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Big Four Assurance & Consulting — 2026 Interview Guide

EY Interview Questions 2026: Complete Guide

Competency and strengths questions with model answers, commercial awareness, technical content, and what EY interviewers are actually assessing at every stage.

5Competency questions
3Commercial questions
2Technical questions
2026Fully updated
Section 01

EY Interview Process Overview

The EY recruitment process moves candidates through aptitude testing, one or more interviews, and an assessment centre. Understanding each stage — and what it specifically assesses — lets you allocate preparation time correctly.

Stage 1

SHL Online Tests

Numerical, Verbal, Inductive. ~70th percentile threshold.

Stage 2

EY Strengths Assessment

Online strengths questionnaire — no right/wrong answers. Answer genuinely.

Stage 3

Video / Phone Interview

Strengths-based questions. Not traditional competency STAR format.

Stage 4

EY Assessment Centre

Strengths interview + group exercise + written case. Partner/director panel.

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Aptitude tests come before interviews — pass those first

No matter how strong your interview preparation is, you won't reach the interview stage without passing EY's online aptitude tests. See our EY aptitude guide and free practice tests before focusing on interview prep.

Section 02

Competency & Behavioural Questions

These questions ask you to evidence past behaviour as a predictor of future performance. Use the STAR framework — Situation, Task, Action, Result — and keep answers to 2–3 minutes unless probed further.

Question 1EY — Strengths / Achievement
"What are you most proud of achieving and why? (Strengths-based)"
What they're assessing & how to answer
EY uses strengths-based interviewing — questions focus on what energises you, not just what you've done. This question looks for genuine pride and authentic motivation. Pick something you truly care about, where your natural abilities shone. The 'why' is the most important part — explain what this achievement reveals about what drives you.
Question 2EY — Strengths / Energy
"When do you feel most energised at work or in your studies?"
What they're assessing & how to answer
EY's strengths model predicts performance from energy and natural inclination — not just past behaviour. Be honest. If you're energised by solving analytical problems, say so specifically. If it's client interaction or creative thinking, explain with a concrete example. Answers that try to mirror what you think EY wants are easily detectable.
Question 3Teaming / Inclusion
"Tell me about a time you worked in a diverse team and what you contributed."
What they're assessing & how to answer
EY's 'Teaming' value emphasises diverse, collaborative work. Show that you actively valued different perspectives — not just tolerated them. Describe specifically how your team's diversity improved the outcome.
Question 4Courage to lead
"Describe a situation where you showed courage in a professional or academic context."
What they're assessing & how to answer
EY explicitly values courage to lead. Pick an example where you took a position, raised a concern, or made a decision that required you to step outside your comfort zone. Show that the courage was principled and had a positive outcome.
Question 5Learning agility
"Tell me about a time when you had to learn something new very quickly."
What they're assessing & how to answer
EY's work involves frequent context-switching across industries and service types. Show that you're a fast, self-directed learner — specifically how you approached the learning (structured vs self-directed), how you validated your understanding, and how it impacted performance.
Section 03

Commercial Awareness Questions

Commercial awareness questions assess whether you understand the business environment EY operates in. There are no single correct answers — interviewers reward structured thinking, genuine views, and specific knowledge over generic talking points.

Commercial Awareness Question 1
"What is EY's most significant growth opportunity over the next five years?"
Strong answer framework
EY's consulting and technology transformation practice (EY-Parthenon + Technology Consulting) is a genuine growth engine as the firm diversifies away from audit revenue. ESG assurance is a newer but rapidly growing service line. Tax technology and automation is another. Pick one angle and have a specific view — not just 'technology and ESG'.
Commercial Awareness Question 2
"Why EY over the other Big Four?"
Strong answer framework
Specific answers perform best: EY's strengths-based culture (if you've genuinely researched it and find it authentic), a specific EY service line's market position, EY's approach to a particular sector, or something specific about EY's growth strategy. Avoid: 'culture is friendly', 'global network', 'great training' — these apply equally to all Big Four.
Commercial Awareness Question 3
"What do you think is the most important issue in financial reporting right now?"
Strong answer framework
Strong themes: sustainability/ESG disclosure standards (ISSB/CSRD frameworks), the reliability of management judgments in impairment and fair value measurement, audit quality following recent high-profile failures, and AI's role in financial reporting both as a risk and an efficiency tool. Have a view, not just a list.
Section 04

Technical Questions

Technical questions at EY test domain knowledge relevant to the role. For consulting firms, this means frameworks and structured problem-solving. For audit and advisory, this means accounting and financial analysis concepts.

Technical Question 1Technical
"What is deferred tax and why does it arise?"
Model answer
Deferred tax arises from temporary differences between the accounting carrying value of assets/liabilities and their tax base. Example: a company claims accelerated tax depreciation (reducing taxable profit now) but uses straight-line accounting depreciation (higher carrying value). This creates a deferred tax liability — tax will be paid in the future when the timing difference reverses. Deferred tax assets arise from losses carried forward or provisions deductible for tax only when paid.
Technical Question 2Technical
"A company's audit committee asks you to explain the key audit risks for this year's audit. What would you cover?"
Model answer
Revenue recognition (timing, completeness, cut-off), impairment of goodwill and other intangibles (management judgment, sensitivity), going concern (if there are indicators), related party transactions (disclosure and arms-length pricing), and any industry-specific risks (e.g. inventory valuation for retailers, loan impairment for banks). This is an auditor-thinking question — show you understand where management has discretion and where risk of misstatement is highest.
Section 05

Preparation Tips

  • EY's strengths-based format is genuinely different from Deloitte/KPMG competency interviews. Don't prepare polished STAR answers and deliver them robotically — EY interviewers can tell. Reflect on what genuinely energises you and practise talking about it naturally.
  • Complete EY's online strengths questionnaire quickly and honestly. Inconsistent or over-optimised responses are detectable. The questionnaire is used to identify your strengths profile for discussion in the interview.
  • Know EY's five service lines: Assurance, Tax, Strategy and Transactions (SaT/EY-Parthenon), Consulting, and People Advisory Services. Know the difference between Assurance and Consulting especially — conflating them is a basic preparation failure.
  • EY's assessment centre group exercise assesses collaborative strengths, not dominance. Assessors mark active listening, building on others' ideas, and drawing quieter members into the discussion — not just the volume of contributions.
  • For commercial questions: EY has published extensively on its own transformation strategy, AI integration, and ESG service development. Reading EY's own thought leadership before your interview lets you reference it specifically — a strong differentiator.

Prepare for the Full EY Process

Strong interview performance starts with passing the aptitude screen. Make sure you're ready.

Start Free Practice Tests →EY Aptitude Test Guide →