How to Answer Brainteaser Interview Questions

Employers incorporate brainteasers in their interview process because they want to see how well you approach and solve complex problems. By asking you to find creative solutions to complex issues, employers can gain critical insights into your ability to communicate your ideas and respond under pressure. A candidate who is able to think on their feet and use their problem-solving skills effectively to solve hypothetical problems is perceived to be more likely to perform well on the job and be an asset to the team.

While brainteasers are no longer as popular as they used to be, they are still used by some employers. Candidates aspiring for roles that involve a lot of mental strain and outside-of-the-box thinking may find themselves in for brainteasers during the interview process. A few examples include roles such as management consulting, technology, finance, and engineering. However, brainteasers are most common in job interviews for entry and junior-level positions.

To have the best shot of impressing recruiters, it is essential that you take the time to prepare in advance. By doing so, you will have more time to focus on the actual interview questions and answer them with confidence and clarity. Below, we have compiled a list of essential tips to help you prepare for brainteaser interview questions.

1. Conduct research about the company

Before the interview, find out whether the company is known to use brainteasers as part of its hiring process. You can do your research by reading Glassdoor online reviews, talking to others who have worked at the company, and checking their website and social media for clues. Alternatively, you can ask the recruiter in advance about the types of questions that you may be asked during the job interview. This will give you an idea of what to expect and help you formulate an appropriate strategy for the interview.

2. Prepare for brainteaser questions you may encounter

In order to be well-prepared, it is essential to familiarise yourself with various types of brainteaser interview questions you may face during the interview. Understanding what they are can help you figure out the best way to tackle them and ultimately boost your chances of getting the job. Here are the types of brainteasers you may come across.

• Illusion Brainteasers

These questions are designed to trick you by presenting false information and then asking you to make conclusions based on this.

Example: “The sum of two US coins is 30 cents. What are the two coins if neither is a nickel?

• Draw-Explanation Brainteasers

Here, you are given strange and seemingly unsolvable scenarios and asked to explain them.

Example: “There’s a man who was born in 1945. However, he’s only 30 years old now. How’s that possible?”

• Wording Brainteasers

These utilise contradicting terms to create illogical scenarios that are confusing.

Example: “Lung cancer is much more likely to occur in smokers than in non-smokers. What studies could possibly demonstrate that smoking does not cause cancer?”

• Pattern or Trend Brainteasers

Here, you will be asked to fill in the blanks after presenting data that follows specific patterns or trends.

Example: “What number comes after the following sequence: 125, 64, 27, 8?”

• Logical Brainteasers

These require you to evaluate the logic and reasoning of the given statement and arrive at the correct answer.

Example: “An adventurer came across a silver coin marked 7 BC. He was informed it was a counterfeit. Why?”

• Letter-trick Brainteasers

These types of questions require answers that make use of certain letter combinations in a set sequence.

Example: “What does “FAST” mean?”

3. Practice through mock interviews

Apart from familiarising yourself with brainteaser questions, it is also important to hone your interview skills by practising. Doing so will help you gain a better understanding of how to solve them faster. We suggest going through some mock interviews so that you can work on perfecting your techniques and learn to better answer questions under pressure. A good way to practice is to ask a friend, mentor, colleague, or career strategist to act as the interviewer and practice answering different types of brainteasers with them. They can also provide valuable feedback on how you can improve in order to secure the job offer.

While many common brainteasers don’t have right or wrong answers, employers are still looking for logical and sound responses. Here are some helpful tips that will help you crack these tricky interview questions and impress the hiring managers.

1. Ask questions to clarify what is being asked of you

Before answering the question, make sure you understand what it is that the employer wants from you. If the question does not explicitly tell you what you need to find the answer, clarify by asking additional questions. Employers expect you to be inquisitive and curious. So, it is important to try to better understand the problem at hand and the context in which it’s being presented. This will put you in a stronger position to provide an appropriate answer.

2. Take notes during the interview

Some brainteasers require more in-depth analysis and involve several steps to solve. In this case, it’s a good idea to jot down notes as you’re working through the exercise. This can help you formulate your response more effectively and make it easy to refer to specific data points during the interview. Just make sure that you don’t go overboard and end up spending the entire time writing instead of actually thinking. Remember, the goal is to complete the exercise efficiently while demonstrating your critical thinking skills.

3. Make logical assumptions based on the given information

Many brainteasers are ambiguous and leave several possible solutions. In this case, the best approach is to identify the most logical assumption and then work from there. Next, find supporting evidence that validates your assumption by looking for clues in the data or context provided. Finally, connect the dots to arrive at your final answer. This way, you can present thoughtful solutions to the problem at hand while showing that you have a clear grasp of the underlying logic.

4. Communicate your thought process

When faced with challenging brainteasers, it’s important to communicate your thought process clearly. This is critical because hiring managers want to see how you analyse a problem and evaluate different potential solutions before reaching a conclusion. One of the best ways to achieve this is to explain each step in your decision-making process and provide examples of the evidence that you gathered to support your ideas. When you give concrete examples to illustrate your point, it helps show your critical thinking and communication skills, which are highly valued by potential employers.