Can't think of an ethical dilemma - how to answer question?

I never had to cheat/plagiarize/copy homework in school. I never stole stuff either. How am I supposed to answer the ethical dilemma question? I could obviously BS an answer, but I'm sure the interviewer can tell right away that I'm BS-ing. So how would I best approach this question, if I'm asked?

16 Comments
 
The Sour Patch KidYou could tell them about the time that you had to decide whether or not to lie and BS an answer to this question.

If I was the interviewer this would definitely get a laugh out of me.

 
F. Ro Jo
The Sour Patch KidYou could tell them about the time that you had to decide whether or not to lie and BS an answer to this question.

If I was the interviewer this would definitely get a laugh out of me.

This approach could work either really well or really bad, depends on the interviewer.

 

Talk about how some of your classmates asked you to review their resume and help with technical questions. Walk the interviewer through how you were torn between friendship and feeding them misinformation / bad advice in an effort to gain an edge in the recruiting process. In the end, you helped them out because the bonds of friendship were stronger than the benjamins, bitches, and coke.

 
Bruce WayneI never had to cheat/plagiarize/copy homework in school. I never stole stuff either. How am I supposed to answer the ethical dilemma question? I could obviously BS an answer, but I'm sure the interviewer can tell right away that I'm BS-ing. So how would I best approach this question, if I'm asked?

Do you have any friends or acquaintances who have done any of the things you mentioned? If so, you could describe an episode in which your friend was engaging in one of the above mentioned activities, and how you struggled to confront them about it (Loyalty to friend vs. "Doing the right thing").

 
DickFuld

"Pass"

Serious answers only please.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
 
Best Response

Tempore voluptate id ut et. Voluptate quibusdam in est excepturi dolor sit deserunt totam. Sed mollitia similique quisquam inventore iure sunt. Hic mollitia delectus rerum est id quae nobis earum. Vero assumenda sequi et quod ullam sapiente placeat.

Praesentium quis sunt voluptatem corporis omnis. Id illum incidunt earum nostrum rerum mollitia eligendi et. Tempore quis accusamus dolores ex explicabo accusamus voluptates.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
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...”