Zs Associates

After clearing the initial rounds, I was invited for the Case Interview, followed by the EBI (Experience-Based Interview). Both interviews were highly interactive and lasted significantly longer than those of most of my peers. Case Interview The interviewer began by introducing himself and then asked me to introduce myself. He was very friendly, approachable, and made the conversation comfortable from the very beginning. He informed me that the interview would be entirely case-based and immediately shared the case with me. Since the interview was conducted online, he asked me to first solve the complete case independently and then explain my approach and final answers afterward. The case was based on a political party and included a brief background followed by three major questions: Calculate the remaining vote share of the other political parties. Given six constituencies: Calculate the maximum number of constituencies that Party 1 could win using an unlimited campaign budget. Solve the same problem again with a restricted campaign budget. Suggest an effective advertisement strategy for the political party. One challenge I faced during the case was performing lengthy calculations without a calculator. During my preparation, I had always relied on a calculator, but in the interview, none was allowed. This taught me the importance of practicing mental calculations beforehand. After solving all the questions, the interviewer asked me to explain my approach and then present my final answers. One important lesson I learned is that explaining your thought process clearly is just as important as arriving at the correct answer. I answered the first question correctly, and the interviewer appreciated my solution. During the second question, I misunderstood one of the terms, which led me to an incorrect approach. Instead of moving on, the interviewer clarified the term, gave me enough time to rethink my solution, and encouraged me to try again. His supportive attitude helped me identify my mistake, and I eventually arrived at the correct solution. He appreciated both my reasoning and my final answer. For the third question, I proposed an advertisement strategy along with my reasoning. He seemed satisfied with both my approach and the justification behind it. After the case discussion, the interview shifted toward my resume. The interviewer asked detailed questions about my projects, including: My exact contributions. The technologies and tech stack I had used. Follow-up questions based on my implementation. He also asked several behavioral and situational questions, such as: What challenges did you face while working on a team project, and how did you overcome them? What would you do if you were about to miss a deadline? How would you handle conflicts within your team? Toward the end, the conversation became more informal. He asked how college was going, and since the interview had already crossed the one-hour mark, he smiled and asked, "Can I ask you a few puzzles?" I happily agreed. He gave me two puzzles, both of which I solved quickly. He then presented a third, more challenging puzzle. I solved it and explained my reasoning. After listening to my approach, he introduced additional constraints and asked me to solve it again. Using the same logical framework with slight modifications, I arrived at the correct answer once more. He appreciated my problem-solving ability and seemed genuinely satisfied with my performance. Finally, he asked whether I had any questions for him. I asked about the work culture at ZS Associates, the typical work schedule, and how he maintained a healthy work-life balance. The interview concluded after 1 hour and 28 minutes, making it considerably longer than the interviews of most of my friends. From our college, 10 students appeared for the Case Interview, and only 6 of us were shortlisted for the EBI round. - EBI (Experience-Based Interview) The EBI round began similarly, with the interviewer introducing himself and asking me to introduce myself. The discussion started with a few HR and behavioral questions before moving to my resume. Once again, the interviewer explored my projects in depth, asking detailed questions about my work, technical decisions, and overall contributions. He then gave me a guesstimate problem. More than the final answer, he was interested in my thought process. Throughout the discussion, he repeatedly asked: Why did you choose this particular filter? Why are you making this assumption? How did you arrive at this estimate? I carefully justified every assumption and explained each step of my approach. After I completed the estimation, the interviewer remarked that my final answer looked quite accurate and asked whether I knew the actual number. I honestly replied that I did not. He smiled and suggested that I check it after the interview. Later, when I verified the actual figure, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my estimate was remarkably close to the real value. At the end of the interview, he invited me to ask questions. I asked about his journey at ZS Associates, his growth within the company, and his overall experience working there. The EBI lasted approximately 38 minutes, which was also longer than the interviews of many of my friends.