Interview Guides
Everything we know about interviewing at Ernst & Young: the process stage by stage, what each round tests, compensation by level, and reports from candidates who interviewed.
What the process looks like, and what Ernst & Young is really testing for.
Ernst and Young interviews are structured like layered filters. Across roles, you typically start with an Initial Screening step that often uses a recruiter phone call or an automated platform, then move into Technical Assessments and later into Behavioral and managerial discussions. Candidate reports also describe stages that feel segmented, sometimes split across days, with pacing and format constraints being part of what they evaluate.
What shows up most in their question data is heavy on data and programming, and heavy on retrieval augmented generation. SQL is the top topic by prominence, followed closely by Python and RAG, with other frequent areas like Java, SQL subqueries, data structures and algorithms, Spring Boot, and case study analysis. They also include identity and access management, and for the accounting context they include financial analysis as a prominent topic.
The process appears to end with multiple fit and leadership style evaluations, often including manager or partner-level discussions, plus at least some client or scenario oriented rounds depending on the path you are on. Based on the candidate dataset, you should also assume difficulty will range mostly from medium to hard, but you should not expect offers in this dataset, since the aggregated offer rate reported is 0.0%.
RAG and SQL are extremely prominent in their topic data, and the reports emphasize that some rounds calibrate both how you think and how you perform under strict format and timing constraints, so practicing explanations under time pressure is as important as knowing the concepts.
4 stages, based on 500 candidate reports.
You start with an initial assessment to gauge background and alignment, often via recruiter interaction or an automated platform. Candidate reports describe recruiter phone calls and video or external evaluation formats, and some paths include additional online filtering before you move to deeper interviews.
You move into technical evaluation, described as including live coding and case study interviews in some roles. Other reports emphasize case components and structured assessments with time constraints, and the topic data indicates high prominence for SQL, Python, RAG, and also for financial analysis and IAM depending on the role.
You are evaluated for communication skills, cultural fit, and how you collaborate and lead based on past experiences. Candidate reports describe manager discussions that can feel tense if questions are unclear, and the process includes multiple managerial or partner level style evaluations in some paths.
Some paths end with cultural fit interviews with Senior Managers and Partners, plus behavioral storytelling and final leadership discussions. At least one reported client focused round is scenario based and tests broad infrastructure and platform reasoning alongside SQL in that example.
How often each skill shows up across reported interview loops.
Each guide has the questions Ernst & Young interviewers actually ask, the loop structure, and total compensation by level.
Estimated total compensation: base salary plus stock and annual cash bonus.
Patterns from candidates who got offers, and the mistakes that most often sink a loop.
Read what candidates said about interviewing at Ernst & Young: the loop, difficulty, and outcomes, straight from recent reports for each role.
Answered from real candidate and workplace data, marked up for rich results.
Verbatim snippets pulled from employee and candidate reviews.
Great benefits and friendly people make for a positive work environment, despite the long hours.
The benefits are excellent, and the team is incredibly friendly.
Long hours can be challenging.
Be prepared for demanding hours if you join the team.
The workload can be overwhelming at times.
The diversity of work is commendable, providing a range of experiences.
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