files with 0KB size in a directory

• Pipe the output of find command to rm command to delete the files

• Example: find /path/to/directory -type f -size 0 -exec rm {} \;

Binary search has O(log n) time complexity, better for sorted arrays. Linear search has O(n) time complexity, better for small unsorted arrays.

• Binary search has a time complexity of O(log n) as it divides the array in half at each step. It is better for sorted arrays.

• Linear search has a time complexity of O(n) as it checks each element one by one. It is better for small unsorted arrays.

• For example, if you have a large sorted array, binary search would be more efficient. But f...read more

Explanation of denials and their fixes

• Denial: Lack of documentation. Fix: Ensure all necessary documentation is complete and accurate.

• Denial: Coding errors. Fix: Review and correct any coding errors to ensure accurate billing.

• Denial: Timely filing limit exceeded. Fix: Submit claims within the specified time frame.

• Denial: Duplicate claims. Fix: Implement processes to prevent duplicate submissions.

• Denial: Medical necessity not met. Fix: Provide additional documentation to suppo...read more

Pricing refers to the process of setting a value for a product or service. There are various models for pricing.

• Cost-plus pricing

• Value-based pricing

• Penetration pricing

• Skimming pricing

• Dynamic pricing

• Freemium pricing

• Subscription pricing

AML stands for Anti-Money Laundering. It is a process designed to prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income.

• AML involves implementing policies and procedures to detect and prevent money laundering activities.

• The process includes customer due diligence, monitoring transactions, and reporting suspicious activities to regulatory authorities.

• Examples of AML measures include verifying customer identities, conducting risk assessments, and train...read more

Yes, I am open to new technology and business processes.

• I believe that staying up-to-date with the latest technology and business processes is crucial for success in any industry.

• I am always eager to learn and adapt to new tools and techniques that can improve efficiency and productivity.

• For example, I recently completed a course on data analytics to enhance my skills in this area and stay current with industry trends.

• I am also open to exploring new business processes that ca...read more

Indirect and Offset are functions in Excel used to reference cells or ranges indirectly.

• Indirect function is used to reference a cell or range using a text string that contains the cell or range address.

• Offset function is used to reference a cell or range that is a specified number of rows and columns away from a given cell or range.

• Both functions are useful for creating dynamic formulas that can be updated easily.

• Example: =INDIRECT("A1") will reference the cell A1, while =OF...read more

Risk assessment involves identifying potential risks and evaluating their likelihood and impact on the project.

• Identify potential risks and their impact on the project

• Evaluate the likelihood of each risk occurring

• Assess the severity of the impact of each risk

• Develop a risk management plan to mitigate or avoid identified risks

• Regularly review and update the risk management plan throughout the project

Explaining the difference between Mid, Bid, and Ask prices and providing examples of corporate actions.

• Mid price is the average of Bid and Ask prices

• Bid price is the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a security

• Ask price is the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for a security

• Corporate actions are events that affect a company's stock price, such as dividends, stock splits, and mergers

• Dividends are payments made to shareholders from a company's profits

• Stock sp...read more

Performance of a Spark job can be improved by optimizing resources, tuning configurations, and optimizing code.

• Optimize resources by increasing memory and CPU cores

• Tune configurations such as executor memory, shuffle partitions, and parallelism

• Optimize code by reducing data shuffling, using broadcast variables, and caching data

• Use appropriate data storage formats such as Parquet or ORC

• Use appropriate cluster management tools such as YARN or Mesos

• Use appropriate hardware such ...read more

Client Credentials grant type is not browser based as it does not involve user interaction.

• Client Credentials grant type is used when the client is the resource owner and can securely store and use client credentials.

• It is commonly used for machine-to-machine communication or server-to-server communication.

• Examples include API calls between servers or services within a system.

Options are financial contracts that give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price.

• Options can be used for hedging or speculation

• They have an expiration date

• There are two types of options: call options and put options

• The price of an option is determined by factors such as the underlying asset price, strike price, time to expiration, and volatility

• Options can be traded on exchanges or over-the-counter

A signature verification certificate in SAML Authentication is used to verify the authenticity of the digital signature in SAML assertions.

• It is used to ensure that the SAML assertion has not been tampered with during transmission.

• The certificate contains the public key used to verify the digital signature.

• The certificate is typically issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).

Linux is preferred over Windows for servers due to its stability, security, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.

• Linux is open-source, allowing for customization and flexibility in server configurations.

• Linux is known for its stability and reliability, making it a popular choice for servers that require constant uptime.

• Linux has a strong focus on security, with regular updates and a large community of developers actively working to address vulnerabilities.

• Linux is cost-effecti...read more

There are 7 steps in revenue cycle management: Pre-authorization, Patient registration, Charge capture, Claim submission, Payment posting, Denial management, and Reporting.

• Pre-authorization: Obtaining approval from insurance companies before providing services.

• Patient registration: Collecting patient information and insurance details.

• Charge capture: Recording services provided and creating charges for billing.

• Claim submission: Submitting claims to insurance companies for reim...read more

To conduct a recon on a server, one must gather information about the server and its network.

• Start by identifying the IP address of the server

• Use tools like Nmap to scan for open ports and services running on the server

• Check for vulnerabilities and exploits that can be used to gain access to the server

• Look for any publicly available information about the server and its network, such as domain names and email addresses

• Check for any active connections to the server and monitor ...read more

I have a strong understanding of finance and accounting principles.

• I have a Bachelor's degree in Finance and have completed several accounting courses.

• I have worked as a financial analyst for 5 years, analyzing financial statements and creating financial models.

• I am familiar with various accounting software such as QuickBooks and Excel.

• I have experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.

• I stay updated with the latest financial regulations and industry trends.

The steps for report writing and company profiling involve research, data collection, analysis, and presentation.

• Research the company's background, industry, competitors, financials, and market trends.

• Collect relevant data from various sources such as financial reports, news articles, and industry reports.

• Analyze the data to identify key insights, trends, and opportunities.

• Create a structured report outlining the company's profile, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and th...read more

Current CTC is confidential. Expecting a competitive salary based on industry standards and my experience.

• Current CTC is confidential and not disclosed during interviews

• Expecting a competitive salary based on industry standards and my experience

• Open to negotiation based on the job role and responsibilities

Residual risk ratings are provided by assessing the likelihood and impact of potential risks after implementing controls.

• Assess the likelihood and impact of potential risks

• Identify and implement controls to mitigate risks

• Reassess the likelihood and impact of risks after controls are in place

• Assign a residual risk rating based on the remaining level of risk

• Communicate the residual risk rating to stakeholders

HPLC is a chromatography technique used to separate compounds in a mixture based on their interactions with a stationary phase and a mobile phase.

• HPLC stands for High Performance Liquid Chromatography.

• It involves a stationary phase (usually a column packed with particles) and a mobile phase (liquid solvent).

• Compounds in the mixture interact differently with the stationary phase, leading to separation based on their properties like size, polarity, and charge.

• The separated comp...read more

Banking products include savings accounts, checking accounts, loans, credit cards, and investment accounts.

• Savings accounts: earn interest on deposited funds

• Checking accounts: used for daily transactions and bill payments

• Loans: borrowed money with interest

• Credit cards: allows purchases on credit with interest

• Investment accounts: used to invest in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds

Flex is a highly flexible and powerful open-source framework for building mobile, web, and desktop applications.

• Flex is based on the Adobe Flash platform and uses the ActionScript programming language.

• It allows developers to create rich, interactive user interfaces with ease.

• Flex offers a wide range of pre-built components and libraries that can be easily customized and extended.

• It supports multiple platforms including iOS, Android, and Windows.

• Flex is widely used in enterpri...read more

Duration and convexity are measures used in fixed income investing to assess the sensitivity of bond prices to changes in interest rates.

• Duration measures the sensitivity of a bond's price to changes in interest rates. It is a weighted average of the times until each cash flow is received, with weights proportional to the present value of the cash flow.

• Convexity measures the curvature of the price-yield relationship of a bond. It provides additional information about the bond...read more

The 3 financial statements are linked through the flow of information and transactions between them.

• The income statement shows revenue and expenses for a period of time, which affects the retained earnings on the balance sheet.

• The balance sheet shows assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time, which affects the cash flow statement.

• The cash flow statement shows the inflow and outflow of cash during a period of time, which affects the balance sheet.

• Changes in t...read more

SWIFT is a global financial messaging network used for secure and reliable communication between banks.

• SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication

• It is used for international money transfers and communication between banks

• SWIFT messages contain information such as sender and receiver details, transaction amount, and currency

• There are different types of SWIFT messages such as MT103, MT202, and MT700

• SWIFT messages are encrypted and authenticated...read more

The probability that two cats rotating in circular motion won't collide depends on their speed, direction, and the size of the circle.

• The probability of collision decreases as the size of the circle increases.

• If the cats are rotating in opposite directions, the probability of collision decreases.

• The probability of collision also depends on the speed of rotation of the cats.

AP stands for Accounts Payable, P2P stands for Procure to Pay, PO stands for Purchase Order, Non-PO refers to expenses without a purchase order, journal entry is a record of a financial transaction.

• AP (Accounts Payable) is the amount of money a company owes to its suppliers or vendors for goods or services purchased on credit.

• P2P (Procure to Pay) is the process of requisitioning, purchasing, receiving, paying for, and accounting for goods and services.

• PO (Purchase Order) is a...read more

Supply chain management involves the coordination and management of activities involved in the production and delivery of goods and services.

• It includes planning, sourcing, manufacturing, delivery, and returns.

• Efficient supply chain management can lead to cost savings and improved customer satisfaction.

• Examples of supply chain management tools include inventory management software and transportation management systems.

• Effective communication and collaboration between supplier...read more

Revenue is calculated year over year by comparing the total revenue from one year to the next using historical data.

• Calculate total revenue for each year

• Compare total revenue from current year to previous year

• Use historical data to track revenue trends

• Consider factors like seasonality, market trends, and economic conditions

• Formula: Year-over-Year Revenue Growth Rate = ((Current Year Revenue - Previous Year Revenue) / Previous Year Revenue) * 100%

The lift takes approximately 30 seconds to go from top floor to bottom.

• The time taken for the lift to go from top floor to bottom can vary depending on the speed of the lift and the number of floors.

• On average, a lift takes around 20-30 seconds to go from top floor to bottom in a standard building.

• Factors such as the weight of the passengers, maintenance of the lift, and any stops in between can also affect the time taken.

I have worked on various databases including Oracle, MySQL, and MongoDB.

• Oracle

• MySQL

• MongoDB

I would assess the impact of the change and communicate with stakeholders to determine the best course of action.

• Assess the impact of the change on the project timeline, budget, and resources

• Communicate with stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns

• Determine the feasibility of implementing the change

• Evaluate the risks and benefits of the change

• Update project documentation and communicate changes to the team

• Adjust project plan and timeline as necessary

Query to output the name of credit card and number of cards issued in launch month

• Use GROUP BY to group by launch month

• Count the number of cards issued in each launch month

• Select the name of the credit card and the count of cards issued

Important Linux commands and their usages

• ls - list directory contents

• cd - change directory

• pwd - print working directory

• cp - copy files and directories

• mv - move or rename files and directories

• rm - remove files or directories

• grep - search for specific text within files

• chmod - change file permissions

• sudo - execute a command as the superuser

• top - display and update sorted information about processes

• df - report file system disk space usage

Code to find if a string is present in an array of strings.

• Iterate through the array of strings and compare each string with the target string.

• Return true if the target string is found, false otherwise.

• Use a loop and conditional statement to implement the search algorithm.

Transfer pricing is the setting of prices for goods and services sold between related entities within a company.

• Transfer pricing is used to determine the cost of goods and services transferred between different divisions or subsidiaries of a company.

• It is important for multinational companies to establish transfer pricing to ensure fair pricing and compliance with tax regulations.

• Transfer pricing can impact a company's tax liabilities and financial performance.

• Common methods ...read more

Active Directory is a directory service that stores information about objects on a network and makes this information available to users and network administrators.

• Active Directory is used to manage users, computers, and other objects in a network.

• It provides a centralized location for authentication and authorization.

• Active Directory uses a hierarchical structure of domains, trees, and forests to organize objects.

• It uses domain controllers to manage and replicate directory i...read more