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How long should an interview answer be?
Most interview answers should take between 45 seconds and 2 minutes. Definitions need 45 to 60 seconds; walk-throughs and "Why banking?" about 75 to 90 seconds; "Walk me through a DCF", your resume and "Tell me about a time" stories up to 2 minutes. At about 130 words a minute, the pace Superday Room's grader assumes once you include natural pauses, that's roughly 100 to 265 words.
Targets from Superday Room's graderUpdated November 1, 2026
How long should each kind of answer be?
From 45 seconds for a definition to about 2 minutes for a big walk-through or a story:
| Kind of question | Target | Words |
|---|
| Definition (“What is deferred revenue?”) | 45–60 sec | ~100–130 |
| Short technical or why-question (“Why our bank?”, “What's WACC?”) | 60–75 sec | ~130–165 |
| Walk-through (“Depreciation goes up by $10…”) | 75–90 sec | ~165–200 |
| Big walk-through or story (“Walk me through a DCF”, your resume, STAR stories) | about 2 min | ~265 |
How fast should you speak in an interview?
Superday Room's grader looks for about 130 to 165 words a minute. Above about 185, an answer sounds rushed; below about 105, it sounds unsure. If you run long, cut the setup, not the answer: lead with the conclusion, then give the two or three points that support it.
In a recorded interview such as a HireVue, the clock is set by the employer. HireVue says most on-demand interviews ask for answers of "just a few minutes" (HireVue interview tips). Aim for the targets below rather than filling the time. More on HireVue interviews →
How long should each of the 53 common answers be?
Superday Room's target for each question, in seconds and in words at about 130 words a minute:
Superday Room's target times (words at ~130 words a minute)
| Question | Target | Words |
|---|
| Accounting |
|---|
| Walk me through the 3 financial statements. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Give me examples of major line items on each of the three financial statements. | 1 min | ~132 |
| How do the 3 statements link together? | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| What are the criteria for an item to appear on the Income Statement? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Name items that never appear on the Income Statement, and explain why. | 1 min | ~132 |
| What's the difference between an Asset and a Liability? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| Why might a company's Net Income differ from its cash flow? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| Explain the three sections of the Cash Flow Statement and why the 'current vs. long-term' rule of thumb isn't fully accurate. | 1 min | ~132 |
| What's the difference between Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| What is Deferred Revenue, and is it an asset or a liability? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| What are Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, and how do they differ? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| What is Treasury Stock and what is Common Stock and APIC? | 30 sec | ~66 |
| What is a Deferred Tax Liability? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| Depreciation goes up by $10. Walk me through the three statements. Assume a 40% tax rate. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Accounts Receivable goes up by $100. Walk me through the statements, 40% tax rate. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Prepaid Expenses goes down by $100. What happens on the statements? 40% tax rate. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Inventory goes up by $100, paid for in cash, and the tax rate is 40%. What happens on the statements, and what happens when that Inventory goes down by $100 because it's sold? | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Accrued Expenses goes up by $100. Walk me through it, 40% tax rate. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Deferred Revenue decreases by $100. Walk me through the statements at a 40% tax rate. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Stock-Based Compensation goes up by $10. What happens, 40% tax rate? | 1 min 15 sec | ~165 |
| A company raises $100 of debt and uses it to buy $100 of PP&E. Walk me through the statements. | 45 sec | ~99 |
| A company sells PP&E with a book value of $100 for $120. Walk me through the statements at 40% tax. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| The company issues $10 in dividends. What happens on the statements? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Why does the Revolver show up in Cash Flow from Financing even though it's a current liability? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| Enterprise value |
|---|
| What's the difference between Enterprise Value and Equity Value? | 30 sec | ~66 |
| Why do you subtract cash when going from Equity Value to Enterprise Value? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Valuation |
|---|
| What are the three main valuation methodologies, and which gives the highest value? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| How do you calculate WACC? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| If rates go up, what happens to a company's valuation in a DCF? | 1 min | ~132 |
| DCF |
|---|
| Walk me through a DCF. | 1 min | ~132 |
| How do you calculate Terminal Value, and which method is better? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| How do you get from EBITDA to Unlevered Free Cash Flow? | 1 min | ~132 |
| LBO |
|---|
| Walk me through a basic LBO model. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Why do private equity firms use leverage in an LBO? | 1 min | ~132 |
| What makes a good LBO candidate? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Merger model |
|---|
| Walk me through a basic merger model, an accretion/dilution analysis. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Why would a company want to acquire another company? | 1 min | ~132 |
| What's the shortcut for telling whether an all-stock deal is accretive? | 45 sec | ~99 |
| Behavioral |
|---|
| Walk me through your resume. Tell me about yourself. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Why investment banking? | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Why our bank in particular? | 1 min | ~132 |
| What are your greatest strengths? | 1 min | ~132 |
| What's your biggest weakness? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Tell me about a time you led a team. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a teammate and how you resolved it. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Tell me about a time you failed. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Tell me about a deal you've been following. | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Where do you see yourself in five years? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Why should we hire you over the other candidates? | 1 min 30 sec | ~198 |
| Brain teasers |
|---|
| What's the angle between the hour and minute hands at 3:15? | 1 min | ~132 |
| What's 15% of 360? And what's 1.08 to the 3rd power, roughly? | 1 min | ~132 |
| Pitch me a stock. | 1 min | ~132 |
| Where are interest rates and the S&P 500 roughly right now, and what's been moving them? | 45 sec | ~99 |
Count the filler words in your own answers with the filler word counter.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should an interview answer be?
- Usually 45 seconds to 2 minutes: 45 to 60 seconds for definitions, 75 to 90 for walk-throughs and why-questions, and about 2 minutes for “Walk me through a DCF”, your resume and STAR stories.
- How many words is a 2-minute answer?
- About 265 words at roughly 130 words a minute, the pace Superday Room's grader assumes once you include natural pauses.
- How fast should I speak in an interview?
- About 130 to 165 words a minute. Superday Room's grader flags answers above about 185 words a minute as rushed and below about 105 as slow.