7 tough brainteasers to test your interviewees’ critical thinking

7 Tough Brainteasers to Test an Interviewee’s Critical

Thinking Could (and should) you use brainteasers

to suss out your bright sparks?

Why use brainteasers?

• Problem Solving. Can they at least attempt to solve problems as they arise?

• Analysis. Can they look at the big picture and analyse all the information to find a solution?

• Creativity. Do they think outside the box?

• Performance under pressure. Can they keep it together, when faced with the unknown?

Asking questions that have no

relevance seems like a great idea…right?

Q1. “If you were a pizza delivery man,

how would you benefit

from scissors?”Apple Inc.

A2: There is no right answer! But….

There are certainly good signs…

A candidate who deliberates, comes up with a remotely relevant answer and explains their reasoning…

What is it like to be a pizza delivery man?

How will those scissors come in handy?

Clever sods might even give reasons why you shouldn’t take scissors, turning your question on its head.

And bad signs…• Candidates who won’t answer the

question!

It’s an interview…YOU make the rules.

• Candidates who can’t answer the question!

Where’s the creativity?

Q2. An apple costs 40 cents, a banana costs 60

cents and a grapefruit costs 80 cents. How much

does a pear cost?Epic Systems

Did you get the right answer?

Take another look…

“An apple costs 40 cents, a banana costs 60 cents and a grapefruit costs 80 cents.

How much does a pear cost?”

A2: It’s all about the vowels.

If each vowel is worth 20 cents, then an apple would

be worth 40 cents, a banana would be worth 60

cents and a grapefruit would be worth 80 cents.

If a candidate answers correctly, in such a

high-pressure situation, you should be impressed…

So a pear would cost 40 Cents!

However…

Don’t be too quick to judge!

Surely there are other answers that could impress you?

Other Good Signs…

Is their answer sensible, thought-out and practical?

Bad Signs…

Blurting out an answer without fully considering the

consequences could give you a little hint about how they’ll

make decisions in the future…

Q3: How would you test a calculator?

IBM

A3: There is no right answer!

(But there are plenty of wrong ones!)

Good Signs:Anyone who offers a method that is…

Strategic Detailed Efficient

Systematic

…and that would actually work!

Bad Signs…Anyone who offers a method that is…

× Thoughtless× Unjustified × Impossible× Confused

What does this tell you about their general organisational skills?

Q4: “A farmer needs to cross the river with his chicken, a sack of corn and a fox.

His boat will only fit himself and one other thing.

If he leaves the fox with the chicken, the chicken will get eaten, whilst if he leaves

the chicken with the corn, the corn will get eaten.

How will the man get safely across with all 3?

“ “

It’s easy when you know how…

A4: The man takes the chicken across and then goes back for the fox.

He can’t leave the fox and the chicken together so when he drops the fox off, he picks up the chicken.

He then goes back for the corn.

He can’t leave the corn and the chicken together so when he picks up the corn, he drops off the chicken.

When the corn is safely with the fox on the right side

of the river, he goes to collect the chicken.

““

The REAL question..?

Why’s the farmer hanging around with a fox in the

first place?

Other Good Signs…If you use the question as a team activity during a group interview or assessment day you can look out for…

• Leadership Skills• Team Work Skills• Interpersonal Skills

…look out for those who sensitively facilitate the successful completion of the task.

Bad Signs…• Misunderstanding the question

• Reaching the wrong conclusion

• Sacrificing the wolf or the chicken

And – beware of candidates who’ve heard it all before!

Q5. “How many potatoes (in kg) does McDonald’s sell in a year in the UK?”

Oliver Wyman

A5. 200 Million KG

(Roughly)

There are loads of variations on this question…

How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the UK every year?

How many petrol stations are there in the UK?

How many pennies, if placed on top of each other, would it take to reach the top of Big

Ben?

Good Signs…• Any candidate whose answer is remotely

close!

• Sensible presumptions and deliberations.

• Evidence of mathematical ability.

Bad Signs…Incorrect mathematical sums, hasty

deductions and unreasonable reasoning…

If you actually care about their numerical reasoning capabilities

that is…

Q6. Tracy’s mum had 4 children. The

first child was named April, the

second was named May, the third June.

What was the 4th child called?

Did you notice the cheeky little trick?

Look again…

“Tracy’s mother had 4 children. The first child was named April, the

second was named May, the third June. What was

the 4th child called?”

Bad Signs…

Anyone who incorrectly answers the

question!

Ok ok… that’s a bit harsh.

We’ve all had those complete mind-blank moments in the past!

If your candidate is struggling under the pressure, give them a little hint

- re-state the question!

Q7. How do you know if the light in the fridge is

on or off when the door’s closed?

A7. There is no right answer!

You could…• Use a camera• Drill a hole in the fridge• Find the sensor and test it with

your thumb• Touch the light bulb (carefully)

Be creative and the list is endless…

Bad Signs…

No answer at all implies a

sincere lack of creativity!

So…when should I use

brainteasers?

At any stage of the interviewing process!

From telephone and face-to-face, to panel and Skype

but they’re most effective during the…

Group Interviews

Warning. Brainteasers are the most

difficult questions to answer during an interviewer.

(So much pressure…so little time!)

Even great candidates might

get put off and completely fudge the answer up!

At Coburg Banks, we prefer to use a mixture of:

The BasicsBehavioural Questions

Questions to put candidates at ease!

Click on the links above to find examples for you to swipe and deploy in your own

interviews!

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Enjoy and Good Luck from the Coburg Banks Team!