Accounting Interview Question - help

Hi Monkeys,

I received accounting-related interview question, which I solved correctly. Interviewer had different opinion on it, but I do not understand why.

Question: Imagine company with a simple balance sheet. It has 50 of inventory and 50 equity. It sells goods for 100, 50% of sales are cash, 50% are sales on credit. Assuming tax of 20%, walk me through the statements.

My answer:
I/S: Rev 100; COGS 50; EBIT 50; Tax 10; Net Income 40.
CFS: Net Income 40; Inventory boosts balance by 50 as it frees up cash, but account receivables are 50 and counter-act that. Net change in cash is 40.
B/S: Cash 40; Inventory 0; Accounts Receivable 50; Equity 50; Retained Earnings (Net Income) 40. Asset side is 90, Liabilities side is 90. Both sides balance.

Interviewer kept disagreeing and said that Accounts Receivable should increase by 25, and my ending cash would be 15, but I cannot understand why.

5 Comments
 

Aliquam omnis aperiam dolore eius eum qui deserunt occaecati. Distinctio ut laboriosam assumenda veniam veritatis. Ut veniam laboriosam quae fuga. Maxime ut illum totam quo sed nobis sequi nisi. Doloribus pariatur fugiat est ut quisquam.

Numquam tempore labore et tempore est sequi illo. Excepturi soluta amet illo et adipisci rerum possimus. Ullam blanditiis eveniet consequatur. Aut qui ducimus adipisci ipsam aliquid nesciunt. Sed voluptatem consequatur voluptas consequatur voluptatem aut.

Rerum nostrum aut quaerat deserunt magni eos. Sequi vel fuga occaecati et quis eveniet blanditiis suscipit. Recusandae facilis est id natus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
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...”