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Morgan Stanley interview questions

Application Procedure

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Morgan Stanley expects to hire about 150 graduates each year for its European operations. All European graduates are hired into the London office. The application process is as follows:

  • Numerical Test
  • First Interview
  • Second Interview

Numerical Test

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The test is 35 minutes in length and is written.

Most people will need to practise the numerical reasoning test to pass it. Pages 7-23 of this book may prove extremely useful in preparing for any of the numerical tests.

First Interview

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The interview is competency based. The interview will be held with either a junior banker or a member of graduate recruitment staff.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Team building
  • Communication skills
  • Pro-activeness
  • Assertiveness
  • Leadership skills

In order to do this, you will be asked to provide examples of times during university or work where you have demonstrated these competencies. You should have at least 2 examples per competency that you can comfortably discuss.

Generally speaking, questions are open-ended, allowing the candidate to speak freely. Examples of such Morgan Stanley interview questions are:

  • Give an example of a situation when you demonstrated leadership?
  • How would your friends describe you?
  • What are your biggest achievements?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Give an example of when you worked in a team to achieve a goal
    • What problems arose?
    • How did you solve them?
  • Why Morgan Stanley?
  • Why not other financial organisations?
  • You realise you don't have enough time to complete a task, what do you do?

When discussing competencies and teamwork, make sure maintain focus on yourself and your contribution, rather than the achievements of the team as a whole.

Second Interview

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The second interview is not competency based but focuses on brain teasers and technical ability/knowledge instead. It will be conducted by a senior banker.

The second interview is substantially more difficult than the first interview. The purpose of this interview is to see how you respond under pressure, and whether you crack or keep your cool. The interviewers will be looking to find your breaking point, so bear this in mind during your interview, and take your time. Generally speaking, this high-pressure form of interview is becoming increasingly discouraged, so you may be fortunate to have a more moderate interviewer.

Questions that have come up in previous interviews:

  • What is 17 squared?
  • What are the top 5 economies?
  • What is the UK interest rate?
  • What is the GDP of the US?
  • What is the level of unemployment in the US?

Unfortunately it is hard to predict what this interview will be like, or what questions will be asked.