A Comprehensive Guide to EY Interview Questions (+ Tips)

If you’re considering a career at Ernst & Young — AKA EY — you might be wondering what to expect during the interview process. Preparing for an EY interview can be a daunting task, but with the right strategies and knowledge, you can increase your chances of success. 

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the EY interview process, including the difficulty level, common questions, and tips on how to prepare.

What to Know About the EY Interview

If you’re interviewing for an EY position, you should feel excited — it’s a great opportunity. Here’s what to know about the EY interview.

What percentage of EY applicants get interviews?

EY is one of the largest accounting firms in the world, receiving thousands of job applications each year. However, the company is highly selective, and only a small percentage of applicants get invited for an interview. The acceptance rate for an EY interview is around 9%, making it a highly competitive process, according to Glassdoor.

How hard is the EY interview?

The difficulty of an EY interview depends on several factors, such as the position you’re applying for, your experience level, and the interviewer’s style. However, overall, EY interviews are considered moderately challenging.

The company places a strong emphasis on cultural fit and values-driven leadership, so you can expect questions related to teamwork, integrity, and problem-solving abilities.

How many interview rounds at EY should you expect?

The EY interview process typically involves multiple rounds, each with a specific purpose. The number of rounds varies depending on the position you’re applying for, your experience level, and the interviewer’s discretion. 

Generally, you can expect at least two to three rounds, including a phone or virtual interview, a group assessment, and an in-person interview. For higher-level positions, there may be additional rounds, such as case studies or presentations.

How to Use AI to Practice for the EY Interview

One way to improve your chances of acing the EY interview is to practice your interviewing skills. Although you can always practice in front of a mirror, Yoodli is a much better option.

Yoodli is an AI-powered interview coach that provides feedback on your key points, filler words, rambling, and body language. Yoodli can help you improve your performance in a judgment-free environment.

Start by customizing your virtual interview. That includes choosing the role you want to apply for, the company you want to apply to (like Ernst & Young), and even the interviewer’s personality.

Most importantly, you can choose actual EY interview questions to practice.

Other ways to practice for the interview include: 

• Researching the company’s culture and values
• Preparing answers to common interview questions
• Conducting mock interviews with friends or colleagues

You can also review the job description and the qualifications required to ensure you have a clear understanding of what the company is looking for.

Common EY Questions

During the interview process, you can expect to be asked a variety of questions related to your skills, experience, and personality. Here are some common EY interview questions you might encounter.

Behavioral questions

Behavioral questions are open-ended questions. You can expect questions like:

• Tell me about a time when you had to work under pressure.
• Describe a situation when you had to handle a difficult client.
• Give me an example of a project you completed successfully.
• Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a new situation.

Technical questions

Technical questions, on the other hand, are specific to the position you’re interviewing for. These could include queries like:

• How would you perform a financial analysis of a company?
• What accounting standards do you use for auditing?
• How do you handle complex tax issues?
• How do you ensure compliance with regulations?

Fit questions

Fit questions are designed to test whether or not you’d be a good culture fit. These could include questions like:

• Why do you want to work at EY?
• How do you demonstrate leadership?
• How do you handle conflicts in a team?
• What are your long-term career goals?

EY Interview Tips

To best prepare for your upcoming EY interview, here are some tips directly from Ernst & Young to make sure you ace your interview. 

General tips

In general, here are some tips to help you nail that EY interview. Make sure you:

• Are familiar with behavioral questions and that style of interviewing
• Know why you want to work at EY
• Understand the role you’re applying for
• Know what transferable skills you have
• Have an elevator pitch ready to go 
• Know who the interviewers are
• Make eye contact and use body language, like hand gestures
• Have questions to ask the interviewers at the end of the conversation

Tips for a video interview

Nowadays, video interviews are even more common due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a video interview, make sure you:

• Don’t take the interview outside
• Have a stable internet connection and a quiet, calm environment to interview in
• Don’t read pre-prepared answers to interview questions
• Read and follow any guidelines (especially if it’s a pre-recorded video)
• Use headphones or earbuds (this will decrease any unwanted background noise)
• Dress professionally 
• Are engaging
• Speak clearly

After Your EY Interview

As briefly mentioned above, make sure that after your EY interview, you take the time to send some kind of follow-up note. This could be in the form of an email or a handwritten note or card you send in the mail. You can also follow up via a call. It’s a great idea to mention one point that you’d like them to remember about you. 

If you happen to have any connections at EY, use those to your advantage. You can reach out to people you know at EY to let them know you’re in the interview process. 

Remember to be professional. It’s not a good idea to call back the next day asking if you got the job. A good rule of thumb is to wait until EY reaches out to you.

The Main Takeaway

Preparing for an EY interview can be challenging, but with the right mindset, skills, and knowledge, you can increase your chances of success. 

By practicing your interviewing skills via Yoodli, researching the company, and putting in significant work preparing for your big day, you’ll increase your confidence and your chances of snagging the job.