ZS

Role: Decision Analytics Associate (DAA)

College: Not Specified (Fresher)

Interview Date: May 2024 (Application), Rounds in August 2024 (Inferred)

Interview Type: Off-Campus, Full-Time

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 4 rounds

Topics Asked: Numerical Ability, Verbal Ability, Analytical Ability, Guesstimates, Critical Thinking, Attention to Detail, Case Study (MCQs, theory, data interpretation), Puzzles, Projects, Internship, HR questions.

Experience:

The candidate applied for the DAA role at ZS Associates through a referral in May 2024, and received the test link for Round 1 after about 45 days. The entire process was divided into four rounds.

Round 1 (Aptitude Round): This round comprised 6 sections: Numerical Ability, Verbal Ability, Analytical Ability, Guesstimates, Critical Thinking, and Attention to Detail. Each section had a specific time duration, and the number of questions varied. Speed was identified as crucial for clearing this round.

• Guesstimate section: This was highlighted as the most crucial part, containing two hard-level questions with a total time of 14 minutes. Solving at least one correctly significantly increased the chances of clearing the round.

The candidate received an email for Round 2 a week after completing Round 1.

Round 2 (Case Study Round): This round was considered the easiest and least eliminative. A case study was provided, and based on it, some MCQs or theory questions had to be solved. All MCQs involved data interpretation. For this candidate, the round lasted 1 hour and included 3 MCQs and 1 theory question.

Round 3 (Interview - Case Study + Technical): On the same day as the Case Study round, the candidate received a call for this interview, which lasted 25-30 minutes. The interviewer primarily focused on discussing the case study that the candidate had solved during Round 2. Additionally, some puzzles were asked. The interview went well, and the interviewer mentioned that HR would contact the candidate for the next steps.

Round 4 (Interview - Technical + HR): Four to five days later, HR contacted the candidate for the final interview round. The interview began with an introduction, followed by questions about the projects mentioned in the candidate's resume and their internship experience. After a long discussion on these topics, the interviewer started asking puzzles. The interviewer inquired if the candidate had heard about the puzzles before and asked a total of three puzzles, all of which the candidate answered correctly, explaining the approach for each.

The candidate was selected for the DAA profile at ZS.