ApprenticeEdge›Goldman Sachs›STAR Method Examples
STAR Method Examples for Goldman Sachs Apprenticeship Interviews
Goldman Sachs uses competency-based interviewing throughout its school leaver application process. Every stage, from the video interview to the assessment centre, requires you to give structured examples using the STAR method.
The STAR Framework
S · Situation: Set the scene briefly (1–2 sentences). Enough context, no more.
T · Task: What was your specific responsibility? What was expected of you?
A · Action: What YOU did, not "we". Be specific. This is 60% of the answer.
R · Result: Quantify if possible. What changed? What did you learn?
STAR Examples for Goldman Sachs Competencies
Analytical thinking
S: Describe a specific context where analytical thinking was required.
T: What was your specific role or responsibility in this situation?
A: List the specific steps you took: use “I” throughout. What did you decide? What did you do first?
R: What was the outcome? Quantify if possible. What would you do differently?
Drive and ambition
S: Describe a specific context where drive and ambition was required.
T: What was your specific role or responsibility in this situation?
A: List the specific steps you took: use “I” throughout. What did you decide? What did you do first?
R: What was the outcome? Quantify if possible. What would you do differently?
Collaboration
S: Describe a specific context where collaboration was required.
T: What was your specific role or responsibility in this situation?
A: List the specific steps you took: use “I” throughout. What did you decide? What did you do first?
R: What was the outcome? Quantify if possible. What would you do differently?
Commercial awareness
S: Describe a specific context where commercial awareness was required.
T: What was your specific role or responsibility in this situation?
A: List the specific steps you took: use “I” throughout. What did you decide? What did you do first?
R: What was the outcome? Quantify if possible. What would you do differently?
Where to Find Strong Examples
You don't need dramatic stories. Goldman Sachsinterviewers know you're a school leaver. They're looking for genuine reflection, not corporate experience.
- Part-time or Saturday jobs: customer complaints, working under pressure, managing a task independently
- School: group projects, leading a presentation, a difficult deadline
- Extracurricular: captaining a team, organising an event, resolving a conflict
- Volunteering, DofE, prefect or leadership roles
STAR mistakes to avoid
- Using “we”: always say “I”
- Spending too long on S and T, rushing A and R
- Vague results: “it went well”: be specific
- No reflection: the R should always include what you learned
Free prep pack
Preparing for Goldman Sachs? Get a full pack free
The full PwC School Leaver pack is free: application stages, the competencies they score, real interview questions, commercial awareness, and a pre-submission checklist. The process it walks through is close enough to the other big schemes, Goldman Sachs included, to prep you for all of them.
Want the Goldman Sachs pack specifically?
Goldman Sachs Apprenticeship Prep Pack
Application stages, competencies, real interview questions, commercial awareness, and a pre-submission checklist: in one complete pack.