Goldman Sachs hub
Goldman Sachs Online Assessment
Overview
Goldman Sachs online assessment (OA) is the first hard filter for many fresher and lateral engineering drives. This page covers format, sample Goldman Sachs OA questions, an 8-week prep plan, and mistakes that sink strong candidates.
Patterns are from student reports for 2025-2026. Confirm your invite.
Goldman Sachs hiring flow after the OA
| Stage | What candidates report | What you must show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Online assessment | Online test with coding (+ MCQs by drive) | Correctness + reasonable complexity |
| 2. Technical interviews | DSA + CS fundamentals; role depth | Explain approach and edge cases |
| 3. Later rounds | Superday / HM / HR | Depth + communication |
| 4. HR / offer | Role, location, CTC | Consistency with resume |
Goldman Sachs Online Assessment format
| Component | From student reports details |
|---|---|
| Platform | HackerRank / Codility / GS-hosted (varies) |
| Duration | Often 60-120 minutes depending on sections |
| Question mix | Coding + possible MCQ sections |
| Languages | Java, C++, Python |
| Scoring | Sectional performance matters when MCQs exist |
| Advance rate | Selective finance-tech bar |
What makes Goldman Sachs OA feel distinct
- Mix of coding + often aptitude/CS MCQs depending on role/drive
- Engineering roles still need solid DSA
- Attention to detail and clear reasoning
- Superday-style loops after OA for many campus paths
Question types
Core
- Arrays, strings, hashing
- Trees/graphs medium
- Probability/math flavor occasionally in interviews
- Clean implementation
Secondary
- Aptitude/CS MCQs on some papers
- Behavioral fit for firm culture
Usually not in OA
- Pure sales trading case interviews for engineering OA
- Hardware design
Sample Goldman Sachs Online Assessment questions
Question 1: two sum / pair trades style
Question 2: trapping rain water
Question 3: high five / top scores average
Question 4: string without 3 identical consecutive
Question 5: knight probability on chessboard
Question 6: best time to buy sell stock
8-Week prep plan
| Weeks | Focus | Exit criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Arrays, hashing, two pointers | 40+ clean easy/medium |
| 3-4 | Trees/graphs/heaps as relevant | Implement BFS/DFS cold |
| 5-6 | Domain-flavored drills for Goldman Sachs | Timed section comfort |
| 7 | Full mocks at OA duration | Finish required problems with tests |
| 8 | Weak-topic repair | Re-solve misses in 48 hours |
Daily loop
- One timed medium problem
- Write complexity + 3 edge cases before coding
- Log misses by pattern
- Weekly full mock
Common mistakes
- Prepping only puzzles and failing coding
- Prepping only coding when MCQs are listed
- Sloppy edge cases
- Weak explanation of complexity
- No behavioral stories for superday
Day-of checklist
- Skim all problems for 3-4 minutes and order by familiarity
- Submit a correct simpler solution before over-optimizing if time is tight
- Invent edge cases the samples omit
- Do not leave a problem fully blank if a partial tested approach can score
- After the test, write down every problem from memory for interview prep
Interview transition plan (48 hours after OA)
- Re-solve your OA problems cleanly
- Prepare STAR stories (ownership, conflict, failure, impact)
- Revise OOPs, DBMS, OS one-pagers
- Rehearse a 2-minute project narration
Comments & Suggestions
Related resources
Similar companies
JP Morgan · Morgan Stanley · Deutsche Bank · Bank of America · Capital One · Wells Fargo