Top 30 Interview Questions in Accounting




Q1. Which statement is not an advantage of robotic process automation (RPA)?


- [✔] Bots are more creative than humans

- [   ] Bots do no need to take time off

- [   ] Bots improve efficiency

- [   ] Bots can eliminate human errors



Q2. What effect does a contra asset account have on a balance sheet?


- [   ] A contra asset is not an accounting term

- [✔] A contra asset has a credit balance and therefore a negative effect on total assets

- [   ] A contra asset with a positive balance will increase overall liabilities

- [   ] A contra asset has a debit balance and therefore a positive effect on total assets



 Q3. Internal controls may be preventative, detective, corrective, or directive. Which is a detective control?


- [   ] data backups

- [✔] physical inventory check

- [   ] employee background checks

- [   ] physical locks on inventory warehouse



 Q4. On March 15, a business receives an invoice from the power company for utilities used in February. The retailer pays the invoice on April 1. The business uses accrual-based accounting. Which month should the business recognize the expense?


- [   ] April

- [   ] March

- [   ] no record required

- [✔] February



 Q5. Which choice is a general guideline for adequate separation of duties to prevent both fraud and error?


- [   ] A person who has control over an asset should not safeguard that asset.

- [   ] A person who has temporary or permanent custody of an asset should not account for that asset.

- [✔] A person who has record-keeping responsibility should not make journal entries.

- [   ] A person who has operational responsibility should not authorize transactions for the area.



 Q6. What does the cost of a unit of product under absorption costing method consist of?


- [   ] direct materials, direct and indirect labor, and fixed overhead

- [   ] direct materials, indirect labor, and variable and fixed overhead

- [✔] direct materials, direct labor, and both variable and fixed overhead

- [   ] direct materials, direct and indirect labor, and variable overhead



 Q7. Which answer best describes accruals and deferrals?


- [   ] Accruals are past cash receipts and payments, while deferrals are expected future cash receipts and payments.

- [   ] Both accruals and deferrals are both expected future cash receipts and payments.

- [✔] Accruals are expected future cash receipts and payments, while deferrals are past cash receipts and payments.

- [   ] Both accruals and deferrals are not expected past cash receipts and payments.



 Q8. What do you call a situation where more than one person collaborates to circumvent existing internal controls?


- [   ] assigned responsibility

- [   ] segregation of duties

- [   ] fraud prevention

- [✔] collusion



 Q9. Which is not an example of an internal control activity?


- [   ] review of manufacturing plan

- [   ] segregation of duties

- [✔] bank reconciliations

- [   ] approval process



 Q10. Which budgeting approach request justification of all expenditures?


- [✔] zero-based budgeting

- [   ] master budgeting

- [   ] rolling budgets
 
- [   ] bottom-up budgeting



 Q11. What does the discontinued operations section of the income statement refer to?


- [✔] disposal of a major product line or major geographical area of operations

- [   ] sale of unused or obsolete equipment and discontinued inventory

- [   ] a plant shutdown or decommissioning of a facility

- [   ] net income or loss for products completed and sold



 Q12. How are the three financial statements (income, statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) linked?


- [   ] Only the assets are reflected in the cash flow statement, and the net income expenses correlate with the liabilities.

- [✔] The net income goes to retained earnings, but the cash flow remains independent.

- [   ] The gross profit goes to retained earning, and the shareholder equity total is added to the cash flow statement

- [   ] The net income goes to the retained earning and to the cash flow statement



 Q13. Which is not one of the four perspectives of the balanced scorecard?


- [   ] internal business

- [   ] learning and growth

- [✔] quantitative

- [   ] customer



 Q14. What would be deducted from the balance per books when doing a bank reconciliation?


- [   ] deposits in transit

- [   ] bank service fees

- [✔] outstating checks

- [   ] electronic fund transfers/payments



 Q15. What situation could be the results of the three retails store employees sharing the same cash register?


- [   ] a thorough internal control activity

- [✔] a violation of assignment of responsibility

- [   ] a violation of segregation of duties

- [   ] a support process to avoid fraud



 Q16. A firm has $1,000 in debt and $3,000 in assets. What is the firm's debt-to-equity ratio?


- [   ] 3

- [   ] 2

- [   ] 0.5

- [✔] 0.33



 Q17. An external auditor is required to be independent when performing


- [   ] all attestation services

- [   ] all professional services

- [✔] all tax services

- [   ] all consulting engagements



 Q18. Proper segregation of functional responsibilities calls for separation of


- [   ] custody, payment, and recording

- [✔] authorization, custody, and execution

- [   ] authorization, custody, and recording

- [   ] custody, execution, and payment



 Q19. What does the degree of operating leverage represent?


- [✔] how much the value of capital assets will change in response to a change in sales

- [  ] how much the operating income of a company will change in response to a change in sales

- [   ] the valuation of assets to determine how much additional debt the company can borrow

- [   ] how much the sales of a company will change in response to a change in operating income



 Q20. Which characteristic would concern an auditor about the risk of material misstatements arising from fraudulent financial reporting?


- [   ] limited employee turnover within the accounting and finance department

- [   ] management's disregard of regulations and regulatory authorities

- [✔] regularly reported bank reconciliations, including deposits in transit

- [   ] capital assets sold at a loss before being depreciated fully



 Q21. An employee who makes a sale, ships the goods, and bills the customer violates which control activity?


- [   ] assignment of responsibility

- [   ] audit verification

- [✔] segregation of duties

- [   ] review and reconciliation



 Q22. What trait distinguishes auditors from accountants?


- [✔] The auditor can interpret accounting principles applicable to the country in which the client operates.

- [   ] The auditor has extensive education beyond what is required for an accountant

- [   ] The auditor can adapt to a rapidly changing profession.

- [   ] The auditor has expertise in the gathering and interpretation of audit evidence.



 Q23. What is the purpose of an operational audit?


- [   ] assessing the company's compliance with environmental laws and regulations

- [✔] evaluating whether the organization is meeting the metrics set by management in order to achieve the goals and objectives set forth by the board of directors

- [   ] assessing the organization's control mechanisms for overall efficiency and reliability

- [   ] evaluating compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures



 Q24. Which statement is false?


- [✔] The balanced scorecard aligns an organization's operational activities with its mission.

- [   ] The balanced scorecard focuses on these four primary areas: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth.

- [   ] The balanced scorecard measures, tracks, and reports on a balance of qualitative and financial data and metrics.

- [   ] The balanced scorecard ensures the organization's profitability aligns with director compensation and dividend expectations.



 Q25. Which choice is not a component of internal control?


- [  ] information and communication

- [✔] risk mitigation

- [   ] monitoring

- [   ] control environment



 Q26. What is the difference between the cost of an asset and the accumulated depreciation for that asset?


- [   ] depreciation value

- [   ] prepaid asset

- [   ] depreciation expense

- [✔] book value



 Q27. A company budgeted 1,200 washers, but only 1,000 are produced. It costs $10 to produce a widget. What is the materials variance?


- [✔] 200

- [   ] 2000

- [   ] 350

- [   ] 20



 Q28. Who does an audit committee report to?


- [✔] external auditors

- [   ] senior management

- [   ] board of directors

- [   ] union of employee representatives


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