Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Interview Questions

17 total interview insight submissions
Interview Experience (82%)

The Interview Experience is a score from 1 star (very negative) to 5 stars (very positive) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the donut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few interview insights). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire dataset.

3.6
  • Very Negative
  • Negative
  • Neutral
  • Positive
  • Very Positive
Interview Difficulty (98%)

The Interview Difficulty is a score ranging from very difficult (red) to very easy (green) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. The higher the number, the more difficult the interviews on average. If you hover over the various sections of the doughnut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few interview insights). Simply put, as a company gets more insights, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire data set.

3.4
  • Very Easy
  • Easy
  • Average
  • Difficult
  • Very Difficult

Interviews at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity

Get Prepared
Filter by:
Year
Job Title
Group/Division
Location
Experience
Difficulty
Intern
Year 2016
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
Student / Prospective Monkey
Year 2015
Job Title Student / Prospective Monkey
Group/Division N/A
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Intern
Group/Division N/A
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Difficult
Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location cambridge
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Difficult
Intern
Year 2013
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Asset Management
Location Houston
Experience
Negative
Difficulty
Difficult
Summer Associate Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Summer Associate Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Difficult
Intern
Year 2013
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Very Positive
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2013
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Banking
Location New York
Experience
Very Positive
Difficulty
Average

Interview Questions & Answers - Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Examples

SEO Summer IBD 2016 Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: December 2016
Date Submitted: Jan 12, 2016
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
2-3 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
They have a small team so they take awhile to get back to you. Once they do, be prepared to be ready and have all of their required materials memorized. There's a lot of competition so it's best to be prepared as soon as possible.
Interview Questions
The interviewers were mostly cold, and they didn't show any signs of approval after I had answered their questions. They want to see how you will act under pressure, so do your best to keep calm even when all they say is "ok" after your responses. Most of the questions consisted of simple behavioral questions like "why do you want to be an investment banker" or "what qualities do you have that would fit well with the industry", so not too difficult. The hardest technical question I received was "How do you calculate WACC"? Overall, I would say that the process was stressful but definitely manageable.
Sample Answer

SEO-Career Intern Interview

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: December 2015
Date Submitted: Dec 22, 2015
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
I received an email to schedule an interview after submitting my application. Did interview 2 weeks later.
Interview Questions
The most difficult interview questions were : What are the three types of valuation/Walk me through a DCF/Look out for valuation technicals

Other questions included:


Why SEO?

Why should SEO choose you?

Talk about a time where you managed data, what was difficult about it?

Why banking?

What are some major line items on the financial statements that you can use to gauge financial performance of a firm?

Describe some core projects you expect to have as an investment banking analyst.
Sample Answer

Summer Analyst Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: December 2014
Date Submitted: Dec 21, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Personality Test
Interview
Still going through the process for the IB division. There are 3 interviews, the second being the most technical. People should hear back in mid-January
Interview Questions
How are the 3 financial statements related. What would happen to the 3 financial statements if depreciation increased by $10.
Read this article on an M&A deal. Discuss what happened and calculate the sale premium. If you were an analyst for this transaction what sorts of valuation methods would you provide your managing director.
Sample Answer

Investment Banking Summer Analyst Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: October 2014
Date Submitted: Dec 03, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
Applied to SEO online and was referred to the program through a friend. After waiting for months, I finally received an email to schedule an interview (via web-cam since I'm not from New York). The interviewer called me promptly at the scheduled time via Skype, and it lasted for about 30-45 minutes. Very basic, with a few technical questions.
Interview Questions
Why SEO and what does it mean to be apart of SEO?
Why Investment Banking
Tell me about a time where you went above the call of duty?
Tell me about a time where you worked in a high pressure situation?
Tell me about a deal you've been following?
What are some ways to value a company? Walk me through the DCF
Sample Answer

Investment Banking Summer Analyst Interview

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: November 2014
Date Submitted: Nov 21, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
Interview
Mainly behavioral and why SEO type questions. Had to read a prompt and answer more technical based questions.
Interview Questions
Reading a prompt on an M&A report in a short amount of time and being able to talk through the deal in detail. They then asked some analytical questions on the deal which involved mental math.
Sample Answer

Banking Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous interview candidate in cambridge
Interviewed: October 2014
Date Submitted: Nov 07, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Recruiter
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
Interview
Talk to recruiters
Phone screen
Interview
Basically they want someone passionate that they are giving an oppurtunity to
Interview Questions
Need to know financials/valuation. THey expect in depth knoweldge of the field, so study up. Know all 3 methods and statements.
Need to know about banking and what it entails. They dont want to take someone who doesnt know all aspect of the field.
Sample Answer

Asset Management Interveiw Interview - Asset Management

Anonymous interview candidate in Houston
Interviewed: December 2013
Date Submitted: Aug 07, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
4-5 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
The interview was very technical. In addition to the usual, why asset management, why SEO questions, there were a lot of questions related to my views of the market: what to invest in at the moment and why, price of gold, bond yields etc. Interview was in Houston. They don't offer reimbursement for travel expenses. I interviewed during the first round in December 2013, but did not hear back until the very last week of school in May 2014, despite numerous emails inquiring about my status.
Interview Questions
Portfolio Scenario: I am a 45 year old man with 2 kids. How would you allocate my portfolio? Interviewer kept asking more detailed questions about everything I said. In the end, I was asked to mentally calculate the numerical value invested in small cap equities based on the scenario I had constructed. The percentages were something like: 20% of 35% of 5% of a million dollars.
Sample Answer

SEO Career Program Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: February 2014
Date Submitted: Aug 01, 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Recruiter
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Interview
Process began with two phone interviews. Recruiter provided helpful advice prior to interview as well as some guides and documentation. 1-on-1 in person interview in their New York office occurred about 2 weeks later. Pretty standard, some firm valuation questions as well as questions to determine fit and market knowledge.
Interview Questions
Interviewer asked me to walk through a basic DCF analysis, and to explain the details behind the formulas and overall methodology. Asked the various methods of valuing a company and when they are most appropriate.
Pulled up a WSJ article on his computer about a merger between two pharmaceutical companies. Basically used the article as a mini-case interview by asking me to describe the deal and advise the participants on the best course of action.
Why do you want to go into investment banking?
Describe what exactly an investment banking analyst does.
Sample Answer

Intern Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous employee in New York
Interviewed: October 2013
Date Submitted: May 07, 2014
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
4-5 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
Firstly, SEO held on-campus events to let students learn more about the program and get acquainted with the SEO model of mentoring and training. Afterwards, applicants who complete an online application and proceed to the next round are invited for a 1 on 1 interview with one of SEO's staff members. It is possible to get denied even before the interview.
In the interview there are the basic technical questions: walk me through a DCF, why SEO, why investment banking. Then there were the behavioral questions such as walk me through your resume etc... Once these are done then the fun really begins. They ask the critical thinking type questions. I was asked at least 4 of these. These questions can range from how many table tennis tables are sold in the US every year to how many pennies do you have to stack to get to the top of the empire state.
Despite these questions taking some time to answer, I was able to do it and he overall interview was successful. 5 months later, I was contacted that I proceeded to the next round and was told that I had to go through another Skype interview. These questions were more of the accounting and financial statement questions. These were of the type: how do you link financial statements and how depreciation increasing in one period might affect net income in that period. They also asked questions about the news so make sure you keep up with more recent M&A activity. After that was done, I got my offer in my e-mail a week later.
Interview Questions
If there is a field of flowers that doubles in amount of flowers every day, and on day 100 the field is completely full of flowers, on what day was the field half full?
How many table tennis tables are sold in the US every year
If you made a stack of pennies the height of the empire state building, would you be able to fit that stack in this room?
Sample Answer

Intern Interview - Investment Banking

Anonymous employee in New York
Interviewed: October 2013
Date Submitted: May 07, 2014
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
4-5 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
Firstly, SEO held on-campus events to let students learn more about the program and get acquainted with the SEO model of mentoring and training. Afterwards, applicants who complete an online application and proceed to the next round are invited for a 1 on 1 interview with one of SEO's staff members. It is possible to get denied even before the interview.
In the interview there are the basic technical questions: walk me through a DCF, why SEO, why investment banking. Then there were the behavioral questions such as walk me through your resume etc... Once these are done then the fun really begins. They ask the critical thinking type questions. I was asked at least 4 of these. These questions can range from how many table tennis tables are sold in the US every year to how many pennies do you have to stack to get to the top of the empire state.
Despite these questions taking some time to answer, I was able to do it and he overall interview was successful. 5 months later, I was contacted that I proceeded to the next round and was told that I had to go through another Skype interview. These questions were more of the accounting and financial statement questions. These were of the type: how do you link financial statements and how depreciation increasing in one period might affect net income in that period. They also asked questions about the news so make sure you keep up with more recent M&A activity. After that was done, I got my offer in my e-mail a week later.
Interview Questions
If there is a field of flowers that doubles in amount of flowers every day, and on day 100 the field is completely full of flowers, on what day was the field half full?
How many table tennis tables are sold in the US every year
If you made a stack of pennies the height of the empire state building, would you be able to fit that stack in this room?
Sample Answer