When Does Goldman Sachs Drug Test?
I recently got an offer from GS in their credit department. I know they drug test, but my question is when do they?
Is it immediately after you accept the offer, or is it before you begin full time, which would be sometime in august?
Goldman Sachs Drug Testing Policy
The length of time our users waited to be notified of the drug test varied from 3 weeks to more than a month. Once notified of the test, users had two weeks to complete it.
After I accepted it was a little over a month before I got an email worth the info to take it. We had two weeks.
Given notice 3 weeks after accepting that I had 2 weeks to complete
What Type of Drug Test Does GS Perform?
Typically, GS does a urine test and not a hair follicle test.
Hair tests cost a fortune. I have never heard of any banks doing it. Just urine. Good luck, drink lots of water and don't let your test be the first piss of the day. It has the most pollutants in it.
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Does anyone have an idea?
1-2 months after you accept your offer, and you will have 1 week to do it.
After I accepted it was a little over a month before I got an email worth the info to take it. We had two weeks.
Hope you like drinking water.
Given notice 3 weeks after accepting that I had 2 weeks to complete
Well good thing im clean
drug testing at Goldman (Originally Posted: 06/19/2007)
hey guys,
Have any of the perspective FT analysts for this year had their drug tests yet? Anybody know when it's coming up?
Also, I heard some info on this forum before that it may be a hair test. Care to share if you have access to that info?
thx
somebody's worried.......
Hair tests cost a fortune. I have never heard of any banks doing it. Just urine. Good luck, drink lots of water and don't let your test be the first piss of the day. It has the most polutants in it.
everyone says drink lots of water - thats not good enough. if you drink too much and your test sample is too diluted (it's pretty obvious), you either have to do it over, or get failed anyway. If you drink too little, you'll fail anyway (obviously).
http://www.drug-test-facts.com/urine-testing-faq/
when i start applying for positions in a year or two.. you owe me... haha
My stance on the issue aside, how hard is it to not do drugs for a month? That seems to me the best way to pass a test.
A few buddies of mine in college smoked a lot of pot, but always passed piss tests (anything other than pot you're on your own).
They would always drink a ton of water up until the evening before the test. Then they'd drink their usual milk, juice, pop, whatever. One guy went as far as to try to sweat it out in a sauna, don't know if that helped.
This worked for each of them (group of 4 guys) for a while. Then, they learned about some pills at GNC. I think they were some kind of gel-tab, but that could be totally wrong. Once they learned about these they'd smoke up until a few days before the test and then follow the directions for these pills.
as far as diluted urine goes, they red flag when teh urine specimen is too clear. that happens after drinking a ton of water. the best way to pass a test is simple.. drink a ton of water, for a few days prior to the exam, like 2 gallons a day, then take a few b-vitamins a few hours before the test. this makes the urine very yellow. then, the piss is watery as hell, but not clear, so no red flag, perfectly clean urine. trust me. works for anything that might be in your system.
technically you can smoke a blunt that day and still pass by doing this, although i dont suggest it
Most of the advice is crap.
If you puff, stay clear for 6-10 weeks to be sure...
Factors such as exercise, perspiration, fat content, metabolism, quantity/quality of the stuff, etc. affect your result.
Go to a headshop and get the drink and follow that, don't use some moonshine style recipe from GNC.
It is easier to pass a drug test is you are skinny - THC is stored in fat cells.
So, get skinny.
"A few buddies of mine in college smoked a lot of pot, but always passed piss tests (anything other than pot you're on your own)."
Actually, anything other than pot and you're fine - pretty much everything else will clear your system far more quickly than pot.
Would not it be easier just to avoid drugs at all? I mean, totally. This way, you stand no risk whatsoever.
the advice i gave is not crap. 6-10 weeks is a very very conservative number. if you smoke on a daily basis, 3 weeks is enough time. if your the occasional smoker, and not a fat ass, it can be out of your system in a week.
the water and vitamin B actually works.
I flunked mine having been straight 38 days... running, do normal stuff. And i'm athletic, 6'3 and 200 lbs. Almost ruined my life, ALMOST, I'm pretty smart and got out of it.
Be conservative, trust me. Through research, I learned that true puffers need up to 3 mths. Look to the research. Why would you give liberal advice on how to pass a test? Give the guy something you KNOW will work.
I read this and picture the sky high 1st year that will be doing my comps in a few months - and i tell you - its not a comforting thought :)
"Living the dream 24/7 on http://theallnighter.blogspot.com"
ThoughtMan is right - THC is stored in fat cells.
Fat cells recycle so, best advice is to:
Honestly, most of the drinks you can get at head shops and pills are bullshit.
There is a new pill that GNC offers that they don't display - you have to ask for it at the counter. You can try it, but stick to the above advice to be safe.
If you lose a job at Goldman after testing positive because you smoked a week before - good riddance.
You didn't deserve the job.
Good luck, +Hammy
If you have to worry about drug tests, find another profession.
Thanks for your replies, but I wasn't asking for advice on how to beat a piss test. I also wasn't asking what to do in case I smoked -- in fact, I did not, and all the pot discussion is really irrelevant here. I was asking whether anybody KNOWS when the test is done -- that is all.
Oh, and newsflash for you, Hammy: before you judge people on whether they deserve a job or not, get one first, idiot.
Bottom line - if you don't have the self control to stop smoking for the relatively short time I recommended, you will not do well in banking (or life).
It's called "delayed gratification."
Passing a drug test is simple. If you do not pass, you do not deserve the job.
Grow up. Be a man and take responsibility for your actions.
+Hammy
Hammy's advice is legit. A friend just went through this for his FT and he got that info from a doctor. But if you don't have the self control not to blaze for a month before starting work, then I think you should rethink whether or not you're capable of being a successful banker.
There was a guy who failed his test in my group since it was too inconclusive, but he just had to take it again...
Thanks. So it was urine?
Hey, I have an idea...
How about you just don't smoke pot? It's bad for you. My mom said so.
Now get out druggie. I don't want to be working with you in 5 years.
Druggie??
Come on, I thought we were more mature than that.
Sorry, I'm in high school.
But seriously, if you want to get into a BB, reevaluate your life and why you even want to enter ibanking. If your hobbies only include smoking pot, you'll probably end up hating yourself for even wanting to become an ibanker because:
a) you probably will have little time to even smoke pot
and
b) if you come to work high... well, I guess you can figure out what will happen
Just grow up and maybe get some help on how to quit. You'll be thanking yourself later on if you do quit.
Now drinking isn't that bad... :P
Would you shut the hell up. Bullshit dumb advice from a highschooler.
I am a full believer that you should do whatever you want in college as long as you can keep your grades in order (3.0 GPA or better).
However, I agree.. it is completely retarded if you can't stay clean for a month/month and a half to avoid pissing dirty. I did it once in high school for a BS internship, and for a heavy smoker - it was not hard at all.
And in case anyone is still wondering - Hair tests are at least 2x the cost of piss tests. For BBs, when you're hiring 300 analysts.. why rack up the additional cost? They all test urine. This is fact.
Quit smoking in general and using drugs, but you don't have to give up on drinking. Just make sure you don't become an alcoholic, especially when you're only an analyst/associate.
But after a stressful 15 hour day...who doesn't want to light up?
Anyways, if you went through college smoking often but ended up getting a 3.5+ at a top school, be prepared for reality - you'll have a lot less free time working BB IB.
But after a stressful 15 hour day...who doesn't want to light up?
Anyways, if you went through college smoking often but ended up getting a 3.5+ at a top school, be prepared for reality - you'll have a lot less free time working BB IB.
Why can't you go with tobacco here? Cigarettes may help with your stresses, and you don't stand any risk of failing a drug test. :)
Thanks for your advice DixM
Have you blazed before? Or worked in IB, or went to college?
You can run shit at a top 10 school, get a 3.7, get a finance internship, and smoke nugget every couple of days. Seen it done.
Btw, drinking takes out 4-5 hours of your day if you go hard...smoking pot takes about an hour or two and then you go to sleep (though you wake up real burned out).
Honestly, I think that is the most straight forward advice that has been in this topic.
All of you college kids that smoke pot and want ibanking need to grow up and get used to reality. If you really want to blaze, get into construction or something.
My advice is equally relevant as much as an ibanker wannabe in college as well. This forum is mainly for prospective ibankers, and there really is no minimum age to joining/posting, so shut the hell up.
Yeah, I'm in high school, but it doesn't mean I don't know anything at all. I really don't understand why I have to be in ibanking to give advice about smoking pot... if anything, I would know the most about this subject just because of the pure fact that I am in high school in the first place, and have seen that people that smoke pot, whether occasionally (socially) or are close to becoming dealers just do much worse in school then an average student.
This guy just has to face reality. He will most likely have a higher chance of burning out if he gets blazed up, and he'll end up hating his decision to smoke pot in the first place.
Like I said, just get some help or something. There are different programs that help drug addicts, or even just the occasional blazer. Trust me, you'll be thanking yourself later.
Good luck too.
You gotta be fucking kidding me. A high school kid advising bankers to grow up? Dude, go back to puberty.
This is hilarious.
Dixm, You should be required to have your balls drop before writing long-winded posts about the negative effects of marijuana on i-bankers.
Dude you are in high school. You are an idiot who has never smoked pot or been to college.
Tons of my buddies at my, and other Ivies/top 10 schools blaze all the time. Many people have 3.5+ GPAs, finance internships, etc. and drink and smoke. Its not that hard - work until 9 pm - get hammered till midnight, wake up at noon, repeat.
Get a job in construction? Are you kidding me. How bout you get into college before giving Ivy leaguers advice on how bad marijuana is for them.
yeah its called getting laid, even more expensive and time-consuming an affair than blazing.Haha alright.
Article about this today on Dealbreaker:
http://www.dealbreaker.com/2007/06/post_303.php
For the people too lazy to check:
Marijuana:
Urine: (single use) 2-14 days, (prolonged use) 25-30 days
Hair: up to 90 days
Blood: 2 days
Hey, you dumb idiot, I just explained that these ultra liberal estimates are BULLSHIT when you look at true partiers. Ya twat.
Hehe that is hilarious
Read the comments on the article...
BTW, DixM - when I was in HS I thought all potheads were idiots too (actually, most were)...I think in college you get to see the other side of things - stressed out talented kids looking for a coping mechanism. Same deal with bankers.
Pretty much every single person that smokes pot in my school is a complete jackass in every aspect of life... the girls don't even like them; their lives are completely messed up.
I can definitely see people drinking (nothing wrong with that lol), but once you get into drugs, it messes you up -- I know from observing the majority.
Might just be my school though...
This is the typical dumbass response you would expect from someone in high school. Why would you condone drinking over smoking? If the laws were switched and drinking underage carried a bigger penalty than smoking weed, would you be saying the same thing?
Drinking gets you much more wasted than smoking.
If you drink until you can't drink anymore...your organs shut off.
If you smoke until you can't smoke anymore...you go to sleep.
Dude, at my HYPS school, a good two thirds of people I know tried pot at least once. I know a good dozen people who smoked up on regular basis, did shrooms, LSD, etc -- and still kicked ass academically, did ECs, got internships, went to Africa to work in medical labs, etc.
Drugs have nothing to do with how successful you are in life - your brain does. Also, if you think allowed substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, harm you less than an occasional joint, you are an idiot.
Like I previously stated:
Haha alright, as in I get it. No need for name calling either. I was mainly stating what I have observed; you guys probably observed different things.
Everyone is going to have their opinions, and mine is not better then yours or vice versa. But, as it stands, marijuana is still illegal in Canada/USA, and now we can just face the facts.
Perfectly fine if you believe marijuana is alright for you, it's natural, etc., etc. I just believe it messes you up. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Here's my evidence to backup a bullshit argument:
http://www.drugs.com/Marijuana/index.html
"Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who use marijuana have lower achievement than the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends."
To the person that said college students are different, guess you're right. Not in university yet, but just from what I've observed so far in high school, "druggies" are messed in more ways then one.
YOU ARE A TWAT>
this conversation is hilarious. dixm655, thanks for making my night. hahaha. ill admit it...im a frequent blazer, but guess what. 3.8GPA, loads of ECs, MS PWM last summer, possible boutique MM this summer...i could go on. nothing wrong with "gettin high with a little help from my friends." its about your determination and how smart you really are. you clearly wont make it my friend due to your immaturity and naivete. peace bro.
If you're really worried, just come to London. There's no drug testing here.
Haha, glad you guys enjoyed it.
Yeah, peace out AZ. And congrats man!
Bryan, thanks again for your entertainment.
And Hammy, I appreciate the backup but this is becoming more of a flaming thread then anything lol. Oh, and this is not a sarcastic post.
If anything on my last post in the last bit of it, I said that I guess you guys were right because it is different for college students probably because of brain development or something psychological that happens.
I'll be saving this thread lol.
Shit - I'm pro-ganja!
Blaze it up.
Just don't get caught.
+Hammy
Poor Dixm, you guys are real dicks to him. So what if he is in high school? He is in an ibanking forum knowing what he want to do with his life, that's more than I could say at his age.
And yeah he is right about the fact that weed is shit, it fucks with your brain and there are no arguments against that. Sure some people are really successful by blazing it up, just like a lot of people are really successful drinking every night. The only difference is that you would be a hell of a lot smarter if you did not do either.
Personally I think drug tests are bull shit, if the person cannot perform because they smoke: fire them; if they bring money to the company then keep them and let them get retarded.
To the OP, it's a shame barely anybody answered your original question and this post just went in flame. SOrry I don't have an answer though :)
This kid just passed fuckin Algebra, and he wants to be get into IB? Give me a break. Did you pop a boner after watching Wall Street and now you think you know the in's and outs of the career? It's kinda cute that you already have big shot dreams of being in IB, but I can tell you right now that you are doing it for the wrong reasons.
As for smoking pot, I know plenty who have done so and succeeded and even more that haven't done it and succeeded. Don't correlate intellect and ambition with recreational marijuana use. I go to a target and frequently find people who live in the library on weekdays and live at the bar on the weekends.
I think anyone in highschool who "knows" that they want to get into i-banking needs to get their head checked!
Money-hungry???
I have one year left in high school, and typically, high school students start thinking about their futures at this present time. For the people that want to be somewhat successful in life, it is pretty average to be thinking more then a year away from now. I'm sorry that I care about my life.
I really don't see how it's stupid that I'm thinking about IB; although rare, the majority of people that are applying to targets in Canada and are going to a target next school year (they are currently in grade 12) already know about investment banking.
I don't know why this is actually becoming more of an argument then anything... do you guys hate high schoolers that know about ibanking? Lol. Is it supposed to be a secret?
Actually, I didn't find out about ibanking by watching Wall Street; I liked Family Man better anyways. I found out about it through my older brother... his best friend is an ibanker in Toronto.
I really don't see why you are taking it personally that I'm interested in ibanking. I honestly don't see that the huge deal is... please shine some light on me.
As for me doing ibanking for the wrong reasons... I'm sorry, but have we ever met? I have other reasons besides money.
sup high school kid. I went to Berkeley and i'd say 80% of my friends there are highly successful career-wise with jobs in BB Banks, consulting offers from McKinsey/Bain/Accenture, high paying jobs at Google/Microsoft (the other 20% only have regular mediocre jobs).......and about 80% of them smoke pot or do some other kind of drugs. As you can see, there is a lot of overlap.
When I was in HS i thought drugs are evil. When when you grow up, you get into that kinda shit for whatever reasons. The good thing is that, smoking pot really doesn't have much correlation with success. The ppl who are messed up on drugs are dumbfucks who went to community college and work at radio shack, not smart ppl who went to top schools and go into ibanking.
Look kid. Yes, kid. You're probably not even old enough to buy porn. It's great that you're ambitious and want to go into investment banking after college. I wish you the best of luck in the next 4 years and if banking's still something you want to do when you graduate and you've earned it, I hope you get it. Here's the thing though: you have 0 life experience. 0. You're not financially independent. You still live with your parents. You've maybe had one REAL girlfriend and fucked MAYBE a couple girls. You've never really had to go out on a limb and risk anything. Life has been all fun and dandy thus far.
In college you begin to change, particularly as the "real world" becomes increasingly visible. And guess what, as you grow up and mature an interesting thing happens: you realize more and more that you don't know SHIT. You also become increasingly curious. There were some very, very bright people in my school and some of them were so, so curious about... well... everything... Believe me, some have tried plenty of drugs. I'm not endorsing drug use and personally stay clean because it has just never appealed to me, but at the same time I don't condemn it either, particularly if you want to experiment. As long as someone keeps their use under control, they're good in my book. I don't care if it's blow or weed or some other shit (as long as it's not hardcore stuff like heroin, crack, etc). Don't pass judgment on others until you've developed a fuller view of the world. I've been working for a decent amount of time now and I can say that every day I feel less and less knowledgeable.
Again, bravo on the ambition. But when it comes to giving life advice, keep your mouth shut. There's a reason there's such a stigma against you high schoolers. You guys come in and try to give much older and much more experienced people your idiotic and uninformed views and try to pass them off as absolute truth. How would you feel if a 13 year old tried to tell you what to do? You're a kid. A baby. Observe. Learn. A few years from now you can start speaking. Until then: zip it.
Also, I'm not aware of these crazy fucking stats people are throwing out. "80% of stoners are nobodies," vs "80% of the super successful kids in my school smoke pot." None of that shit is true. You don't know everyone's habits and there's no way you know accurate numbers. Suffice to say that there are both losers and rockstars who smoke, party a lot, etc. It's a case by a case basis. You can't generalize in either direction.
It's like that first day in kindergarten when the teacher asks you what you want to be when you grow up and everyone says fireman or police officer...
im surprised no one has brought up the fact that a whole lot of bankers are into blowing. i guess that just makes them dumb fucks (although for doing that, id personally say they are) who wont succeed just cuz of a some snow. how many MDs used that as their best friend in order to make it to where they are today? look at reality guys.
Yeah, I'd like to know that as well lol.
Sorry if it seems like I'm knocking down pot or something, it is just something I wouldn't want to do. I have other ways of dealing with "stress", even though I never really feel stressed out.
I can see ibankers drinking and all that (my brother's friend does), but actually smoking pot in their 30's and 40's seems like it would be pretty rare (just my personal assumption... might be wrong). I can see them doing smoking in university, it is just hard to imagine them still into it 20 years later.
plenty of your friends' parents smoke and you have no clue. Nothing wrong with pot, I am quitting for three months before my test just to be very sure.
Those who make it to a HYPS school or similar obviously have little or no apparent ill-conceived effects of drug abuse. Those in high school are, well, still in high school.
Do what you gotta do.
This thread could be a lot more amusing, but I'll leave it at that.
haha funny thread.. but dont think this was ever addressed - when is the actual test administered? will they give you advance notice? what about for SAs?
Another BB -- SA drug tests were "complete this test no earlier than 30 days before you start and no later than 5 days".
I believe this is standard. They want to know that you are clean right before you start work, not 6 months before. Don't fret and stay drug free for a couple of months before you start--it won't be the end of the world if you can't get high for a while before you start your career, cheech.
...
With your onboarding pack to a major BB they fingerprint you for securities registration and piss test you at the same time. If you can easily get to your office then you do it then, else you just goto a local approved center to get it done. These generally take place in April/May before you start (assuming a mid-june start date).
Does anyone know if Goldman does urine for sure at their testing location? I fear only the hair test, so thats why I ask.
dude, half the incoming class would be utterly fucked if they started hair testing people. no way they'd actually go through with a hair test.
GS definitely does not do hair tests! Urine tests only.
In this thread: college kids and young professionals find an excuse to subtly show off their accomplishments.
Thread is full of fail.
Get drunk, get high, and take advantage of someone's daughter!! You are a young man enjoy it!
I can confirm that GS only does urine tests.
Most BB will send you to normal non-criminal facilities. And, from experience, i assure you that it's simple to sneak in a small jar of a friend' clean urine. Put it in ur underwear between your legs and your good. They send you to a room and close the door.
Goldman Sachs Drug Screening - Urine or Hair (Originally Posted: 07/23/2010)
Hi There,
I have a pre-employement drug screening next week for a position at Goldman Sachs. I'm also running a race next weekend. I was planning on super hydratingin preparation for the race but now I am worried that my urine will be too diluted to be accepted for the test. Does anyone know if they use a hair test or a urine test? If they use a hair test then this is a non-issue and I don't want to get cramps in the race for no reason.
Thanks!
Most places do urine. They do urine because it is cheap and the really don't care if you do some drunks. I can't imagine too many Meth heads making it through super day. Drink the water and if the urine is diluted they will let you know and you can piss again.
Hey there, It's a piss test, I just took it. No worries, the recruiters are really nice and if it's too diluted they'll let you know. Being an athlete is really not a problem ! Best, reviewer
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