EY names HireVue in its own privacy notice and leans heavily on behavioural questions, so the answers have to come from your own experience. Here is what the recorded round asks and how to prepare.
EY is one of the Big Four professional services firms, with service lines spanning Assurance, Tax, Consulting, Strategy and Transactions, and Technology. Its purpose, building a better working world, shows up in its interview questions more than most firms' slogans do, and you should be ready to explain what it means in practice rather than repeat it.
This guide covers where the video sits, the question themes, why EY's behavioural style changes how you prepare, how the US, UK, and Canada routes differ, and a short prep plan. For the application itself, start with our EY internship application guide.
Where the EY video sits in the process
EY publishes a HireVue privacy notice on its own site and runs a branded interview portal, so unlike some firms it does not hide the tool. The stage order still varies by country and programme.
In the US, EY early-careers candidates apply online and usually receive an SHL skills assessment invitation within about one business day. That assessment runs around 20 minutes, is often a single attempt, and usually needs completing within 24 hours. After a review, some tracks move to a prerecorded HireVue interview.
| Route | Recorded stage | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| US | Prerecorded HireVue video | Live video, case, or in-person rounds |
| UK | Job Simulation with recorded video | Experience Day, then final interviews |
| Canada | Application video with your package | Interviews, decision within weeks |
One detail is unusual and worth knowing. EY Canada describes a video as part of the application package itself, alongside your resume, cover letter, and transcript. On that route the recording is part of the screen rather than a reward for passing one.
EY HireVue questions 2026 and 2027
EY's own guidance says the questions are open and behavioural, using phrases like "give an example of" and "describe a situation when". The reported themes are consistent.
| Prompt theme | What EY is looking for |
|---|---|
| Why EY, and why this service line | A reason tied to the firm you chose |
| A team that disagreed | How you handled conflict and stayed useful |
| Learning something technical quickly | Learning speed under pressure |
| Spotting an error others missed | Care and professional scepticism |
| Competing deadlines | How you decided what came first |
| What building a better working world means | Values translated into your own actions |
The last question is the one candidates fumble most. Do not repeat the phrase as a slogan. Give one example where you chose the harder, more honest option, and say what it changed.
Our HireVue finance interview tips guide covers pacing and structure for any recorded round. Use this page for the EY-specific content on top.
EY's behavioural style, in plain terms
Behavioural interviewing rests on a simple claim: the best predictor of how you will act is how you have acted. EY says this openly. So a prompt is not asking for your opinion about teamwork. It is asking for a specific occasion when you were on a team, what you did, and what happened.
That has three practical consequences.
First, opinions fail. "I am a strong team player" answers nothing. Second, one story beats three. The timer rewards depth, not coverage. Third, the first person matters. EY wants your actions, not a summary of what the group achieved.
If you have never built stories like this, write them once, then rehearse them out loud rather than memorising sentences. Reading on camera is easy to spot, and EY's own advice is blunt: show your true self and do not script the video.
US, UK and Canada routes
The recorded stage exists in several markets, but it is not the same product.
In the US, the HireVue round is prerecorded and configured per role, and some tracks add a short game-based assessment or a written component. In the UK, students complete an EY One assessment and a numerical reasoning test, then a Job Simulation that mixes ranking, short written answers, and recorded video in one sitting. In Canada, the application video goes in with your package through EY's careers platform.
| Element | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| First screen | SHL skills assessment | EY One and numerical reasoning |
| Recorded round | Prerecorded HireVue | Job Simulation video section |
| Later stage | Live or case interviews | Experience Day |
| Final stage | Varies by service line | Partner interview on some programmes |
If you are sitting the UK Job Simulation, prepare to write as well as speak. A short, structured email or recommendation is part of the assessment, and pacing across a one-hour sitting matters as much as any single answer.
The two-application cap
EY limits candidates to two applications within six months on some routes. That cap changes strategy. You cannot spray applications across every service line and office, so choose the two that match your experience and your reason for applying.
It also means you should not apply until the application is strong. A rushed first choice can use up one of your two slots for six months. Keep every live application as its own entry in your tracker so you do not lose track of which one is at which stage.
If you want process context for the tests that come before the video, our psychometric test guide covers the numerical, verbal, and situational formats that EY and other firms use.
A short prep plan for EY
- Write the service line at the top of your notes.
- Build four stories: teamwork disagreement, fast technical learning, spotting an error, competing deadlines.
- Reduce each to five bullets, then rehearse out loud.
- Write one honest answer for what building a better working world means to you.
- Record three answers and watch them back once.
- Fix the weakest opening, then stop.
Rehearse the shape of each story rather than the wording. That is what lets you stay natural on camera while still landing the result before the timer ends.
Mistakes candidates repeat
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Opinions instead of examples | Behavioural prompts want real events | Use one specific situation |
| Telling the team's story | EY scores your actions | Say what you personally did |
| Reciting the EY purpose | Sounds like a slogan | Give one example of it in action |
| Scripting the answer | Reads as flat on camera | Use bullets, not sentences |
| Using both application slots early | Locks you out for six months | Choose the two that fit best |
After the video: Experience Day and final rounds
Strong recordings lead to live rounds. In the UK that usually means an Experience Day, a long assessment day with group tasks and interviews that is the biggest filter in the process. Some programmes then add a final partner interview where you present on a topic and defend your view under questioning. In the US, the next steps are a mix of live video, case study, and in-person interviews depending on the service line.
Keep your video answers consistent with what you say live. Reviewers compare notes, and a motivation that changes between rounds is an easy reason to doubt the first one. If you used our Deloitte HireVue guide for another Big Four firm, keep the two motivation answers separate.
What to do after reading this
Applying to EY this cycle? Confirm which route you are on, choose your two application slots carefully, and build four behavioural stories that you can tell out loud without notes.
Keep application timing on our EY internship application guide, and keep the delivery habits on the HireVue practice guide.