Careers Finding a Job How to Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Print Sirinarth Mekvorawuth / EyeEm / Getty Images Finding a Job Job Searching Job Interviews Skills & Keywords Resumes Salary & Benefits Letters & Emails Job Listings Cover Letters Career Advice Best Jobs Work-From-Home Jobs Internships By Alison Doyle Updated on 09/04/19 A business analyst's core role is to understand a company's operations and goals and make suggestions for improvement. While the specific responsibilities and mission for business analyst positions vary from one company to another, there are a number of questions that you're likely to be asked in any business analyst interview. These questions include a combination of behavioral interview questions, along with inquiries relating to business analyst terms and questions that test your skills as a business analyst. You will need to be able to construct complete answers, with anecdotes from your career that show successes related to the topics you are asked about. During your interview preparation, take a careful look at the job posting. Analyze the criterion the company mentions seeking in an employee. Do your best to match your skills and experiences to the specifications listed so that you can present yourself as a highly qualified candidate for the position. It can be helpful to review key business analyst skills the company will be looking for and come up with examples of how you have used them in practice. Also, review the STAR interview technique and use it to come up with some sample answers to have ready to share with the interviewer. Take a look at the following questions, which are commonly asked during a business analyst interview, and think about how you would respond. Business Analyst Interview Questions What analysis and modeling techniques and methodologies have you found to be the most effective, and why?What are some of the most important points a business analyst must take care of when preparing a business plan?What diagrams and/or other materials do you use to capture and describe customer needs and convey technical information?How many business case engagements have you worked on? What was your involvement?Tell me about a time when you created long-range plans at a previous employer.How do you determine which Business Intelligence (BI) tools to use? Which have you worked with?If two companies are merging, explain what tasks you would implement to make the merge successful, and how you would implement those tasks.Explain the steps you must take to create use cases when working with specific documentation requirements.Tell me about a time when you've had to work with difficult stakeholders, and how you handled it.Describe three of the different types of diagrams that business analysts most often use.Define and describe the difference between basic flow, exception flow, and alternate flow in use cases.Tell me about how you usually approach a project.How have you handled stakeholders who were difficult?Can you define the diagrams that business analysts use?Why do you think flowcharts are important?Where do you see the role of a business analyst fitting into an organization?What is your requirement elicitation strategy? Questions About Business Analyst Terms Define application usability.What is Pareto Analysis?What steps are necessary to turn an idea into a product?What does BPMN stand for? What is BPMN Gateway?Explain CAP Analysis.What does INVEST stand for and what does it do?What is meant by an alternate flow in a use case?Tell me what you know about scope creep.Describe the difference between a business requirement document (BRD) and functional requirement document (FRD).Explain the difference between an analysis model and a design model. Tips for a Successful Business Analyst Interview Before you arrive at your interview, make sure that you have spent enough energy getting ready to interview. Preparing yourself for the most common business analyst job interview questions is only part of the challenge. Choose what you are going to wear to the interview ahead of time. Make sure it’s cleaned, pressed, and ready to go the night before. Have a briefcase or portfolio set with the items you're bringing with you, so you’re not scrounging for a working pen at the last minute. Leave plenty of time to get to the interview. Aim to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, and take into account transportation and parking. Paying attention to these seemingly small details is important in making the best possible impression on the hiring manager. Be sure that you're ready to sell yourself effectively during the interview by spending time thoroughly researching the company, and coming up with questions to ask the employer as well. In addition to specific topics related to business analysis, you’ll also likely be asked some general interview questions, so spend some time thinking about how to answer these as well. You will be much more confident, and likely to move ahead in the hiring process when you take the time to thoroughly prepare for your interview for a business analyst position.