AI mock interview
Finance mock interview
A finance mock interview on Mentari is a 20- or 40-minute voice or text interview built from your résumé, the job description and research on the firm. The AI interviewer covers accounting, valuation, markets and fit for roles such as investment banking, equity research, credit and corporate finance, asks the follow-up that tests whether you understand the concept behind your answer, and ties each of six competency scores to a quote from your transcript.
Who this is for
MBA finance students, CA and CFA candidates, commerce and engineering graduates applying to banks, research houses, NBFCs and corporate finance teams.
What a finance interview tests — and how Mentari runs each part
| Round | What it tests | What Mentari does |
|---|---|---|
| Résumé and motivation | Why finance, why this desk, and what you have done about it | Asks what you would have done differently on the deal or project you describe |
| Accounting | How the three statements connect | Walks a single transaction through all three statements with you |
| Valuation | DCF, multiples, and when each misleads | Asks why you chose that multiple, then changes the company |
| Markets and current affairs | A view, with reasoning, on rates, a sector or a stock | Takes the other side of your view |
| Behavioural | Attention to detail, long hours, integrity | Asks for a specific mistake and how it was caught |
Typical questions — and the follow-up that comes next
Finance interviewers ask the second question to find out whether you understand the concept or memorised the definition. Each question below includes it.
01Walk me through how depreciation of ₹100 flows through the three statements.
Follow-up · Now the asset is sold above book value. What changes?
02How would you value a company with no profits?
Follow-up · Which of those methods would you least trust for this company, and why?
03What is WACC, and what goes into it?
Follow-up · Interest rates rise by 100 basis points. Trace the effect through to the valuation.
04Pitch me a stock.
Follow-up · What would have to happen for you to be wrong, and how much would you lose?
05What is happening with interest rates in India right now, and why does it matter to this firm?
Follow-up · Which of our businesses benefits, and which is hurt?
06Explain working capital to a founder who is not from finance.
Follow-up · Their sales are growing fast and they are running out of cash. Explain why.
07Tell me about a time a small error of yours had a large consequence.
Follow-up · What check do you run now that you did not run then?
08Why this firm rather than a competitor?
Follow-up · Name one recent transaction or report of ours and what you thought of it.
Where candidates lose marks
- Memorised definitions that collapse at the first "why".
- A stock pitch with no downside case.
- Not having read anything about the firm’s recent work.
- Quoting a valuation number without being able to say what drives it.
Read next
- MBA Summer Placement Interview Preparation
- Why Should We Hire You? Fresher Answer Guide
- STAR Method Answers That Survive Follow-ups
- How the scorecard works — six competencies, each tied to a quote from your transcript.
Practise for another role
Last updated · Written by the Mentari team