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02 / Hiring process
Four stages, and one of them decides it
4 stages from application to offer. One way HireVue video interview is reported to be the one that decides it.
4stages
01
Online application resume and division fit
An online application through Goldman's own careers platform, reported to be the entry point across every division and level.
02
One way HireVue video interview 3 to 6 questions, no interviewer present
A recorded round with no live interviewer, reported to run three to six questions mixing behavioural prompts with a common opener like why you want to work in the specific business.
03
Technical screen (Engineering) HackerRank or a live coding round
Reported for engineering candidates specifically: either a HackerRank assessment with two to three coding problems, or a forty five to seventy five minute live coding session with a Goldman engineer, ahead of the Superday.
04
Superday 2 to 5 back to back rounds, then a decision
Reported to run two to five back to back interviews of forty five to sixty minutes each in a single day, covering technical depth, commercial awareness and behavioural fit, with the full process reported to take three to eight weeks from application to offer.
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 HireVue round, the Superday format and the Business Principles apply across every division, so the core set below covers that ground. Each division then adds the technical depth specific to it.
59questions
Asked in every interviewAsked in every Goldman Sachs interview
01 Why Goldman Sachs, and why this division specifically? Motivation Open guide
Find your angle. Screens out candidates whose interest in Goldman is really just an interest in prestige rather than the specific business they applied to.
Build your answer
- Name the actual division. Not just Goldman Sachs generally.
- Tie it to something concrete you've done. A trade, a project, a class that points at this specific business.
- State what you want to be doing there in two years. Concrete, not a vague career goal.
Bring the evidence
One specific fact about the division you applied to that most Goldman applicants wouldn't know.
What weakens it
Goldman Sachs is the top firm on Wall Street with unmatched opportunities.
Likely follow upWhich other banks are you interviewing with, and how does this 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 would you make a strong impression in a recorded interview with no interviewer reacting to you in real time? HireVue Open guide
Find your angle. The one way HireVue round is reported to run with no live interviewer, a genuinely different skill than reading a room.
Build your answer
- Describe the format constraint. No visible reaction, a fixed time to answer.
- Explain what you'd do instead of reading the room. Since there's no room to read.
- Give a comparable past instance. Performing without live feedback before.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of performing or presenting without any real time feedback, and how you adjusted for it.
What weakens it
I present well on camera without much effort.
Likely follow upHow would you know if an answer landed if no one reacts to it?
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 the first time you got genuinely interested in markets, not just the idea of working in finance. Why banking/finance Open guide
Find your angle. A near-universal reported HireVue opener, testing for a real origin story over a rehearsed one about prestige or compensation.
Build your answer
- Name the actual moment. Specific, dated if possible.
- Explain what specifically caught your attention. Not a vague 'I found it fascinating'.
- Connect it to what you've done since. Concrete follow up action, not just interest.
Bring the evidence
A specific, dated moment of genuine interest in markets or finance, with a concrete action taken afterward.
What weakens it
I've always been interested in finance and the stock market.
Likely follow upWhat's something about markets you found out later that contradicted your first impression?
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 how you'd approach a coding problem you don't immediately know how to solve. Technical screen (Engineering) Open guide
Find your angle. Engineering candidates are reported to face a live coding screen, testing process under real time pressure, not just a memorized solution.
Build your answer
- Describe your first move when stuck. Not jumping straight to code.
- Explain how you'd narrow down an approach. A specific method, like starting with a brute force version.
- State what you'd do if you ran out of time. Communicating partial progress, not going silent.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of working through an unfamiliar technical problem under real time pressure, with an honest account of your process.
What weakens it
I would just try different approaches until something works.
Likely follow upWhat would you do if you realized halfway through that your approach was wrong?
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 perform well in the fifth conversation of a long day, not just the first. Superday stamina Open guide
Find your angle. The Superday is reported to run two to five back to back rounds, testing sustained performance rather than a single strong interview.
Build your answer
- Describe the sequence. How many conversations, how close together.
- Explain how you managed your energy. A specific method, not just 'I pushed through'.
- State how the later ones actually went. Honest, even if they were harder.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of maintaining real performance across several consecutive high stakes conversations in one day.
What weakens it
I have a lot of stamina and stay sharp all day.
Likely follow upWhat would you do if you noticed your energy dropping by the third conversation?
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 recent market event and why you think it happened. Commercial awareness Open guide
Find your angle. Commercial awareness is reported to be tested directly in Superday rounds, checking for genuine engagement with markets over memorized headlines.
Build your answer
- Name a specific, recent event. Not a vague 'the market went down'.
- Give your own explanation for why it happened. Your reasoning, not just a repeated headline.
- State what you'd watch next because of it. Shows ongoing engagement, not a one off fact.
Bring the evidence
A specific recent market event with your own reasoning for its cause, not a repeated headline.
What weakens it
The market has been pretty volatile lately due to macro factors.
Likely follow upWhat would change your view on why this happened?
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 Describe a time an interviewer or evaluator disagreed with your answer and pushed back hard. Handling pushback Open guide
Find your angle. Superday interviewers are reported to press on answers to test composure, not just correctness.
Build your answer
- Describe the pushback specifically. What was actually challenged.
- Explain how you responded in the moment. Held firm, revised, or partially conceded.
- State the outcome. How it was received, honestly.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of being challenged directly on an answer, with an honest account of how you responded and how it landed.
What weakens it
I always stay calm and confident when challenged.
Likely follow upWhat would have made you actually change your answer under that pushback?
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 put someone else's interest ahead of what was easiest for you. Clients first Open guide
Find your angle. Directly maps to Goldman's first Business Principle, testing a real cost, not a comfortable example.
Build your answer
- Name what would have been easier for you. The convenient option.
- Describe what you actually did instead. The harder, other-focused choice.
- State the real cost to you. Specific, not glossed over.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance where prioritizing someone else's interest carried a real personal cost.
What weakens it
I always try to help others whenever I can.
Likely follow upWhat would you have done if there had been no way to serve both interests at all?
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 held your own work to a higher bar than anyone actually required. Quality Open guide
Find your angle. Directly maps to Goldman's principle on professional quality, testing self-imposed standards beyond what was demanded.
Build your answer
- Describe the minimum that would have been accepted. What would have passed without complaint.
- Explain what you did beyond that. The extra standard you set for yourself.
- State why it actually mattered. Not just that it 'felt better'.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance where you exceeded a required standard on your own initiative, with a concrete reason it mattered.
What weakens it
I always do my best work no matter what.
Likely follow upHow did you know the extra effort was actually worth it?
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 you changed how you worked specifically to make a group's output better, not just to be a good teammate. Teamwork Open guide
Find your angle. Directly maps to Goldman's teamwork principle, which is framed around output, not general collegiality.
Build your answer
- Describe your original way of working. Before the change.
- Explain the specific change and why. Tied to a real gap in group output.
- State the measurable improvement. Concrete, not vague.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of adjusting your own working style to improve a group's actual output, not just team harmony.
What weakens it
I'm a great team player and always support my group.
Likely follow upWhat would you have done if the change you made hadn't actually helped?
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 Describe a time being honest cost you something real. Integrity Open guide
Find your angle. Directly maps to Goldman's integrity principle, framed to resist an easy, costless honesty story.
Build your answer
- Name the actual cost. Specific, not vague.
- Describe the honest action itself. What you actually said or did.
- State whether you'd do it again. An honest reflection.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance where telling the truth actually cost you something concrete, not a version where it was easy all along.
What weakens it
Honesty matters to me more than the consequences.
Likely follow upWould you make the same choice again knowing what it cost 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.12 What's something about how you work that would show up in your first month here, not in this interview? Weakness Open guide
Find your angle. A direct weakness question framed to resist a rehearsed non-answer, since Goldman interviewers have heard 'I work too hard' many times.
Build your answer
- Name something concrete and current. Not a resolved weakness from years ago.
- Describe the real friction it's caused. A specific instance.
- Explain what you're actively doing about it. In progress, not a finished transformation.
Bring the evidence
A specific habit you're still working on, with a real recent moment it got in the way, not an old flaw already resolved.
What weakens it
I'm a perfectionist and sometimes take too long on things.
Likely follow upCan you give a specific recent instance where that actually caused a problem?
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 Tell me about a time you gave a wrong answer under pressure and had to recover in the moment. Handling failure Open guide
Find your angle. Superday rounds are reported to include direct challenges to test recovery, not just correctness on the first try.
Build your answer
- Describe the wrong answer and the pressure. What made it a real, live mistake.
- Explain how you noticed and corrected. The actual moment you realized.
- State the outcome after the correction. What happened once you fixed it.
Bring the evidence
A specific live mistake made under real pressure, with a concrete account of how you recovered in that same moment.
What weakens it
I take ownership of a mistake right away and correct it.
Likely follow upHow did the other people in the room react to you correcting yourself?
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.Platform Solutions6 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 Platform Solutions, and they are usually what the decision turns on.
Create a free account14 Tell me about a time you had to build or design something for an external partner rather than an internal user. Building Open guide
Find your angle. Platform Solutions work is reported to serve external merchant and partner relationships, distinct from purely internal tooling.
Build your answer
- Describe the external partner's specific need. Concrete, not assumed.
- Explain how designing for them differed from an internal project. The actual difference.
- State the outcome. Whether it met their need.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of building or designing something for an external party, with an honest account of how that differed from internal work.
What weakens it
I always design with the end user's needs in mind.
Likely follow upWhat would you do if the external partner's needs conflicted with your own team's easier path?
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.15 Describe a time you had to keep something working reliably as demand on it grew. Reliability at scale Open guide
Find your angle. Platform businesses are reported to require infrastructure that scales reliably as transaction volume grows.
Build your answer
- Describe the original, smaller scale. What worked fine at first.
- Explain what strained as it grew. The actual pressure point.
- State what you changed to handle the new scale. A concrete structural change.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of adapting a process or system to handle real growth in volume or demand.
What weakens it
I'm good at scaling things as needed.
Likely follow upWhat would you do differently if you'd known the growth was coming from the start?
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.16 Tell me about a time you had to negotiate terms that mattered to both sides. Partner negotiation Open guide
Find your angle. Platform partnerships are reported to require real negotiation, not just persuasion toward a fixed ask.
Build your answer
- Describe what mattered to each side. Honestly, including the other side's real interest.
- Explain the actual compromise reached. Specific terms, not vague.
- State whether both sides were satisfied. Real reaction.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of negotiating terms where both sides had a genuine, identifiable stake in the outcome.
What weakens it
I push for the best terms I can get in a negotiation.
Likely follow upWhat would you have done if the other side wouldn't budge at all?
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.17 Describe a time something you were responsible for broke while external people were actively relying on it. Incident response Open guide
Find your angle. Platform reliability incidents are reported to directly affect external partners and merchants, raising the stakes of any outage.
Build your answer
- Describe the incident and who was affected externally. Concrete.
- Explain your immediate response. What you checked and communicated first.
- State the resolution and any follow up. What changed afterward.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of a failure affecting external users you were responsible for, with a concrete account of the response.
What weakens it
When something breaks, I work it step by step instead of panicking.
Likely follow upHow did you communicate with the affected external party during the incident?
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.18 Tell me about a time you had to coordinate delivery across teams with different priorities. Cross-business coordination Open guide
Find your angle. Platform Solutions is reported to sit at the intersection of multiple business lines with genuinely different priorities.
Build your answer
- Name both teams and their different priorities. Honest, without favoring one.
- Describe how you found a workable path. Concrete, not 'I facilitated a discussion'.
- State whether both sides accepted it. Real reaction.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of reconciling genuinely conflicting priorities from two teams toward a shared delivery.
What weakens it
I tend to land on something that works for both sides.
Likely follow upWhat would you have done if the two sides truly couldn't be reconciled?
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.19 How would you tell an external partner that something they want isn't technically feasible right now? Communication Open guide
Find your angle. Platform work is reported to require managing partner expectations about real technical constraints.
Build your answer
- State the limitation honestly. Before offering alternatives.
- Explain the actual technical reason. In terms the partner could understand.
- Offer a workable alternative. Not just a flat no.
Bring the evidence
A specific instance of explaining a real technical limitation to an external party while offering a workable path forward.
What weakens it
I would explain the technical constraints clearly.
Likely follow upWhat would you do if the partner insisted the limitation didn't matter to them?
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.What 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
Recent, and usable
Stories to 18 Sept 2026How to use itNumbers you can quote. Name the direction, not the decimal, and say what it means for the team you would join.
How to use itDirectly relevant to you. Shows you researched Goldman Sachs as an employer, not only as a familiar name.
Goldman Sachs sees slightly softer fixed income, currencies, commodities business, higher costs
Reuters
How to use itRecent and specific. Use it once, inside why Goldman Sachs, then move on.
How to use itShows where Goldman Sachs is putting its money. Tie it to the part of the job that actually touches it.
05 / The six values
What is actually being scored
Goldman Sachs publishes fourteen Business Principles, written in 1979 and still referenced in interviews today. Bring one real story for each of the ones below rather than a general answer about wanting to work at a top bank.
6stories
Our clients' interests always come first
A time you chose the harder path because it served the person you were working for, not the easier path for you.
Our assets are our people, capital and reputation
A time you protected a reputation, yours or someone else's, even when a shortcut was available.
We take great pride in the professional quality of our work
A time you held your own work to a higher bar than anyone actually required of you.
We stress teamwork in everything we do
A time you changed how you worked specifically to improve what the group produced, not just to support the existing plan.
We stress creativity and imagination in everything we do
A time an unconventional approach beat the obvious first answer to a problem.
Integrity and honesty are at the heart of our business
A time honesty cost you something real, not a story where it happened to be free.
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
!
Four ways this goes wrong before anyone meets you
The HireVue round is a real cut, not a formality
It is reported to run with no interviewer present, ahead of any live conversation. Treating it as a warm up for the 'real' interview is a common and costly misread.
Engineering candidates face an added technical bar
A HackerRank or live coding screen is reported to run specifically for engineering candidates on top of the standard behavioural process, ahead of the Superday.
The Superday tests stamina, not just individual answers
Two to five back to back forty five to sixty minute rounds are reported to run in a single day. Candidates who peak in the first round and fade by the last are reported to lose ground that has nothing to do with the strength of any single answer.
Global Banking and Markets and Engineering are genuinely different interviews
A live sample shows Engineering dominated by systems, security and product engineering roles, while Global Banking and Markets centers on sales, trading and banking. Generic finance interview preparation undersells the technical depth Engineering candidates are reported to face.
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