TL;DR: EY interviews test technical knowledge, business judgment, communication, and client-handling skills. The Ernst and Young interview process usually starts with an application review and may include an online assessment, followed by technical, managerial, and HR rounds.

EY is one of the Big Four professional services firms. It hires candidates for roles across consulting, assurance, tax, strategy, transactions, technology, risk, finance, business operations, and global delivery. That is why EY interviews differ by role.

A technology candidate may face questions about coding, SQL, cloud computing, cybersecurity, or data. An audit candidate may face questions on journal entries, financial statements, controls, or audit procedures. A consulting candidate may face business cases and client scenarios. This guide covers common EY interview questions across aptitude, technical, behavioral, HR, and experienced professional rounds. It also provides example answers that candidates can adapt.

EY Interview Process 2026

The EY interview process in 2026 can vary by location, service line, role, and experience. In most cases, the journey starts with an online application. If the profile matches the role, the candidate may be invited for an assessment or interview.

EY may use phone, video, written, online, or face-to-face assessments. The exact format of the EY interview questions depends on the job. Freshers often face aptitude and behavioral assessments. Experienced professionals usually face deeper technical and managerial conversations.

Stage

What It Usually Tests

What to Prepare

Application Screening

Resume, education, skills, experience, and role fit

A clear resume with role-specific keywords and project impact

Online Assessment

Aptitude, reasoning, communication, behavior, and workplace judgment

Quantitative basics, logical reasoning, English, and situational questions

Technical Round

Domain knowledge, tools, concepts, projects, and problem-solving

Core subjects, practical examples, and project explanations

Managerial Round

Ownership, client handling, teamwork, planning, and decision-making

STAR-based examples from projects, internships, or previous roles

HR Round

Motivation, salary, relocation, strengths, weaknesses, and culture fit

Honest, concise, and professional answers

Offer Discussion

Compensation, joining date, location, and documents

Notice period, salary expectations, and required documents

  • Technical Round

The technical round assesses whether you can perform the work expected of the role. For technology roles, this may include programming, data structures, SQL, cloud, cybersecurity, testing, or analytics. For finance, tax, audit, and accounting roles, the scope may include accounting standards, GST, income tax, audit procedures and controls, reconciliation, and financial reporting.

Interviewers may also ask about tools such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, SAP, ServiceNow, Python, Java, AWS, Azure, Jira, or any platform listed in the job description.

  • Managerial Round

The managerial round checks how you work in real business situations. The interviewer may ask about deadlines, clients, mistakes, team conflict, ownership, and escalation. Your answers should show maturity. Explain the situation, action, and result.

  • HR Round

The HR round assesses cultural fit, communication skills, flexibility, salary expectations, location preferences, and career goals. EY values communication, teamwork, adaptability, and learning ability. Your answers should sound practical and self-aware.

EY Aptitude and Assessment Round

The EY aptitude and assessment round is common for freshers, interns, campus hiring, and early-career roles. Some experienced roles may also include assessments if the job needs specific technical, analytical, or communication skills.

Quantitative Aptitude

This section checks numerical ability. You may get questions on percentages, ratios, profit and loss, averages, time and work, speed and distance, probability, data interpretation, and basic arithmetic.

  • Sample question: A project cost increased from ₹80,000 to ₹92,000. What is the percentage increase?
  • Answer: The increase is ₹12,000. Percentage increase = 12,000 / 80,000 × 100 = 15%.
  • How to prepare: Practice calculations without depending too much on a calculator. Focus on accuracy first. Then improve speed.

Logical Reasoning

Logical reasoning checks how you process patterns and information. Questions may cover series, coding-decoding, seating arrangement, blood relations, syllogisms, directions, assumptions, and conclusions.

  • Sample question: If all auditors are analysts, and some analysts are consultants, can we say some auditors are consultants?
  • Answer: No. The statement does not prove that auditors and consultants overlap.
  • How to prepare: Read every condition carefully. Do not assume facts that are not given.

Communication Skills

This section checks grammar, sentence correction, comprehension, vocabulary, and business communication. For EY, communication matters because many roles involve working with clients, collaborating with global teams, and producing written documentation.

  • Sample question: Choose the clearer sentence:
    A. I completed the report after checking all entries.
    B. I completed the report after checking all entries.
  • Answer: B is clearer and more direct.

Situational Judgment

Situational judgment questions test workplace behavior. You may get a client issue, team conflict, deadline risk, or ethical concern.

  • Sample question: You find an error in a client report one hour before submission. What will you do?
  • Good answer: I will first verify the error. Then I will inform my senior with the facts, explain the possible impact, and help correct the report before submission. I will not ignore it to meet the deadline.

EY Technical Interview Questions

Technical questions depend on the role. The interviewer wants to know if you understand concepts and can apply them in real work.

1. Tell me about your technical background.

Sample answer: I have worked on SQL, Excel, and Power BI for data reporting projects. In my final project, I cleaned sales data, built dashboards, and created monthly trend reports. I also used Excel formulas and pivot tables to validate the output before presentation.

2. Explain a project you worked on.

Sample answer: I worked on a customer churn analysis project. The goal was to identify patterns among customers who stopped using a service. I cleaned the data, handled missing values, and used classification models to find key factors. The strongest factors were low engagement, repeated complaints, and pricing concerns.

3. What is the difference between a primary key and a foreign key?

A primary key uniquely identifies each record in a table. A foreign key links one table to another table. For example, Customer_ID can be a primary key in the customer table and a foreign key in the orders table.

4. What is the difference between WHERE and HAVING in SQL?

WHERE filters rows before grouping. HAVING filter groups after aggregation. For example, WHERE can filter sales from 2025. HAVING can filter products with total sales above ₹1 lakh.

5. What are internal controls?

Internal controls are checks and processes that help prevent errors, fraud, and non-compliance. In finance and audit roles, they help ensure that transactions are accurate, properly approved, and recorded.

6. What is audit evidence?

Audit evidence is the information collected by auditors to support their opinion. It may include invoices, bank statements, contracts, confirmations, reports, and management explanations. Strong audit evidence should be relevant and reliable.

7. How do you handle missing data in a dataset?

First, I check the amount and pattern of missing data. If the missing values are very few, I may remove those records. If the data is important, I may use the mean, median, or mode, or business rules, to fill the gaps. I also document the method used.

8. What tools have you used?

Sample answer: I have used Excel for analysis, Power BI for dashboards, SQL for data extraction, and Jira for task tracking. I am also comfortable learning new tools when the project requires it.

9. How do you explain a complex technical issue to a non-technical client?

I first understand what the client needs to know. Then I avoid jargon and explain the issue in business terms. I use examples, visuals, or impact statements. I also confirm whether the explanation is clear before moving ahead.

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EY Behavioral Ernst and Young Interview Questions

EY uses behavioral questions to understand how you have acted in real situations. These questions often start with “Tell me about a time” or “Give me an example.”

Use the STAR method:

STAR Element

What to Cover

Situation

Give the context in one or two lines

Task

Explain your responsibility

Action

Describe what you did

Result

Share the outcome with proof, if possible

1. Tell me about a time you worked in a team.

STAR template: In my final semester, our team had to submit a market research project. I was responsible for data collection and analysis. Two members were falling behind, so I divided the work into smaller parts and set internal deadlines. We completed the project two days early and received strong feedback for clarity.

2. Describe a conflict you handled.

STAR template: In one project, a teammate and I disagreed on the dashboard format. I suggested that we compare the two formats against the user requirements. We asked the project mentor for feedback and selected the simpler layout. This reduced confusion and helped us submit a better final version.

3. Give an example of leadership.

STAR template: During a college event, the registration process was delayed. I took ownership of the desk, assigned volunteers to separate counters, and created a quick tracking sheet. The queue was reduced within 30 minutes. The event started on time.

4. Tell me about a time you handled a difficult client or stakeholder.

STAR template: During my internship, a stakeholder was unhappy with repeated changes to reports. I scheduled a short call, listed all changes, and confirmed the final format before revising the report. This reduced rework and improved communication.

5. Tell me about a mistake you made.

Good answer: I once submitted a report with a formatting error in one section. The data was correct, but the presentation looked inconsistent. I informed my senior, corrected the report, and created a checklist for future submissions.

6. Tell me about a time you took ownership.

Good answer: In a project, one team member became unavailable close to the deadline. I took over part of the pending work, informed the team about the risk, and worked with another member to complete the task. We submitted on time without reducing quality.

EY Company Interview Questions - HR Round

HR questions are direct, but they need thoughtful answers. Avoid memorized lines. Speak naturally and connect your answer to the role.

1. Why do you want to join EY?

Good answer: I want to join EY because it offers exposure to strong clients, global teams, and structured learning. I also like that EY works across consulting, assurance, tax, strategy, and technology. This role aligns with my interests in problem-solving and client-focused work.

2. Tell me about yourself.

Good answer: I am a commerce graduate with a strong interest in audit and financial analysis. I have worked on academic projects involving financial statements, ratio analysis, and Excel-based reporting. I am detail-oriented and comfortable working with numbers. I am now looking for a role where I can apply these skills in real client work.

3. What are your career goals?

Good answer: My short-term goal is to build strong technical and client-handling skills in this role. Over time, I want to take ownership of larger workstreams and become someone who can independently guide junior team members and support clients.

4. Are you open to relocation?

Good answer: Yes, I am open to relocation if the role requires it. I would like to understand the location, team structure, and timeline, but I am flexible for the right opportunity.

5. What are your strengths?

Good answer: My strengths are structured thinking, accountability, and clear communication. I like breaking large tasks into smaller steps. I also keep stakeholders updated when timelines or risks change.

6. What is your weakness?

Good answer: Earlier, I used to spend too much time perfecting small details. I have improved by setting time limits and checking which tasks need deeper attention. This helps me balance quality and speed.

7. What are your salary expectations?

Good answer: I am open to a fair offer based on the role, my skills, and market standards. I would also like to understand the complete compensation structure, learning opportunities, and growth path.

8. Why should we hire you?

Good answer: You should hire me because I bring the skills needed for this role and the willingness to learn fast. I am comfortable with analysis, teamwork, and deadlines. I also take ownership of my work and communicate clearly when I need support.

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EY Interview Questions for Experienced Professionals

Experienced candidates are judged on depth, maturity, and business impact. You should speak about outcomes, not only tasks. Mention scale, stakeholders, risks, tools, timelines, and measurable results.

1. How do you manage stakeholders with different priorities?

Sample answer: I first identify each stakeholder’s goal and urgency. Then I separate must-have items from good-to-have items. If priorities conflict, I explain the trade-offs with data and timelines. I also document decisions to avoid confusion later.

2. Tell me about a time you handled a difficult client.

Sample answer: A client once escalated a delay in weekly reporting. I reviewed the process and found that source data was arriving late from two teams. I created a revised timeline, added a status tracker, and set a daily 10-minute sync until the issue was resolved.

3. How do you take ownership of a project?

Sample answer: I start by understanding the scope, success criteria, dependencies, and risks. I create a plan with milestones and owners. I track progress regularly and raise risks early. I also make sure the team understands the final business outcome.

4. How do you lead a team under pressure?

Sample answer: I stay calm and make the work visible. I break the deadline into smaller deliverables, assign clear owners, and remove blockers quickly. I also check quality at each stage so that pressure does not lead to avoidable errors.

5. How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams?

Sample answer: I use clear communication and shared documentation. Different teams may use different terms and priorities. I align everyone on the goal, timeline, dependencies, and expected output. I also confirm decisions in writing after important discussions.

6. How do you handle process improvement?

Sample answer: I look for repeated delays, manual steps, rework, and error points. Then I check whether the issue needs automation, better ownership, clearer templates, or training. In one project, I reduced report preparation time by standardizing inputs and creating a validation checklist.

7. What is your approach to client communication?

Sample answer: I keep communication clear, timely, and action-oriented. I share what has been completed, what is pending, what risks exist, and what decision is needed from the client’s side.

Final Tips to Prepare for EY Interviews

  • Start with the job description. List every skill mentioned in it. Prepare one example for each skill. Revise your resume, as many technical and managerial questions stem from it.
  • For aptitude, practice basic math, reasoning, communication, and workplace judgment. For technical rounds, revise core concepts and tools. 
  • For behavioral rounds, prepare six to eight STAR stories. Cover teamwork, conflict, leadership, mistakes, ownership, deadline pressure, and client communication.
  • Keep your answers simple. Interviewers prefer clear thinking, honest examples, and practical judgment. 
  • EY interviews are designed to understand how you think, work, communicate, and learn. Show that through real examples.
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Key Takeaways

  • Freshers should prepare for aptitude tests, logical reasoning, communication, situational judgment, basic technical questions, and project discussions. 
  • Experienced candidates should prepare for stakeholder management, client handling, project ownership, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. 
  • Use the STAR method for behavioral questions. Keep answers clear and example-backed.