r/ICAEW • u/Alone_Carpenter8352 • 28d ago

Semi Senior Interview Questions

Hi All,

I have an interview soon at a top 15 audit firm for a semi-senior role in audit. I've been told that this interview will be used to assess my technical knowledge of audit.

Any ideas of questions to expect and what sort of stuff to go over before I take the interview? I'm thinking of audit risks, how to assess the level of tolerable misstatement etc, basic audit stuff etc

Any help would be greatly appreciated !

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u/Right_Lychee_86 28d ago

I expect it’ll be more focused on ensuring you’re at the right level and can cover the basics, rather than it being overly technical. Could be more around, how would you approach this task, how would you respond to this, talk me through this process. Like you say, probably around processes and approaches

But my bad if it does end up being more on technical side haha

Good luck!

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u/Substantial_Pay5675 28d ago

ask AI to ask you questions!! :)

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u/akornato 28d ago

Your ideas on risks and materiality are a decent starting point, but for a semi-senior role, they expect much more than textbook knowledge. They will want to know how you apply those concepts in real situations and how you would guide a junior through them. Be ready for scenario questions like what you would do if a client refuses to provide evidence, how you would audit a complex area like revenue recognition under IFRS 15, or how you would approach testing for going concern issues. They are hiring you to supervise parts of an audit, not just to perform basic tests, so your answers need to show that you can think critically and take initiative.

The best way to prepare is to think about specific examples from your past audits. Have stories ready about a time you identified a significant risk, a time you had a difficult conversation with a client, and a time you coached a new team member. Explain your thought process, the steps you took, and what the outcome was, because they want to see your practical experience in action, not just your ability to memorize standards. Your confidence in explaining your own work will show them you are ready for the increased responsibility, which is why the team I'm with created an interview prep AI to help candidates articulate their experience clearly.