EY Interview Questions & Answers 2026: Assurance, Tax & Consulting

Questions candidates ask AI assistants about EY interviews

Quick answers to the things people most often ask — each links to the detailed section below.

• Is the EY interview difficult? Moderate. The assessments filter early; the interviews are fair if you're authentic and prepared. See the process.
• How many rounds are there at EY? Usually two to four — online assessments, a video interview, then an assessment centre or panel. See the process.
• What is an EY strengths-based interview? Rapid questions about what you enjoy and do well, judged on authenticity not scripts. See the strengths round.
• What's a good "Why EY?" answer? Link "building a better working world" to the service line and what you want to learn. See the answer.
• What technical questions come up in EY assurance interviews? The three statements, assertions, materiality, IFRS 15/16, US GAAP vs IFRS. See assurance.
• What should I expect in an EY tax interview? Why tax, avoidance vs evasion, transfer pricing, direct vs indirect tax. See tax.
• How do EY consulting / Parthenon case interviews work? Structure first, then solve — using profitability, market-entry and pricing frameworks. See consulting.
• What is EY GDS and how is its interview different? EY's global delivery arm — more emphasis on US GAAP/IFRS and remote teaming. See the GDS note.
• What does EY look for in candidates? Teaming, problem-solving, communication, leadership, integrity and curiosity. See the framework.
• How do I prepare for an EY partner interview? Motivation, leadership stories, a difficult-client example and career goals — kept conversational. See the partner round.

On this page

• The EY interview process
• EY's strengths-based interview
• What EY looks for
• Why EY? & motivational questions
• Assurance (audit) questions
• Tax questions
• Consulting & Parthenon questions
• Risk & internal audit questions
• Behavioural & competency bank
• Partner / final-round questions
• By experience level
• EY vs Deloitte vs PwC vs KPMG
• Credentials that strengthen your profile
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Tips & cheat sheet
• FAQ

The EY interview process

The exact steps vary by role and country, but most EY processes follow this shape:

• Q: How many rounds does EY have, and how hard is it?

  What to know: Typically two to four. The online assessments filter heavily early on, so prepare for those; the interviews themselves are fair. Experienced-hire processes lean more on technical depth and the partner conversation.

• Q: How long does the EY hiring process take?

  What to know: Often around two to four weeks for experienced hires, longer for campus intakes that run through assessment centres. Following up politely after a week is fine if you haven't heard back.

EY's strengths-based interview

EY is well known for strengths-based interviewing — rapid questions about what you enjoy and naturally do well, rather than only "tell me about a time" competency questions. There's no scripting your way through these; the goal is to see the real you and whether your strengths fit the role.

• Q: What do you enjoy doing most?

  Approach: Answer honestly and quickly, then link it to the role — if you love structuring messy problems, that's a natural fit for audit or consulting. Authenticity reads better than a "perfect" answer.

• Q: What energises you, and what drains you?

  Approach: Be genuine but self-aware — name a real energiser tied to the work, and a drainer you manage rather than one that would make the job miserable.

• Q: Do you prefer starting tasks or finishing them?

  Approach: There's no right answer — explain your natural style and how you handle the other end. Self-knowledge is what they're testing.

• Q: What are you good at that you're known for?

  Approach: Pick a genuine strength relevant to the role and give a quick, concrete proof point rather than just a label.

What EY looks for in candidates

Nearly every question on this page maps back to a small set of qualities. Keep these in mind and your answers will feel coherent and on-brand.

Why EY? & motivational questions

These open almost every EY interview. Specificity is everything — name the service line, the type of clients, and what you want to learn.

• Q: Why do you want to work at EY?

  Model answer: "EY's purpose — 'building a better working world' — genuinely resonates, and its integrated model across assurance, tax, consulting and strategy means broad exposure early. I'm drawn to the global footprint, especially the chance to work on international clients, and to a culture that hires for strengths and invests heavily in development. I want to build deep expertise somewhere that will stretch me."

• Q: What do you know about EY?

  Model answer: "EY is one of the Big Four, operating across Assurance, Tax, Consulting, and Strategy and Transactions, with EY-Parthenon as its strategy arm. Through EY GDS it delivers global engagements on US GAAP and IFRS from India and other hubs. Its purpose is 'building a better working world', and it's known for a strengths-based culture."

• Q: Why this service line (assurance / tax / consulting)?

  Model answer: "I'm drawn to assurance because it gives me a window into how businesses really run and builds a technical foundation I can take anywhere." (Swap in tax — "I enjoy applying detailed law to real situations" — or consulting — "I like structuring messy problems and seeing recommendations land.") Always tie it to a genuine strength.

• Q: Why are you leaving your current firm?

  Model answer: "I've learned a lot, but I'm looking for larger, more complex or more global engagements and the development EY offers." Keep it forward-looking and positive — never criticise your current employer.

EY assurance (audit) interview questions

Assurance interviews test whether you understand the numbers and the audit itself. Below: quick-fire fundamentals for freshers, then applied fundamentals, IFRS/US GAAP (key for EY GDS), and manager-level judgement.

EY assurance interview questions for freshers

Campus and entry candidates get asked crisp definitions. Know these cold:

• Q: What is depreciation?

  Model answer: "The systematic allocation of a tangible asset's cost over its useful life — for example straight-line or reducing-balance — matching the cost to the periods that benefit from the asset."

• Q: What is revenue recognition?

  Model answer: "Recording revenue when control of a good or service transfers to the customer and the performance obligation is satisfied — the IFRS 15 five-step model — not simply when cash is received."

• Q: What is an audit assertion?

  Model answer: "A claim management makes in the financial statements — such as existence, completeness or valuation — that the auditor designs procedures to test."

• Q: What's the difference between internal and external audit?

  Model answer: "External audit gives shareholders an opinion on the financial statements; internal audit evaluates risk management, controls and governance for the board and management. Internal audit is broader and ongoing."

Applied fundamentals

• Q: Walk me through the three financial statements and how they connect.

  Model answer: "Net income from the income statement flows into retained earnings on the balance sheet; the balance sheet's closing cash ties back to the cash flow statement; and the cash flow statement bridges net income to cash through working-capital movements and non-cash adjustments. They're three views of the same business."

• Q: What is the objective of an audit?

  Model answer: "To obtain reasonable — not absolute — assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and give a true and fair view. The output is an opinion, not a guarantee."

• Q: What is materiality and how is it set?

  Model answer: "A misstatement is material if it could influence users' economic decisions. We set it against a benchmark — a percentage of profit before tax, revenue or assets — adjusted for qualitative factors, with performance materiality set lower to reduce aggregation risk."

• Q: Difference between substantive testing and tests of controls?

  Model answer: "Tests of controls check whether a client's controls operate effectively; substantive procedures — tests of detail and analytical procedures — test the figures themselves. The stronger the controls, the more we can rely on them and reduce substantive work."

• Q: Accruals vs provisions — when would you challenge a client's number?

  Model answer: "An accrual is a known, measurable liability; a provision (IAS 37) needs a present obligation, a probable outflow, and a reliable estimate. I'd challenge a provision if those criteria aren't met or the estimate isn't supported by evidence."

IFRS & US GAAP technical (key for EY GDS)

EY GDS (Global Delivery Services) supports global EY teams on US GAAP and IFRS engagements, so dual-framework fluency is a real advantage for these roles.

• Q: Take me through the five steps of IFRS 15.

  Model answer: "Identify the contract, identify the performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate it to the obligations, and recognise revenue as each obligation is satisfied." (IFRS 15 and 16 are core DipIFR and AICPA IFRS Certificate territory.)

• Q: How does IFRS 16 change a lessee's statements?

  Model answer: "Almost all leases come on balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. Depreciation and interest replace the old rent expense, so EBITDA and gearing both rise — which matters for covenants and ratios."

• Q: Name some key differences between US GAAP and IFRS.

  Model answer: "LIFO is permitted under US GAAP but not IFRS; development costs can be capitalised under IAS 38 but are generally expensed under US GAAP; IFRS allows a revaluation model for PP&E, US GAAP doesn't. For EY GDS work, that dual-framework fluency matters." (CPA US plus the AICPA IFRS Certificate signal exactly this.)

• Q: How do you use data analytics in an audit?

  Model answer: "To test full populations rather than samples — analysing every journal entry for anomalies and flagging outliers for follow-up, using tools like EY Helix. It sharpens risk assessment and frees time for judgement areas." (The AICPA Data Analytics Certificate maps directly.)

Experienced / manager level

• Q: How do you review a junior's working papers and coach an underperformer mid-engagement?

  Model answer: "I review for sufficient appropriate evidence and conclusions that actually address the risk, not just completed tick-boxes. With an underperformer I give specific, early feedback, re-perform a sample together, and set checkpoints — protecting both the deadline and audit quality."

• Q: Walk me through a going-concern judgement you owned.

  Model answer: "I assessed the 12-month horizon against management's cash-flow forecasts, stress-tested the assumptions, and weighed mitigating factors like undrawn facilities and shareholder support. We concluded a material uncertainty existed and ensured the disclosure and audit report reflected it (ISA 570)."

• Q: How do you handle a budget overrun or a difficult client on an engagement?

  Model answer: "Scope discipline first, then early escalation to the partner rather than absorbing it silently. I'll have the change-of-scope conversation with the client professionally, manage recovery, and never let fee pressure compromise the audit."

EY tax interview questions

Tax interviews reward technical precision and genuine interest in the law. Tailor to the sub-line — direct tax, indirect tax/GST, transfer pricing, or international/US tax (common in EY GDS and International Tax and Transaction Services).

• Q: Why tax rather than assurance?

  Model answer: "I enjoy the depth — applying detailed, ever-changing law to real commercial situations and finding legitimate, defensible answers. Tax rewards precision and curiosity, and it's a specialism I want to build a career in."

• Q: Difference between tax avoidance, tax evasion and tax planning?

  Model answer: "Tax planning and avoidance use legal means to reduce liability — though aggressive avoidance carries reputational and anti-avoidance risk — while evasion is illegal concealment or misrepresentation. The line I work to is legal, transparent, and defensible to the authority."

• Q: What is transfer pricing and why does it matter?

  Model answer: "It's the pricing of transactions between related entities across borders, governed by the arm's-length principle. It determines where profit — and tax — lands, and it's heavily scrutinised, so documentation is critical." (Cross-border and US tax work is exactly what the AICPA International Tax Certificate covers.)

• Q: Explain the difference between direct and indirect tax.

  Model answer: "Direct tax is levied on income or profits and borne by the same person — income tax, corporate tax. Indirect tax is levied on consumption and passed to the end consumer — GST/VAT. They raise very different compliance and planning issues."

• Q: How do you stay current with tax changes?

  Model answer: "Budget updates, professional bulletins, firm technical alerts, and continuing education. Tax moves constantly, so staying current is part of doing the job accurately." (For US tax roles, the Enrolled Agent credential is the recognised marker.)

• Q: A client wants an aggressive position you're uncomfortable with. What do you do?

  Model answer: "I'd research the technical merits, set out the risks and the likely authority view clearly, and escalate to a senior or partner. I'd never sign off on something I couldn't defend — protecting the client and the firm means being honest about risk."

EY consulting & EY-Parthenon interview questions

EY Consulting and EY-Parthenon (strategy) lean on structured problem-solving and case interviews rather than accounting technicals. Think out loud and structure before you solve.

• Q: Why consulting, and why EY / EY-Parthenon?

  Model answer: "I like turning ambiguous problems into structured recommendations and working across industries. EY's breadth — strategy through technology and transactions — means I'd see recommendations actually implemented, and EY-Parthenon offers strategy work with the backing of a global firm."

• Q: How would you size the market for electric vehicles in India? (guesstimate)

  Model answer: "I'd state my approach first: start from population, segment by households who can afford a car, apply a realistic EV adoption rate, factor in replacement cycles, then sense-check against known figures. The number matters less than a clear, logical structure."

• Q: A client's profits are falling. How would you diagnose it?

  Model answer: "I'd structure it as profit = revenue − cost, then branch each side: revenue into volume and price by segment; cost into fixed and variable. I'd isolate where the decline sits before recommending anything, and validate with data."

• Q: Tell me about a time you solved a problem with limited information.

  Model answer (STAR): "(Situation) A project needed a recommendation with incomplete data and a tight deadline. (Task) I had to give a defensible answer anyway. (Action) I framed clear assumptions, used the data we had, and flagged the sensitivities. (Result) The client accepted the recommendation and the assumptions held up."

Common EY case interview frameworks

You don't need to memorise frameworks, but these structures help you organise any case fast:

EY risk & internal audit questions

Risk consulting and internal audit roles test risk-and-controls thinking. (For more, see our internal audit and GRC guides.)

• Q: What is a risk?

  Model answer: "The effect of uncertainty on objectives — anything that could stop the business achieving its goals. We assess each by likelihood and impact to prioritise where controls and effort go."

• Q: Preventive vs detective controls?

  Model answer: "Preventive controls stop errors or fraud before they happen — approvals, segregation of duties, access restrictions. Detective controls find them after the fact — reconciliations, exception reports. A good environment uses both."

• Q: Explain the three lines model.

  Model answer: "The first line owns and manages risk; the second provides oversight (risk and compliance); the third gives independent assurance (internal audit). It clarifies who does what so risks don't fall through the gaps."

• Q: What is COSO?

  Model answer: "The widely used internal control framework — five components: control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, and monitoring. It's the backbone of how controls are designed and evaluated." (The CIA is the recognised credential here, with CISA for IT audit.)

EY behavioural & competency questions

Alongside strengths questions, EY asks competency questions mapped to the qualities above. Answer these with STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), and prepare four to six stories you can flex.

• Q: Tell me about a time you led a team.

  Approach: Pick a story with a clear outcome you drove. Show how you set direction, brought people with you, and what measurably improved.

• Q: Describe a time you worked in a difficult team or handled conflict.

  Approach: Focus on how you understood the other view, found common ground, and kept the work on track — not on blaming anyone.

• Q: Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake.

  Approach: Own it honestly, then spend most of the answer on what you changed and learned. Recovery and self-awareness are the point.

• Q: Describe a time you met a tight deadline under pressure.

  Approach: Show prioritisation, communication, and a concrete result — busy-season examples land well for assurance and tax.

• Q: Tell me about a time you influenced someone without authority.

  Approach: Demonstrate listening, evidence, and tailoring your case to what the other person cared about.

• Q: Give an example of going above and beyond for a client or team.

  Approach: Pick something genuine and specific; tie it to client service or quality, which EY values highly.

• Q: Describe a time you adapted to a significant change.

  Approach: Show flexibility and a positive, solution-focused response — relevant to fast-changing client environments.

• Q: How do you handle critical feedback?

  Approach: Show you seek it out, act on it, and don't take it personally — give a real before/after example.

EY partner / final-round interview questions

The final round with a partner or director is more conversational — it tests maturity, fit and long-term potential rather than textbook technicals. Be yourself, be specific, and have questions ready.

• Q: Why EY, at this stage of your career?

  Approach: Go beyond training and brand — talk about the clients, the global platform, and the kind of leader you want to become here.

• Q: Why should we hire you?

  Approach: Give your differentiated value in two or three sentences — a blend of technical strength, client/people skills, and a track record of results.

• Q: Tell me about a difficult client and how you handled it.

  Approach (STAR): Show composure, communication, and a resolution that protected both the relationship and quality.

• Q: What's the biggest mistake of your career, and what did you learn?

  Approach: Be honest and specific, then focus on the lasting change it drove. Partners value self-awareness.

• Q: Give me a leadership example.

  Approach (STAR): Show you set direction, developed people, and delivered — ideally with a measurable outcome.

• Q: Where do you see your career in five years?

  Approach: Aligned ambition — qualifying or deepening expertise, then taking on engagement and people leadership at EY.

EY interview questions by experience level

The same questions are pitched at different depths depending on your level. Find your row.

• Q (1–3 yrs): Walk me through an audit you worked on, start to finish.

  Model answer: "I'd cover the planning and risk assessment, the areas I owned — say receivables and revenue — the procedures I performed, the issues I raised, and how they were cleared. Keep it concrete: show what you did, not what the team did."

• Q (5–8 yrs): Why move firms after eight years?

  Model answer: "I've built strong technical and leadership foundations and I'm ready for larger, more complex or more global clients and the platform EY offers at this level. It's about scaling my impact, not leaving something behind." Handle it with confidence and zero negativity.

EY vs Deloitte vs PwC vs KPMG interviews

The Big Four overlap heavily, and a lot comes down to the office and role — but candidates report some broad differences in emphasis:

Treat these as tendencies, not rules — all four test motivation, technicals and behaviours. Prepare the fundamentals and you're covered for any of them.

Credentials that strengthen an EY profile

A certification won't win you the offer on its own — but for a Big Four role, the right one signals you're job-ready. Match it to your target service line:

Common EY interview mistakes to avoid

• Over-scripting the strengths round — EY is testing authenticity; rehearsed answers backfire.
• A generic "Why EY?" — that could apply to any Big Four firm.
• Not knowing EY's service lines — or which one you're interviewing for.
• Reciting memorised definitions without being able to apply them.
• Weak or vague STAR examples — no situation, no measurable result.
• Not asking questions at the end, or talking about responsibilities instead of achievements.

EY interview tips & cheat sheet

Before the interview

• Prepare for the strengths round — know what energises you and what you're naturally good at, and be ready to answer fast and honestly.
• Make "Why EY" specific — tie "building a better working world" to the service line and what you want to learn.
• Revise your technicals — the three statements and IFRS for assurance, core law for tax, case structures for consulting.
• Match your depth to your level — fundamentals if you're junior, judgement and leadership if you're senior.
• Prepare questions to ask — see our end-of-interview questions guide, and send a thank-you email afterwards.

EY interview FAQ

Related interview guides

• Deloitte interview questions
• PWC interview questions
• KPMG interview questions
• Internal audit interview questions
• GRC interview questions
• Questions to ask at the end of an interview
• Thank you email after interview