Business Analyst Interview Questions and Answers: Are You Prepared?

Interviews can be nerve racking. However, if you take ample time to prepare yourself for the process you can get through your business analyst interview cool and collected; and exude the confidence that employers are seeking. It is important to take time to familiarize yourself with the position and company where you are applying; after all you wouldn’t jump into the deep end of a swimming pool without knowing how to swim, right?

In addition to preparing for the business analyst interview questions and answers, you must also have general knowledge of how to approach an interview. For more information on how to get ready and what to expect, check out this course on preparing for your interview.

Once you have prepared for your interview, you can review some of the business analyst questions and answers that you will encounter when trying to obtain this position.

Question: What is the importance of a flow chart?

Answer: When answering this question you need to make it clear that you understand what this tool is used for. A flow chart is a tool that provides a graphical representation of a process. This chart will make a system easy to understand for everyone that is involved with the project that is underway.

Question: What is a use case model?

Answer: A use case model is a tool that is used to describe the business environment. The goal of the tool is to show the actions and events that take place during a given process that is performed by an actor.

Question: What is UML modeling?

Answer: UML stands for Unified Modeling Language. It is the standard in the industry for visualizing, documenting and constructing various components of a system.

The interviewer will likely want to know that you understand how each of these tools is used in the daily life of a business analyst professional. It is crucial that you can describe the methods and techniques used for each tool in a manner that shows you know what you are talking about. Check out the following course to better understand financial modeling and be informed when you answer questions at your interview.

Question: What is an activity diagram and why is it significant?

Answer: The purpose of an activity diagram is to provide an outline of work flow in the business, including the action and activities that are completed. For example, with a company there is likely to be more than one department, with various access levels to the system. If there are departments including HR, Medical and Accounting, they only have access to the screens that relate to their work. An activity diagram will be used to highlight the differences in the departments, which is extremely helpful for developers when they are coding and designing.

Question: What is the role and responsibility of a business analyst?

Answer: If you are interviewing for the position of a business analyst, you should be able to answer this question without much thought. Some of the jobs of a business analyst will include comparing facts and figures, listening to managers and shareholders to provide effective solutions for problems and the negotiation of issues between departments. Check out the course on business analysis to learn more about your role in this position.

Question: How well do you understand Risk and Issue?

Answer: As a business analyst this is something that you will face on a daily basis. Fully understanding these terms is crucial for securing this job. Risk refers to something that can be forecasted and handled by creating mitigation plans. Risk that happened is called Issue. There will be issue management or contingency management to solve issue. As a business analyst you will not be solving the issue, but rather trying to make Damage control and use the knowledge gained as a learning experience for projects in the future.

Tips for Acing Business Analyst Interview Questions

Finally scoring that interview for the Business Analyst position means that you need to ace it to secure the job. It is important to be familiar with the types of questions that will be asked, which will ensure that you can handle the situation with confidence.

While in your interview, you will be presented with a series of scenario based questions that you will be expected to answer. You will need to be able to respond with clear and concise examples of the situations that are being described. When you are answering competency based questions you need to ensure that you use the STAR technique, which is Situation, Task, Action and Result, to compose a successful response.

You should also ensure that you are ready to respond to case study questions and be able to explain how you reach your conclusions. These questions are designed specifically for examining your analytical skills and your problem solving abilities. This means that you should be prepared to draw diagrams and mockups and then use relevant techniques that will show the interviewer that you are proficient in the actual art of analysis.

Remember when you are presenting your case study results; the interviewer will likely press you to provide more information. This may be to challenge you, to alter your thinking or to test the position that you have created. You will need to decipher this and then respond accordingly.

Remember, when you are answering questions in your interview, if you do not know the answer, you should say so and that you would like to find out. The interviewer will not expect you to know everything. The interview process can be a little intimidating and overwhelming, but if you prepare you will be ready to enter it with confidence, which will help you ace the interview. If you want to improve your basic interview skills, check out this course on how to get hired, which will give you the tools that you need.