We Analyzed 1,000+ Internship & Co-op Interviews — Here's What Companies Actually Ask

At Internia, students anonymously share their real internship and co-op interview experiences — the questions they were asked, how many rounds they went through, and whether they got the offer. Over 1,000 interview experiences later, we finally have enough data to answer the question every co-op and internship student asks before their first interview:

What do companies actually ask — and what actually leads to an offer?

We broke down every data point and read hundreds of interview descriptions to find the patterns. Some of what we found confirmed what you'd expect. Some of it didn't.

Half of all internship interviews are behavioral. The other half are technical.

The two most common interview types across 1,000+ co-op and internship experiences were almost perfectly split:

• 50% included technical questions — coding challenges, system design, case studies, or domain-specific knowledge
• 49% included behavioral questions — situational prompts, resume walkthroughs, and "tell me about a time" questions

But the split isn't as clean as it sounds. Over 52% of interviews had multiple rounds, and many of those combined both formats — a behavioral screen followed by a technical deep dive, or a case study paired with a culture fit conversation.

If you're only preparing for one type, you're underprepared for the majority of internship interviews.

The most common internship interview questions — straight from students

We read hundreds of interview descriptions to identify the most frequently mentioned question patterns. Here's what students actually reported hearing in their internship and co-op interviews:

The most common behavioral interview questions

1. Resume walkthrough — mentioned in ~11% of interviews. Interviewers ask you to walk through your resume, then drill into specific projects or experiences.
2. "Tell me about a time..." — the classic STAR-method prompt. Students reported being asked about leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork, and handling pressure.
3. "Why this company?" and "Why this role?" — especially common at banks and consulting firms, where interviewers want to see you've done your research.
4. Situational/hypothetical questions — "How would you handle X?" or "What would you do if Y happened?" These were distinct from behavioral questions because they ask about future scenarios, not past experiences.

The most common technical interview questions

1. SQL — the most frequently mentioned technical skill across all industries. It showed up in 8% of all interviews, spanning banks, tech companies, and consulting firms alike.
2. Coding challenges — mentioned in 13% of interviews. Platforms like HackerRank (mentioned 4% of the time) and LeetCode (3%) were the most common formats.
3. System design — appeared in about 3% of interviews, almost exclusively at tech companies and for senior co-op roles.
4. Python — the most mentioned programming language (4%), followed by Java (2%) and Excel (2%).
5. Case studies — 10% of interviews, heavily concentrated in consulting and finance. Students described analyzing company financials, recommending strategies, and doing market sizing.

What interviews look like at banks vs. tech companies vs. consulting firms

The data showed distinctly different interview styles across industries. Here's how the three biggest co-op employer categories compare:

Canadian banks (RBC, Scotiabank, TD, CIBC, BMO)

Banks were the most common employer category in the dataset. Their interviews lean heavily behavioral — students described resume walkthroughs, situational questions about client interactions, and "why banking?" questions. Technical components typically involved financial modeling, Excel proficiency, or basic accounting knowledge rather than coding.

One student described their bank interview as "purely behavioral about interpersonal situations" with "situational questions about conflict resolution." Another mentioned a "superday format" with multiple rounds, including a stock pitch that caught them off guard.

Offer rate: 47% — right at the overall average.

Big Tech (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Shopify)

Tech company interviews were the most technical in the dataset, with coding challenges, system design questions, and algorithm problems dominating. Multiple students mentioned LeetCode-style questions ranging from easy to medium difficulty. Microsoft and Google frequently used back-to-back 45-minute technical rounds.

One student described their tech interview as "two medium LeetCode problems, one hashmaps one DP" followed by a resume deep dive. Another mentioned "a tree problem where you needed an optimized solution within the time limit."

Offer rate: 42% — the most competitive category.

Consulting & Big 4 (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC)

Consulting interviews were the most varied. Nearly half included case studies — students described analyzing company financials, building recommendations, and presenting their findings. Behavioral questions focused heavily on leadership, teamwork, and client communication. Excel tests and take-home assignments were also common.

One student described their consulting interview as "a take-home case about analyzing a company's financials and recommending whether to invest or pass." Another mentioned "an Excel test with pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, and some more advanced stuff."

Offer rate: 46% — slightly below average.

Offer rates by interview format — some formats are harder than others

Not all interview formats lead to the same outcomes. Here's how offer rates broke down by format:

Interview Format	Offer Rate
In-Person	67%
Resume Review	61%
Behavioral	54%
Multiple Rounds	51%
Virtual	50%
Live Coding	50%
Technical	47%
Case Study	44%
Pre-recorded (HireVue)	35%

A few things stand out:

Pre-recorded video interviews (HireVue, etc.) had the lowest offer rate at 35%. About 6% of interviews used this format, and students consistently described them as impersonal and hard to stand out in. Without a real back-and-forth with an interviewer, it's harder to show your personality or ask clarifying questions — and the data reflects that.

In-person interviews had a 67% offer rate vs. 50% for virtual. This likely reflects that companies bring candidates on-site when they're already more serious about them, but it also means that if you get invited on-site, your odds are good.

Technical interviews had a lower offer rate (47%) than behavioral ones (54%). This doesn't mean technical interviews are harder to pass — it means they're used more often for competitive roles at competitive companies. If your interview is purely behavioral, the role is likely less competitive.

Speed is a signal too. Interviews tagged "Fast Process" had a 79% offer rate, while "Slow Process" dropped to 36%. When a company moves quickly, it usually means they want you. If you haven't heard back in weeks, it might be time to move on.

The real role of GPA in internship interviews

GPA is one of the most debated topics in co-op prep. Here's what the data actually shows:

GPA Range	Offer Rate
3.7+	73%
3.3 – 3.6	55%
2.9 – 3.2	26%
2.5 – 2.8	19%

There's a clear correlation — students with higher GPAs get more offers. But that doesn't mean a 3.0 student can't land an internship. Over 22% of all interviews came from students with GPAs between 2.9 and 3.2, and about 1 in 4 of those students still received an offer.

The more important nuance: GPA likely acts as a filter for getting the interview, not for passing it. Once you're in the room, your answers, your projects, and your communication skills matter more than your transcript.

51% of interviewees are 3rd-year students — but 2nd years are catching up

Co-op interviews aren't evenly distributed across university years:

• 3rd year: 51% — the peak co-op interview year for most programs
• 2nd year: 22% — students who start their co-op search early
• 4th year: 18% — upper-year students targeting more senior placements
• 1st year: 3% — a small but growing group breaking in early

If you're a 2nd-year student feeling behind, you're not. Nearly a quarter of all internship interviews on the platform came from students in your exact position.

The most common co-op interview roles

Software roles dominate, but there's far more variety than you might expect:

• Software Engineer / Developer — 27% of all interviews
• Data Analyst — 8%
• Financial Analyst — 6%
• Business Analyst — 5%
• Actuarial Analyst — 3%
• Consulting Analyst — 3%
• Investment Banking — 3%
• Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil) — 8% combined

The interview data spans over 50 different role types across tech, finance, consulting, government, and more.

7 ways to prepare for your next internship or co-op interview

Based on what 1,000+ real interview experiences tell us:

1. Learn SQL. It's the #1 mentioned technical skill across all industries — banks, tech, and consulting alike. If you learn one technical skill before your internship interviews, make it SQL.

2. Prepare for both behavioral and technical. They're almost exactly 50/50 in the data, and over half of interviews have multiple rounds that mix both. Don't just prep for one.

3. Use the STAR method, but keep it natural. Behavioral questions show up in half of all interviews. Have 5–6 stories ready that cover leadership, conflict, teamwork, and failure — but deliver them like stories, not scripts.

4. Know what your specific industry asks. Banks ask "why banking?" and test soft skills. Tech companies ask LeetCode and system design. Consulting firms give case studies and Excel tests. Prep accordingly.

5. Don't panic about GPA. Yes, higher GPAs correlate with more offers. But nearly a quarter of interviews came from students below a 3.3, and many of them still got offers. Your projects and interview skills matter more once you're in the room.

6. If a company ghosts you, move on. Fast-moving hiring processes had a 79% offer rate. Slow ones had 36%. If you haven't heard back in weeks, that's your answer — spend your energy on the next application.

7. Read interviews from your target company before you go in. This is the simplest edge you can give yourself. If someone has already shared what Amazon, RBC, or Deloitte asked them, use that information. That's exactly why Internia exists.

See what your target company actually asks

Every interview in this analysis was shared anonymously by a real student on Internia. You can filter by company, program, role, or interview type to find exactly the experiences that are relevant to your next interview.

It's free, it's anonymous, and it's built by students who've been through the process.

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