I applied through other source. I interviewed at Cornerstone Research (Boston, MA) in Mar 2012
Interview
One 30-minute phone interview was scheduled with a current analyst at the Boston office. I was expecting back-to-back interviews, but was told to only plan for one. 15 minutes of behavioral/experience questions and then a case (based on an actual client case at the time). The case ended up lasting 20-30 minutes and was finance-oriented.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using mark-to-market versus mark-to-model asset valuations.
First round: 2 virtual case interviews, 30-45 min
Second round: In person, 3 case and 1 behavioral
All cases included 5-10 minutes behavioral or 1-2 questions at the end. People were nice, cases were fun and fairly structured.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Asked about evaluating strengths and weaknesses of various modeling techniques
I interviewed at Cornerstone Research (Menlo Park, CA)
Interview
The interview was split between behavioral (20 mins) and a economic case. This is the first round, once you do this you will have more case rounds. The superday is 4 back to back cases (40 mins each) in person.
The interview process was succinct, but it was difficult. Depending on the office, they take only a few candidates, so it is extremely competitive, so bring your A-game; you will need to be near-perfect.
Summer Analyst applicants have rated the interview process at Cornerstone Research with 3.4 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 82% positive. To compare, the company-average is 69.2% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Summer Analyst roles take an average of 15 days to get hired, when considering 150 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Cornerstone Research overall takes an average of 17 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Cornerstone Research as a Summer Analyst according to 150 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 52%
Phone interview: 17%
Presentation: 9%
Skills test: 7%
IQ intelligence test: 4%
Background check: 4%
Personality test: 3%
Other: 2%
Drug test: 1%
Group panel interview: 1%
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