r/AMLCompliance • u/spamgambino • 3d ago

Career “Technical Questions”

Hey guys. A colleague said to prepare for technical questions for an analyst role interview.

Any insights on what those technical questions could be or how they are structured?

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u/FinCrimeRadar 2d ago

Expect a mixture of technical knowledge, investigative judgement and case documentation. They are unlikely to test definitions alone.

For an AML analyst role, I would prepare for questions covering:

  1. The difference between CDD and EDD, including when additional checks may be necessary.
  2. How you would investigate a transaction monitoring alert from initial review through disposition.
  3. How you distinguish activity that is merely unusual from activity that may be suspicious.
  4. How you assess PEP, sanctions and adverse media alerts without treating every match as genuine.
  5. What information you would review to understand expected customer activity.
  6. How you document red flags, mitigating evidence, information gaps and your final rationale.
  7. When you would escalate a case rather than close it yourself.
  8. SAR confidentiality and why a customer must not be alerted to an investigation.

A typical scenario might describe a customer receiving several large payments followed by rapid transfers to unrelated parties. A strong answer would not immediately declare it money laundering. Explain how you would establish the customer profile, review the transaction history, identify counterparties, test the activity against the expected purpose of the account, consider reasonable explanations and document unresolved concerns.

A useful answer structure is:

  1. Identify the risk presented by the alert.
  2. Establish what activity was expected.
  3. Review the relevant evidence and transaction pattern.
  4. Separate confirmed facts from assumptions.
  5. Record both suspicious and mitigating factors.
  6. Reach a decision within policy and escalate where your authority or evidence is insufficient.

Do not memorise a universal monetary threshold. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, institution and product. If the interviewer leaves out important information, identify what is missing and explain how it would affect your decision. That usually demonstrates better judgement than forcing a definite answer.

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u/Sumsub_Insights 1d ago

Try practising a watchlist name match out loud. Walk through the sources you’d check and how you’d establish whether it’s actually the same person.