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02 / Hiring process
Five stages, and one of them decides it
5 stages from application to offer. Online assessment is reported to be the one that decides it.
5stages
01
Online application resume, then an assessment invite
An online application and resume review, reported to be followed shortly after by an emailed invitation to complete an online assessment.
02
Online assessment reasoning and a strengths test
Reported to combine numerical, verbal and logical reasoning with EY's own strengths based assessment, sometimes paired with a short recorded video answering motivation questions.
03
Two video interviews behavioural, then a separate case
Reported to run as two distinct thirty to forty five minute video interviews with two different EY interviewers: one behavioural, one a case, rather than a single combined session.
04
Final round (assessment centre or panel) group exercise and case, or a senior panel
Reported to run as either an assessment centre combining a group exercise with an individual case, or a more senior panel interview, depending on service line and level, with roughly ten to fifteen minutes of fit questions folded into the same session as the case.
05
Partner interview and decision 45 minutes to 2 hours, then an offer
A more senior, behaviourally heavy round reported to run anywhere from forty five minutes to two hours when it happens, ahead of a final decision.
Ask before the interview: what will this round cover, who will I meet, and is there anything I should prepare?The question almost nobody asks
03 / Question library
Interview question practice library
The online assessment, the two video interviews and the three values apply across every service line, so the core set below covers that ground. Each service line then adds the technical depth specific to it.
58questions
Asked in every interviewAsked in every EY interview
01 Why EY, and why this service line specifically? Motivation Open guide
Find your angle. Checks whether a candidate chose EY over the other three firms for a concrete reason rather than brand familiarity.
Build your answer
- Name the actual service line. Not just 'EY', the specific practice applied to.
- Tie it to something real you've done. A project, course or role pointing at that practice.
- State what you want from your first two years there. Concrete, not a generic career goal.
Bring the evidence
One specific fact about the service line you applied to that most EY applicants wouldn't know.
What weakens it
EY is a top firm with a great reputation and strong training.
Likely follow upWhich of the other three firms are you also interviewing with, and how does EY compare?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.02 How do you approach a strengths based assessment when you're not sure what it's actually measuring? Assessment Open guide
Find your angle. EY's own strengths assessment is reported to run alongside standard reasoning tests, and candidates are often unsure how to prepare for something not scored on correctness alone.
Build your answer
- Describe your honest starting assumption. What you'd guess it's measuring.
- Explain how you'd answer without gaming it. Why authenticity beats guessing the 'right' answer.
- Give a comparable past instance. A personality or fit based assessment you've taken before.
Bring the evidence
A specific prior experience with a non-correctness based assessment, and how you approached answering honestly rather than strategically.
What weakens it
I'd just try to give the answers that seem most impressive.
Likely follow upWhat would you do if your honest answer felt like it might work against you?
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.03 Tell me about a time you had to make your case for something in a single, tightly timed conversation. First video interview Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.04 Walk me through a case where you had to make a recommendation with only partial information. Second video interview Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.05 Describe a time you had to get a group of near strangers to a decision quickly. Group exercise Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.06 Tell me about a time you had to defend a conclusion you weren't fully certain about. Individual case Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.07 What would you want a partner interviewing you to actually find out that a case round can't tell them? Partner interview Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.08 Tell me about a time you held a position you believed was right even though it made a relationship harder. Integrity Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.09 Describe a time you pushed a group toward a harder but better direction when it would have been easier to just go along. Leadership Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.10 Tell me about a time a relationship got stronger specifically because you did the right thing rather than the convenient thing. Integrity Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.11 What's something about how you work that would come up in your first month at EY, not in this interview? Weakness Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.12 Tell me about a time you gave a wrong answer under pressure and had to recover in the moment. Handling failure Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.13 Describe a time you had to keep a stakeholder's confidence through a project that took much longer than expected. Client relations Locked
Pro
Build this answer out of your own experience
The guide for this question: what the stage is scoring, three steps to structure the response, the evidence worth bringing, what weakens it, and the follow up. Then Pro drafts your version of it against your CV, so you walk in with your own answer rather than someone else's script.
Subscribe to Pro Unlimited preparation, every question, every company.Strategy and Transactions (EY-Parthenon)6 to practise
6 questions
The questions this role actually gets asked
The core set above is asked whatever you applied for. These 6 are specific to Strategy and Transactions (EY-Parthenon), and they are usually what the decision turns on.
Create a free accountWhat you get
Less than the cost of one lunch, for a great deal more confidence.- Unlimited tailored interview preparation
- A massive database of actual questions and answer guides
Role specific
Pick your role and the list narrows to what that role tends to get asked.
A guide for every answer
What the question is testing, three steps to build your answer, and the evidence to bring.
Prepared, not guessing
You walk in knowing the shape of the round and which of your own stories fits it.
04 / In the news
Worth mentioning in the room
The strongest answer to why this company is something that happened last month.
4stories
Free account
What happened at this employer this month
Stories screened from everything published about this employer, chosen because they can be used in the room rather than because they are recent.
- Each one carries a line on how to use it in the answer
- Crime, recalls, litigation and share price moves are excluded outright
- Refreshed daily, so it is different the week of your interview
05 / The three values
What is actually being scored
EY publishes its values as three statements about the people it hires, in this exact language. Bring one real story for each rather than a general answer about wanting to work at a Big Four firm.
3stories
Integrity, Respect and Teaming
A time you held a position you believed was right even though a teammate or client wanted something more comfortable.
Energy, Enthusiasm and the Courage to Lead
A time you pushed a group toward a harder but better direction when it would have been easier to follow along.
Building Relationships Based on Doing the Right Thing
A time a relationship got stronger specifically because you did the right thing rather than the convenient thing.
06 / Before you apply
Where candidates lose it
Pro
Where candidates lose this before anyone meets them
The part of the process that eliminates most people is not the interview. It is what happens around it, and almost none of it is written down anywhere.
- The assessment answers that read as dishonest rather than confident
- What the availability question is really deciding
- The application detail that cannot be edited once submitted
Interview in 48 Hours
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