KPMG (BSR & Co) Interview Questions for CA Freshers

CA freshers who interviewed with BSR & Co. shared these KPMG BSR interview questions. LLP, KPMG’s member firm in India. The list is short but demanding: CARO reporting, Ind AS application and case-scenario questions dominate, so every question below is expanded with what the interviewer is really asking.

Table of Contents

• KPMG BSR Interview Questions: Audit and CARO
• KPMG BSR Interview Questions: Ind AS and Technical Concepts
• Resume and Scenario-Based Questions
• What the Interviewer Is Testing
• Sample Strong Answers for 3 Common Questions
• How to Prepare for Your KPMG BSR Interview
• Frequently Asked Questions

KPMG BSR Interview Questions: Audit and CARO

First, CARO knowledge is the standout theme of this interview. Candidates report that interviewers press them on the order in real depth, not just asked to name it:

• How many clauses in CARO deal with statutory dues, and elaborate?
• CARO 2016 vs CARO 2020: what changed?
• Discuss cash and bank reconciliation and fixed assets along with audit procedures.

In particular, the statutory dues question is the one to prepare hardest. Under CARO, the clauses on statutory dues ask whether the company is regular in depositing undisputed statutory dues (provident fund, ESI, income tax, GST, customs duty, cess and other statutory dues) and require reporting of disputed dues with the forum where the dispute is pending. In addition, candidates are expected to know the CARO 2020 changes cold: new clauses on revaluation of property, plant and equipment, benami property proceedings, quarterly returns filed with banks, wilful defaulters, and the strengthened reporting on fraud and whistle-blower complaints.

KPMG BSR Interview Questions: Ind AS and Technical Concepts

• Give a brief introduction to Ind AS 115, Ind AS 116 and Ind AS 16.
• Related party case scenarios.

“Brief introduction” is a trap for the unprepared. The interviewer expects a structured summary of each standard, not a one-line definition. For Ind AS 115, walk through the five-step revenue model. With Ind AS 116, explain the lessee’s single-model approach: recognition of a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, with exemptions for short-term and low-value leases. For Ind AS 16, cover recognition criteria, the cost model versus the revaluation model, and depreciation.

Related party case scenarios test Ind AS 24 and the Companies Act provisions together. Practice identifying related parties in a fact pattern, and be ready to discuss the disclosure requirements and the audit procedures you would perform on related party transactions, because a Big 4 interviewer will push from identification into audit response.

Resume and Scenario-Based KPMG BSR Interview Questions

• Share any instance of a conflict of opinion with your senior on a technical matter.
• Resume-based questions.

The conflict-of-opinion question is a behavioural question with a technical wrapper. The interviewer wants to hear three things: that you raised the issue through the right channel, that your position was grounded in a standard or guidance rather than gut feeling, and that you accepted the final decision professionally even when you disagreed. Prepare one real instance from articleship. If you never had one, say so honestly and describe how you would handle it, because inventing one is easy to see through.

For resume-based questions, know every line of your own resume. Interviewers at this level pick the most interesting line and drill into it, especially anything about audit clients, industries or standards you claim to know.

What the Interviewer Is Testing in KPMG BSR Interview Questions

1. Current regulatory knowledge. CARO 2020 changes and current Ind AS are the price of admission. This interview separates candidates who studied for an exam once from those who kept up with the standards.

2. Professional scepticism and communication. The conflict question and the related party scenarios test judgement and the ability to handle disagreement, which are core audit skills.

3. Procedure-level audit thinking. The cash, bank and fixed asset questions ask for audit procedures, not definitions. The interviewer is checking whether you have done or can design real audit work.

Sample Strong Answers for 3 Common Questions

“CARO 2016 vs CARO 2020: what changed?”

Structure your answer around the headline additions. CARO 2020 expanded the order from 16 to 21 clauses and added reporting on revaluation of property, plant and equipment, proceedings under the Benami Transactions Act, quarterly returns or statements filed with banks, wilful defaulter status, utilisation of funds raised through preferential allotment or private placement, fraud reporting with whistle-blower complaints, and resignation of statutory auditors with concerns raised. Mention that several existing clauses were also made more detailed, such as the statutory dues and inventory clauses.

“Give a brief introduction to Ind AS 115.”

Ind AS 115 on revenue from contracts with customers follows a five-step model: identify the contract with the customer, identify the performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate the price to the performance obligations, and recognise revenue when (or as) each obligation is satisfied. Add one practical line: revenue is recognised at a point in time or over time depending on when control of the goods or services transfers. Then offer an example, such as a software implementation contract with separate licence and support obligations.

“Share an instance of conflict with your senior.”

Use a simple three-part structure: the situation, your technical position, and the outcome. For example: during articleship you believed a provision was required under Ind AS 37 while your senior felt disclosure was enough; you explained your reading with the standard’s recognition criteria and an example; the senior escalated it to the manager, and the final treatment was a provision. Close with what you learned: raise technical disagreements with the standard in hand, through proper channels, and accept the engagement team’s final call.

How to Prepare for Your KPMG BSR Interview

1. Study CARO 2020 clause by clause. The statutory dues clauses and the new 2020 additions are the highest-yield preparation on this list.
2. Prepare structured summaries of Ind AS 115, 116, 16 and 24. Each should be explainable in two minutes with one example.
3. Write out your audit procedures for cash, bank and fixed assets. Step-by-step, in the order you would actually perform them.
4. Prepare your conflict story and your full resume walkthrough. Both are asked, and both need rehearsing aloud.
5. Practise one related party case scenario end to end. Identification, disclosure and audit response.

For company-specific context, research the firm on KPMG India’s website.

Plan this revision over the days before the interview with the Study Timetable Generator, front-loading CARO and Ind AS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BSR & Co. the same as KPMG India?

BSR & Co. LLP is the Indian member firm of the KPMG network. Candidates interviewing with BSR & Co. are interviewing for roles within the KPMG network in India.

How deep should my CARO preparation be?

Deep. This interview asks clause-level questions with elaboration, especially on statutory dues, and expects you to explain the CARO 2020 changes. A surface summary will not survive the follow-ups.

Do they ask about articleship in detail?

Yes, both directly (resume-based questions) and indirectly (the conflict-of-opinion question). Keep concrete articleship examples ready.

What if I never had a conflict with a senior?

Say so honestly and describe how you would handle one: ground your position in the relevant standard, raise it through proper channels, and accept the team’s final decision. Interviewers respect honesty over a rehearsed story.

Interviewed with BSR & Co. and faced a question not listed here? Leave it in the comments for the next candidate. More recruiter-wise lists are in the Interview Prep category.