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Investment banking interviews typically consist of a series of technical and behavioral questions, but once in a while an interviewer might ask something completely unexpected. Certain unusual interview questions might seem ridiculous at first glance, but they do serve a purpose: Can you stay composed when caught off guard? Can you structure an answer logically? Can you communicate clearly without panicking? Here’s a closer look at some unusual banking interview questions and what interviewers are actually trying to evaluate.
“If you had a cow, how would you value it?”
Kicking off our list is, at a glance, a fairly absurd question—that is, until you realize it’s basically a simplified valuation exercise. Here, the interviewer is testing your analytical and problem-solving skills, how comfortable you are with ambiguity, and, most important, how well you understand how to value a company. After all, a cow, in this case, is nothing more than a company—and the question is asking you to value a cow just like you would a company. In other words, the interviewer is not gauging your livestock expertise, understanding of the dairy market, or knowledge of animal auctions.
That said, an effective response might start by identifying valuation approaches. In the case of a cow, it probably makes sense to take two approaches (and you can pass both of these along to your interviewer): 1) Income generation/Discounted cash flows (how much milk the cow is expected to produce over time), and 2) Comparable sales (what similar cows might sell for).
For the income generation approach, you’ll want to tell your interview all the variables you’d need to consider in your valuation: how much milk your cow produces each year, the price of milk, the cost of keeping your cow alive (feeding and housing it), the expected life of your cow, and the potential sale/salvage value of your cow when it stops producing milk. There’s no need to actually perform the calculation or know any exact numbers; you would merely say that once you have all that data, you’d discount your estimated future cash flows back to present value using a discount rate reflecting agricultural risk (milk and feed price volatility, weather risk, etc.).
The second approach is simpler. You’d tell your interviewer that you’d check to see what, on average, other cows have sold for recently and then take into consideration your cow’s differences (age, size, health, location, etc.) and apply a premium or discount. You might also pass along that this simpler approach allows you to “check” your answer in the DCF approach.
What’s important here is to resist the urge to produce an “overly clever” or humorous answer instead of engaging with the question seriously. In reality, banking professionals constantly encounter unfamiliar industries and business models, and interviewers want to see whether you can remain calm and organize your thinking under pressure.
“Who would be on your Mount Rushmore and why?”
This question is all about judgment and self-awareness. The interviewer is evaluating your communication style, intellectual curiosity, ability to explain decisions clearly, and perhaps most important, personal values. There’s no universally “correct” way to answer this question, so the key is whether your choices make sense and whether you can explain them thoughtfully.
For example, if you choose a certain founder or CEO, don’t stop at “they were successful.” Instead, discuss what qualities and accomplishments you admire. This could be an innovation, their leadership style, resilience during a rocky period for their company, and so on.
Remember, the interviewer is trying to learn what you value, not whether you can accurately guess what they want to hear. It’s important not to get too focused on trying to sound impressive, since overly calculated answers can actually feel less authentic than straightforward ones.
“What would you do if I told you that you could never be an investment banker?”
This question might come off as somewhat confrontational, but it’s really designed to test your motivation and ability to adapt. Along with this, your emotional composure and broader interests are being assessed. An answer like “I don’t know what I’d do” won’t win you any points, and neither will an answer that suggests banking is your entire identity.
What you want to do here is acknowledge your disappointment while also demonstrating flexibility and any professional interests you may have outside of banking. For example, you might explain that while banking is your first choice because of the analytical and client-facing aspects of the work, you’re open to pursuing alternative paths that involve finance, investing, or strategy work.
The bottom line is, you don’t want to come off as being fragile. Think of it this way—the underlying question here is “If this path doesn’t work out immediately, are you still someone who can adapt and succeed?” Remember, banks prefer candidates who can handle setbacks constructively.
“Would you survive in a zombie apocalypse?”
This question is obviously hypothetical (so far), but it still reveals useful information about how a candidate thinks. Here, the interviewer is evaluating your creativity, leadership instincts, decision making ability, and how well your personality fits in with the rest of the organization.
You’ll want to resist the urge to think too realistically about this scenario. Instead, answer calmly and with confidence, let your personality shine through, and structure your answer logically despite the ridiculous premise of the situation. For example, you might talk about building a reliable team, maintaining resources carefully, avoiding any unnecessary risks (such as zombies), and of course, staying adaptable.
You might have noticed that all the qualities listed above also happen to be great workplace traits. If you’re asked this question, try to imagine how your strengths in the workplace might be beneficial to you…in a hypothetical zombie apocalypse.
Why Banks Ask Weird Questions
Unusual interview questions are often less about content and more about pressure testing. Banking environments can be unpredictable, and analysts and associates may face difficult client conversations, sudden changes in priorities, or stressful deadlines, among other challenges.
The interviewer already knows you prepared for all the standard questions, so mixing in some weird or unusual ones helps them see how you react when you can’t rely on memorized answers. For the most part, questions like the ones we talked about test your communication skills, how well you keep your composure, your intellectual agility, and your personality.
Additional Tips
The best strategy for answering tricky and unusual interview questions is quite simple: slow down. Candidates often panic because they assume they need an instant perfect answer, but in reality, thoughtful structure is far more important than speed.
There’s nothing wrong with pausing briefly to think and organize your thoughts. This will help you maintain your composure even if the question takes you by surprise. Don’t waste all your energy trying too hard to sound clever, but instead focus on logic and clarity. Remember, confidence, structure, and calm communication go a long way.
Unusual questions like these can sometimes feel intimidating because they disrupt your preparation, which is precisely why the interviewer asks them. Keep in mind that you don’t need “perfect” answers; you just need to demonstrate that you can stay calm, think logically, and communicate clearly, even when the question itself feels completely unexpected.
Rob Porter is an editor at Vault.
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