Novartis Business Analyst interview typically runs 4 rounds: HR screening, hiring manager behavioral, and two team interviews. It usually takes about a month and is structured but conversational.
$800K
Avg. Base Comp
$880K
Avg. Total Comp
4
Typical Rounds
about 1 month
Process Length
Our candidates consistently describe Novartis as a process that rewards people who can translate experience into business impact, not just list responsibilities. The strongest signal is how often interviewers return to stakeholder management: multiple candidates reported being pressed on how they worked with non-technical partners, how they handled ambiguity, and how they explained their background in practical terms. That tells us the team is looking for someone who can sit between functions and make work move, especially in a healthcare environment where clarity matters as much as analysis.
A recurring theme is that Novartis cares a lot about fit with the role’s domain, and that can show up in surprisingly specific ways. One candidate noted that the conversation shifted toward medical language and how their experience mapped to the vacancy, while another mentioned straightforward accounting-style questions for finance-leaning roles. We’ve also seen a case exercise where the interviewer wanted the candidate to identify problems, gaps, and improvement opportunities, which suggests they value structured business judgment over polished theory. In practice, the people who do best here sound grounded, specific, and able to connect their past work to the realities of the team’s work.
Synthesized from 1 candidate report by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Novartis process.
My process at Novartis took about a month and started with an HR screening where they walked me through the role and the hiring process. After that I had a behavioral conversation with the hiring manager, then two more 30-minute Teams calls with different people on the team. The whole thing felt structured but fairly conversational, and most of the questions were tied closely to my resume and how I’d worked with stakeholders in the past. They also asked the usual motivation questions, like why I was looking for a new role, why Novartis, and why this position specifically, so it was important to have a clear story there. What stood out most was that the technical depth wasn’t heavy in an algorithmic sense; it was more about business knowledge and fit. In my case, they focused on experience with non-technical stakeholders and asked me to explain parts of my background in a practical way. The interviewer-style question that came up in the process was a scenario-based exercise where I had to study a case, identify problems, and point out improvement opportunities and gaps. I also saw that for more finance-leaning roles, they can ask straightforward accounting questions like fixed assets, while for other business roles they may probe domain knowledge such as medical language and how your experience maps to the vacancy. The team I spoke with was professional and easy to talk to, and the interviews themselves were only about 30 minutes each. I ended up not getting an offer, but the process was clear and the feedback loop moved at a reasonable pace. My main takeaway is to prepare a concise explanation of your experience, be ready to discuss stakeholder management in detail, and practice walking through a business case by identifying issues and suggesting improvements.
Prep tip from this candidate
Prepare a tight story for why Novartis/why this role, and be ready to explain how you’ve worked with non-technical stakeholders. Also practice a scenario exercise where you identify gaps and improvement opportunities from a business case, since that came up directly.
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Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Novartis
What do you tell an interviewer when they ask you what your strengths and weaknesses are?
| Question | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Cumulative Distribution | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Brain Cancer Treatment Outcomes | |
| Retailer Data Warehouse | |
| Experiment Validity | |
| Total Spent on Products | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Size of Joins | |
| Last Transaction | |
| Fair Coin | |
| Cumulative Reset | |
| Always Excited Users | |
| Reducing Error Margin | |
| Detecting ECG Tachycardia Runs | |
| Rider Discount | |
| Causal Email Journey | |
| Time Difference | |
| Search Linked List | |
| Count Transactions | |
| Subscription Retention | |
| Slow SQL Query | |
| DDoS Attack Response | |
| Licensing Valuation | |
| String Palindromes | |
| Loan Model | |
| Addressing Data Quality Issues | |
| Second Longest Flight |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
The process starts with an HR screening where the recruiter walks through the role, the hiring process, and basic motivation questions. This is also where they may ask why you are looking for a new role, why Novartis, and why this specific position.
Next is a behavioral conversation with the hiring manager. Questions are closely tied to your resume, your experience working with stakeholders, and how you’ve handled non-technical business situations in past roles.
After the hiring manager round, there are two additional 30-minute Teams interviews with different people on the team. These conversations are structured but conversational, and they focus on practical business knowledge, fit, and how your background maps to the role.
A scenario-based exercise may be included where you study a case, identify problems, and point out improvement opportunities and gaps. The emphasis is on practical business judgment rather than heavy technical or algorithmic depth.
