Top 7 Guesstimate Questions You can’t Answer in an Interview

Guesstimate questions are scary, simply because they really matter for impacting your performance in those all-important interviews — often for consulting, data analytics or product management. No need to worry; you can do it! In this guide, we are looking at how to approach guesstimate questions with confidence and make what sounds like a guessing game into an opportunity for showcasing our analytical thinking.

Knowing how to solve such guesstimate questions can be a game-changer while preparing for your interviews. These types of questions are ideal to test your critical thinking ability, effectiveness in estimation and clear reasoning — a useful trait in the data-driven world. Whether you are solving for how many golf balls fit in a school bus or the market size of a new product, mastering these questions can improve your overall interview performance. Revel in this learning experience and shortly socializing will begin to reveal the analysation skills of yours.

This article tackles intangible steps to address such questions and provides important data for guesstimate questions that might be advantageous for you to know. However, by discerning issues that arise into parts that are easily solvable and evaluating your IQ, you’ll be able to handle the situation better thus making you the praised one in the eyes of your interviewer for sure. So, let’s go ahead and check it out, how can we change these complex queries into ways of stepping up your problem solving skills. I am sure you can handle this problem and I will be there for you all the way!

The Purpose of Asking Guesstimate Questions in Interviews

The primary reason to ask guesstimate questions in interviews is to check your problem-solving abilities, creativity, and your ability to think on your feet. Even though they can be too difficult to answer, you alone have all the talent to succeed in this field. In the beginning, my concept was that these questions were aimed at finding the correct number. At the same time, the real aim is not to get the correct answer; it is about demonstrating a structured way of thinking, being logical and explaining one’s thoughts clearly. Take these questions as your opportunity and make use of your talent to display your creative thinking and analytical skills!

Tips to Approach Quantitative Guesstimate Questions in an Interview

Now that you learned about the guesstimate questions significance in job interviews, we can move on to some successful methods to handle them with ease. By these tips, you can answer every guesstimate question in an interview. that comes your way

1. Break Down Complex Problems into Bite-Sized Pieces:

It’s a sigh of relief to be presented with a solved guesstimate task that seemed complicated. Don’t be disheartened! One of the ways you can conquer it is by starting with the basic parts and then working  your way up. In other words, a puzzle can be more understandable if you take the smaller bits seriously first. It will become clearer what piece is going where through the focus on the problem itself. For example, in case you are required to guess the number of tennis balls that could fit in a school bus, think about:

The size of a tennis ball: (Take a diameter of about 2.5 inches as an example)

The interior space of a school bus: (Approximate dimensions: 30 ft x 8 ft x 8 ft)

The factors affecting their accommodation: (How much space is left, how tight the packing is)

The structured way of doing this will open the way for nailing perfect estimations completely.

2. Make Realistic Assumptions:

Guesstimate questions often involve making educated guesses. Practice making realistic assumptions based on common sense and general knowledge. For example, when estimating cars passing through a toll booth, consider:

• Average cars per minute: (Observe traffic patterns or use a reasonable estimate)
• Toll booth operating hours: (Factor in peak and off-peak times)

Back-of-the-envelope calculations can then lead to a reasonable approximation.

3. Round Off Numbers to Simplify Calculations:

Discussing small accuracy is not vital here. Ruling off numbers is one of the authentic processes and surely, it makes an estimator way easier while not affecting the accuracy so much. Remember, the main objective is to show a clear-cut reasoning rather than be a human calculator.

Example: Estimating Tennis Balls in a School Bus (Using Rounded Figures)

• Volume of School Bus: 360 inches x 96 inches x 96 inches ≈ 3,000,000 cubic inches
• Volume of a Tennis Ball: (4/3)π(1.25 inches)³ ≈ 8 cubic inches
• Estimated Number of Tennis Balls: 3,000,000 cubic inches / 8 cubic inches ≈ 375,000 tennis balls (approximately)

Cool, we then pegged our estimation at 375K tennis balls in total in a school bus.

You may pick any other idea to come out with a different number as well. Furthermore, that’s certainly okay if you describe your thought processes and assumptions.

If you are not content with the above approach, you may use some other idea.

4. Get Familiar with Important Figures:

Although getting to know all the relevant numbers is not obligatory and, in fact, there is no such “essential” guesstimate number to remember, you will definitely benefit from the knowledge of the common ones. Take a look at the following:

• Number of World Population: ~8 Billion
• Average Lifespan: ~70-80 years
• Days in a Year: 365
• Indian Population: ~1.4 Billion
• India’s Area: ~3.3 Million sq. km
• Speeding car on the highway: ~60 kmph
• Height of a door: ~6 ft 8 inches (80 inches)
• The swimming pool’s capacity: A regular swimming pool might hold from 20,000 to 30,000 gallons.
• Length of a Marathon: A regular marathon is 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers).
• Size of a smartphone screen: The popular sizes relate to the diagonal that ranges between 5-6 inches.
• The peak of Mount Everest: The highest point on Earth is around 29,032 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level.

Mind this, too: As an aside, see if you can manage to recall your birthplace’s numbers like population and area, etc. as well.

Country-Specific/Regional Info (Ex.: India):

• Population of India: ~1.4 Billion
• Area of India: ~3.3 Million sq. km
• Population of the Important Cities (like Mumbai, Bangalore): ~10 Million (appr.)

Remember: One should always read about and know the key number related to their country or region. Doing this represents local awareness and results in impressive interviews.

Pro Tip: In case you are uncertain of some digits or suppositions, for instance, during the interview, go ahead and ask the interviewer to begin with by giving the clarification.

This reveals one’s initiative and willingness to learn.

5. Master Essential Conversion Factors:

The Art of Unit Conversion, which is knowing how to convert between units, is of paramount importance for the correct estimations. Below are some of the most important conversion factors of which we have to be aware:

The basic ones to remember are:

• 1 Billion (B) = 1000 Million (M)
• 1 Million (M) = 1000 Thousand (K)
• 1 Kilometer (km) = 1000 Meters (m)
• 1 Meter (m) = 100 Centimeters (cm)

Several Other Useful Conversions:

• Length: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 foot = 0.3048 m; 1 mile = 1.60934 km
• Area: 1 sq. meter = 10,000 sq. cm; 1 acre = 4046.86 sq. m
• Volume: 1 liter = 1000 cubic cm; 1 gallon (US) = 3785.41 cubic cm; 1 cubic meter = 1,000,000 cubic cm
• Weight/Mass:1 kg = 1000 g; 1 pound = 453.592 g; 1 tonne = 1000 kg
• Time: 1 minute = 60 seconds; 1 hour = 60 minutes; 1 day = 24 hours; 1 year ≈ 365.25 days
• Speed: 1 kph ≈ 0.2778 mps; 1 mph ≈ 0.44704 mps
• Temperature: °C = (°F – 32) x 5/9; °F = (°C x 9/5) + 32

Always keep in mind that these are just some examples, and the actual conversions you need might be slightly off from the guesstimate question. 

6. Utilize Rough Estimates Based on Demographics:

At times, you might be required to restate or refer to the specific types of demographics. However, you need to make an educated guess.

• Age Distribution: Approximately 25-30% of the people’s ages are under the 18 mark, 60-65% of people are in the age group 18-65, 5-10% of those above 65+ years old.
• Internet Usage: The global internet access rate is about 60-70%.
• Language Proficiency: Hypothetically, you are bridging that language barrier through the English speaking skills of people. It is also possible to reckon, for example, that about 25-30% of the people in the world are English fluent to some level.
• Male/Female Ratio: In most cases, you can count on a nearly 50-50 distribution of genders in the general public.

7. Communicate Clearly and Confidently:

When it comes to the guesstimate questions for an interview, remember that it’s not only about solving problems—it’s also your chance to show how you think. Initiate your interviewer by making your assumptions clear and the reasoning you used before you start solving the problems. By illustrating your approach in a way that is both clear and concise, you are not only proving your analytical talents but also exposing your ability to think in a loud voice and work together. This method can be a captivating way to get your interviewer’s attention and make your solution technique more genuine and enjoyable.

The Path to Perfection in Guesstimates

The methodology you applied to guesstimate questions practice is the first one to guesstimate questions on the net. Well, whether it’s saying- “Oh, I think there is no possible quantity of ocean water available” or giving an answer to the daily coffee consumption in New York, all the querying hones your intellect. Need some practice? Let me know in the comments and I will give you some artificial guesstimate situation samples. Practice is the King! Commit to solving at least one guesstimate question every day. This is about honing your analytical skills, improving your speed, and boosting your confidence. Remember, consistency here is your stepping stone to success.

Your Journey to Interview Success

The truth of the matter is this: the fact that you aren’t succeeding in interviews at the moment does not mean that you will never succeed. By learning how to do guesstimate questions, you aren’t just getting the answer correct but unlocking your dormant potential as well. Join here for more info.

Join Our Community for Success

Before you go, remember, you’re not alone on this journey. Join our Telegram community where we share job updates, interview tips, and resources on data analytics, AI, machine learning, and much more. Here, we grow together, one question at a time.

Share the post with your friends