EY - interview guide

EY interview questions - a complete guide

EY GDS hires freshers into tracks such as technology consulting, data, cybersecurity and risk. Here is how to prepare for the assessment and the interview.

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About EY

EY (Ernst & Young) is one of the world's largest professional services firms - assurance, consulting and tax. In India, freshers join EY GDS centres in technology, data, cybersecurity and risk tracks.

This guide covers 12 EY interview questions with answers - what each question checks and how to answer it - plus the EY interview process, round by round, a 7-day preparation plan for freshers, tips and the mistakes to avoid.

EY hiring process

  1. Interviews

    According to EY's official 'How we hire' page, interviews can be in person, by phone or by video.

  2. Written assessment

    According to EY's official page, you may have to take a written assessment online or at a testing centre.

  3. Changes by role

    According to EY's official page, the structure of the process depends on the country, service line and role.

The three points above are from EY India's official 'How we hire' page. The exact order of the aptitude test and the technical and HR rounds is commonly reported and varies by track.

Sources (checked 15 October 2026): How we hire at EY India (ey.com). Hiring processes change - read the official notice before you apply.

EY interview questions and answers

Technical / role questions

  1. 1.What is the CIA triad in cybersecurity?

    What they're checking
    Security basics - essential for the cybersecurity track.
    How to answer
    Confidentiality (only the right people see it), Integrity (the data isn't altered), Availability (it is there when needed). One example for each.

  2. 2.What is phishing and how do you spot it?

    What they're checking
    Security awareness.
    How to answer
    A fake email or message that steals passwords or money. Be suspicious of the sender address, odd links and urgent language.

  3. 3.What is risk management?

    What they're checking
    For the risk advisory track.
    How to answer
    What could go wrong, how big the impact is, and how to reduce it - identify, assess, mitigate, monitor.

  4. 4.How do you use COUNT, SUM and AVG in SQL?

    What they're checking
    Basics for the data track.
    How to answer
    With a sales table: how many orders (COUNT), total sales (SUM), average order (AVG) - with GROUP BY.

HR and values

  1. 5.Why EY GDS?

    What they're checking
    Motivation.
    How to answer
    The chance to learn with global clients across tracks - link the track you want to your goal.

  2. 6.What would you do if you noticed a senior's mistake at work?

    What they're checking
    Integrity - very important in professional services.
    How to answer
    Raise it respectfully, in private and with facts. Hiding it or saying it in front of everyone are both wrong.

  3. 7.Tell me about a team project and your part in it.

    What they're checking
    Teamwork.
    How to answer
    In STAR: the situation, your role, what you did, the result.

More questions

  1. 8.What is India's DPDP Act about?

    What they're checking
    Data privacy awareness - important in consulting.
    How to answer
    The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 - rules for how people's personal data is collected, used and kept safe.

  2. 9.Why is two-factor authentication important?

    What they're checking
    Security.
    How to answer
    A second proof (an OTP, an app) alongside the password - the account stays safe even if the password is stolen.

  3. 10.What would you do first when a security incident happens?

    What they're checking
    Incident response.
    How to answer
    Limit the damage (isolate the system), preserve logs and evidence, tell the right team immediately, then investigate and fix.

  4. 11.What is data validation in Excel?

    What they're checking
    Data quality.
    How to answer
    Allowing only the right kind of data into a cell - like a dropdown list or a number range.

  5. 12.Tell me about a time a deadline was about to be missed.

    What they're checking
    Planning and communication.
    How to answer
    How you found out early, whom you told and when, which priorities changed, and the result.

7-day preparation plan for the EY interview

  1. Day 1: Aptitude.
  2. Day 2: The basics of your track (cyber, data, risk, tech).
  3. Day 3: SQL and Excel.
  4. Day 4: Security basics - CIA, phishing, 2FA.
  5. Day 5: Integrity and ethics scenarios.
  6. Day 6: Video interview setup and practice.
  7. Day 7: A mock interview.

Preparation tips

  • Decide your track (tech consulting, data, cyber, risk) first and focus on its basics.
  • For a video interview, check your camera, light and sound in advance.
  • Always answer integrity questions honestly and according to process.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Generic preparation without deciding a track.
  • Answering an ethics question with something like 'I'd let it go'.
  • Setting up for the video interview at the last minute.

Frequently asked questions

How does the EY interview work?

According to EY's official page, in person, by phone or by video; sometimes with a written assessment too. The structure depends on the role.

Which tracks does EY GDS offer freshers?

Commonly reported: technology consulting, data and analytics, cybersecurity and risk advisory.

Is there an aptitude test at EY?

An aptitude test has been reported in many GDS drives; EY's official page says there may be a written assessment.

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