ZS Associates Interview in 9 days

Bain didn't quite work out, but I have obtained an interview with ZS Associates. Any advice specific to the firm, interviewing style, how many they hire, etc?

Thanks!

10 Comments
 
Best Response

Hey, sorry that I did not get to this post earlier. However for future reference of anyone who has an interview with ZS. My first round was a 2 part phone interview. The first part was all behavioral questions. The second part was a case question. I did not prepare at all for either and I got a call about an hour after finishing and was asked to come to Evanston for the final rounds. Therefore if you have done some behavioral prep/ case interview prep, you should be good on the first round. For the final round, I had 2 case questions and 1 behavioral portion. Again I did not prepare for either and I did not recieve the offer. For the final round, I believe that extensive prep for the case interview is required (focusing on marketing and sales questions). If you do this and again get your answers down to common behavioral prep I don't see why you couldn't go all the way. I hope everything went well for you and again, I apologize for being late to the party.

 

Hey bballchamp,

I have a final round interview with ZS next week. I was wondering if you could possibly give me some tips for the final round and how it might differ from the first. I'm interested to know how the 2 cases are structures and if they're the same as the one in the first round. My case was a few exhibits with 2-3 quantitative and qualitative questions per exhibit. Are the final round cases this structured or is it more open ended like a typical case interview? If you can help answer any of these questions or give me any tips in general it would be a huge help. You can PM me if you prefer.

Thanks

 

tip: nothing you can do to prepare, just seem like an awkward wierdo interested in life sciences. they have a very strange and paranoid culture.

oh yeah it's like a mix of case and fit. just be weird and don't flinch when the guy mentions that he was rejected by BCG yada yada yada

========================================= We are excited to formally extend to you an offer to join Bank of Ameria
 

This was my post from an earlier forum and I believe it is applicable to this scenario:

Hey, sorry that I did not get to this post earlier. However for future reference of anyone who has an interview with ZS. My first round was a 2 part phone interview. The first part was all behavioral questions. The second part was a case question. I did not prepare at all for either and I got a call about an hour after finishing and was asked to come to Evanston for the final rounds. Therefore if you have done some behavioral prep/ case interview prep, you should be good on the first round. For the final round, I had 2 case questions and 1 behavioral portion. Again I did not prepare for either and I did not recieve the offer. For the final round, I believe that extensive prep for the case interview is required (focusing on marketing and sales questions). If you do this and again get your answers down to common behavioral prep I don't see why you couldn't go all the way. I hope everything went well for you and again, I apologize for being late to the party.

As far as people at ZS being weird, this is not true in the slightest. Everyone I met and talked to were VERY nice including the people who interviewed me.

 

Hey bballchamp (or anyone else),

I have a final round interview with ZS next week. I was wondering if you could possibly give me some tips for the final round and how it might differ from the first. I'm interested to know how the 2 cases are structures and if they're the same as the one in the first round. My case was a few exhibits with 2-3 quantitative and qualitative questions per exhibit. Are the final round cases this structured or is it more open ended like a typical case interview? If you can help answer any of these questions or give me any tips in general it would be a huge help. You can PM me if you prefer.

Thanks

 

I had a final round with ZS a few years ago, so the details are kinda foggy, but here's what I remember:

There were about 5 different "interviews" that we rotated among. One was a 2-part case in which you had maybe ~30 minutes to look over the documents and answer the questions. Then an analyst would come and you would walk them through the questions on the case document and some additional ones as well. The other case was similar in structure to the first-round one in which an associate would go through a case with you, going through a list of questions. There was also a purely behavioral interview with a senior team member, an interview/walkthrough of the firm's business with a first-year analyst, and maybe something else I forgot.

 

Doloribus dolores est reprehenderit placeat consequatur dolores. Qui aliquid accusamus beatae aspernatur ullam esse. Tenetur id maiores molestiae qui natus reprehenderit quia dolores. Fuga officia repellat error expedita. Recusandae omnis quaerat sequi qui reiciendis a. Delectus sit et occaecati ipsum.

Ut aut qui rerum quasi tempora. Ad dolorem voluptatem nobis iure magni architecto exercitationem.

Earum suscipit omnis et voluptate laudantium minus. Est dolorem ipsum minima. Minus enim qui fugit dicta commodi quae earum. Tempore sit voluptatibus fugiat natus nostrum sequi deserunt quam. Esse ullam vero nisi. Consectetur sint aut voluptatibus nostrum. Eos laboriosam et officiis animi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.5%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.5%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.0%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.5%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.5%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (111) $232
  • Manager (167) $172
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (635) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (162) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (575) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (175) $100
  • 1st Year Analyst (1152) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (205) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (626) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”