Is it normal to skip the first rounds of interviews and go straight to the superday?

Spent the summer networking my butt off and managed to develop a good relationship with an alum. Alum reached out to a contact they were close with that works at a top EB (PJT/Evercore/HL/Lazard). The contact originally said they would add me on the list for phone screening they were doing over the next couple weeks (last and this week) but didn't tell me anything about what day. I emailed to follow up asking for when I should expect the call and was told I'd just be brought straight to the superday in a week.

Is this typical?

I'm a bit caught off guard because I've literally never even had an IB 1st round phone screening before and now I'm going straight from watching the mock interviews here to a superday. Only ever had 1 formal interview for an AM which I ended up never hearing back from so I feel woefully unprepared for a superday, was honestly hoping I could get practice through the phone screening.

13 Comments
 

Just make sure that you do not embarrass your contact by failing to answer basic questions, because he is doing you a big favor.

 

it really just depends on the situation and how much pull your contact has. It happened to me twice this past recruiting season and each time my contact was a VP rather than an MD.

 

I think even if you know an MD/VP, you still have to go through some sort of informal phone interview or something. Besides, honestly, it's not that bad to go through the interview process. If you have the backing of someone up that high, you'd really have to fvck up an interview to not get asked back for the next/final round. People get too scared about the interviews. If you are smart, you did your background work on Vault/Scoop/Wetfeet (know the financial valuation stuff front and back), and have some skill in an interview/formal setting, you'll likely do fine.

 

I would reach out to the Alum you mentioned and let him know the situation and ask if he'd be willing to do a mock interview with you. If they are in IB, they will be able to shed some light on what to expect and give you a feel for how bankers phrase different questions. If not, I would still ask and shoot them a list of the standard interview questions you can find in the guides. You could also ask people in your school's career department and any friends/contacts in the field. Only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice.

 

Voluptatum et aut eum voluptatem alias. Qui repellat sint magnam velit aut ratione. Exercitationem recusandae alias perferendis quaerat fugiat nihil modi qui. Quas dolorem consequatur nobis dolor. Ad quaerat laborum laboriosam.

Praesentium voluptatem atque velit neque. Illum eligendi laudantium non laboriosam dicta placeat. Aperiam velit earum consequatur temporibus vel qui est. Expedita quibusdam pariatur magni delectus est magnam et.

Eligendi dolore porro omnis consectetur. Iure alias laboriosam architecto. Minima sed vel eveniet in harum quasi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”