Guesstimates are intelligent estimates for a certain datapoint that you want to know.
Some examples:
- What are the number of balls that you can fit in an aeroplane
- How many marriages take place in India in a year?
- How many fies are consumed in an hour at McDonalds?
- HOw many cigarettes are sold in Mumbai in a day?
Why
- Assessment of your problem-solving skills
- Assessment of analytical skills
- Assessment of your ability to structure and present information
Types of Guesstimates
- Shape-related: Deal with shape and size of something. Related to a area, volume, etc. Ex: No. of tennis balls you can fit into an aeroplane, guesstimate the area of your hometown
- Market-sizing: Deals with supply and demand of products. Eg: Market for cars in India in 2025, Guesstimate the amount of tickets at an event
- Abstract: Where you apply the market sizing and shape related guesstimates to get the answer. Eg: No. of birds in Lucknow, no. of trees in Kolkata, No. of marriages taking place in India
Types of Guesstimate Interview Questions
- Pre-decided - This is when the interviewer asks you the same guesstimate questions they ask everyone from a template provided by the company.
- Using their experience - This is when the interviewer leverages their professional experiences and projects to conjure up questions. These usually happen in consulting interviews.
- Using your experience - This is when the interviewer asks you questions based on your hobbies or interests in order to make the guesstimate fun as well as get a deeper understanding of how well you are able to perform based on your own skills.
Table of Contents
- Approaching a Guesstimate
- Example Guesstimate Interview - How To Approach Guesstimate
- Tips and Tricks
- Using Factsheets
- Communicating While Solving a Guesstimate
- Examples