Inventory Accountant Mock Interview
Master 25 Inventory Accountant interview questions covering GAAP, variance analysis, and cost accounting systems.
Question 14 of 25
What are the different inventory valuation methods?
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Brian Schuchart is a CPA and Senior Finance Business Partner. His professional experience includes senior management roles with NBC Sports, Virtual Health, and the Children's Hospital of Philadephia.
The goal of inventory valuation is to assign a monetary value to inventory that the company owns that has not yet been sold. There are generally four accepted inventory valuation methods: Specific Identification, First In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO) and Weighted Average Cost. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be prepared to briefly speak to each.
Brian Schuchart is a CPA and Senior Finance Business Partner. His professional experience includes senior management roles with NBC Sports, Virtual Health, and the Children's Hospital of Philadephia.
"There are four widely accepted inventory valuation methods. The most clear cut is specific identification, where the cost of every item in inventory is specifically tracked. This method is best used when the company sells a low volume of high value items (such as rare cars). Next is First-In, First-Out, which presumes the first inventory purchased by the company is the first sold to the customer. Most companies use FIFO to value their inventory. Last-In, First-Out assumes the newest inventory in stock is the first sold. Finally, there's weighted average cost, which takes the cost of all products in inventory divided by the number of units. This method is used when the products a company sells are very similar."
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