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Interview · Accountant

Accountant interview questions, with what they test.

12 questions built from what the job actually involves: its core duties, the skills rated most important and the tools in use. Switch on practice mode to rehearse before you look.

12 questions · practice mode
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0
Quick answer

Accountant interviews test whether you can do the core work, such as prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial…, and the skills rated most important for the role: reading comprehension, complex problem solving and judgment and decision making (O*NET). Prepare one true, specific story for each, with a result.

Had it 0Practise 0Practice mode
Q01Walk me through how you prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for accountants, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used Epic Systems
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q02Walk me through how you process invoices for payment.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for accountants, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you prepare detailed reports on audit findings?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used IBM SPSS Statistics
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q03Walk me through how you review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for accountants, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used Intuit TurboTax
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q04Walk me through how you compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for accountants, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you review data about material assets, net worth, liabilities, capital…?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used MEDITECH software
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q05Walk me through how you prepare adjusting journal entries.Core duty
What they are really testing

Hands-on experience with one of the duties workers rate most important for accountants, and the judgment calls inside it.

Likely follow-ups
  • How does this connect to how you report to management regarding the finances of establishment?
  • What went wrong the last time, and what did you change?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Where you did it, how often and for whom
  2. Step 2Your steps in order, including how you used Microsoft Visio
  3. Step 3One judgment call you made, and why
  4. Step 4The result, with a number you can defend
Q06Tell me about a time you had to make a budget go further.Management of Financial Resources
What they are really testing

Cost awareness and trade-offs. Management of Financial Resources is rated 2.9 of 5 for this job, +1.0 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1The budget
  2. Step 2The pressure
  3. Step 3What you changed
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other…
Q07Walk me through a calculation you do regularly in this work, and how you check it.Mathematics
What they are really testing

Comfort with the numbers the job depends on, and accuracy habits. Mathematics is rated 3.4 of 5 for this job, +0.8 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1The calculation and why it matters
  2. Step 2How you do it
  3. Step 3How you verify it
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to process invoices for payment
Q08Tell me about a piece of code you are proud of and why.Programming
What they are really testing

Code quality, reasoning and ownership. Programming is rated 2.0 of 5 for this job, +0.4 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1What it did
  2. Step 2A key decision
  3. Step 3How you tested it
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences
Q09Describe a time you had to act on a long or technical document under time pressure.Reading Comprehension
What they are really testing

How you extract what matters from written material and apply it correctly. Reading Comprehension is rated 3.9 of 5 for this job, +0.4 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1The document and the deadline
  2. Step 2How you found the parts that mattered
  3. Step 3What you did with it
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment…
Q10Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind at work.Persuasion
What they are really testing

Influence through evidence and understanding the other side. Persuasion is rated 3.1 of 5 for this job, +0.4 against the average occupation (O*NET).

Answer approach
  1. Step 1Their position and why
  2. Step 2Your evidence
  3. Step 3How you made the case
  4. Step 4Pick the example from the core work, for instance when you had to prepare adjusting journal entries
Q11Which of these have you used: Epic Systems, IBM SPSS Statistics, Intuit TurboTax? Tell me about a recent piece of work with one of them.Tools
What they are really testing

Real, recent use of the tools accountants depend on, not a list of names.

Likely follow-ups
  • How would you get up to speed on Intuit QuickBooks if you haven't used it?
Answer approach
  1. Step 1Name the tool and the task, e.g. Epic Systems for prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial…
  2. Step 2What you did with it
  3. Step 3A problem you solved with it
  4. Step 4What the output was used for
Q12Why do you want to work as an Accountant?Motivation
What they are really testing

Whether you understand what the job really involves, and whether that is what you want.

Answer approach
  1. Step 1Name the part of the work you like: e.g. prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial…
  2. Step 2Evidence you have done it or something close
  3. Step 3Why this employer
  4. Step 4Where you want to grow

Data Duty, skill, tool and conditions questions are built from O*NET data for this occupation. Advice Answer approaches are our coaching advice.

Answer framework

Two structures that work

SSituationOne sentence of context.
TTaskWhat you owned.
AActionWhat you did, in your words.
RResultWhat changed, with a number if true.
Questions to ask them

End the interview well

Advice

  • What does a strong first 90 days look like for this accountant role?
  • Which part of the work takes the most time in a typical week?
  • How is performance measured here?
  • What tools and systems does the team use?
FAQ

Common questions

What are common Accountant interview questions?
Expect questions about the core duties (prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial…), about reading comprehension and complex problem solving, and about the tools you have used. This page lists 12 with what each one tests.
How should I answer behavioral questions?
Use a short structure such as Situation, Task, Action, Result, and end with a specific, true result.
Method

How this page is built

Questions are generated from O*NET 31.0 data for the occupation: its core tasks, the skills with the highest importance ratings, the tools reported, and work-context ratings. The interviewer intent and answer approach are TryHired coaching advice.

What this page can't tell you
  • What a specific employer will ask.
  • Technical tests or licensing exams for the role.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
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