Summer Analyst

I applied to J.P. Morgan’s Investment Banking Summer Analyst program early in the cycle and heard back pretty quickly with an invitation to complete the online assessment. The first step was a HireVue, which had a mix of behavioral and a light market question. I remember getting “Walk me through your resume,” “Why investment banking,” and a question about a recent deal or market trend. The format was pretty tight, with about 30 seconds to prepare and a minute or so to answer, so it forced me to be concise and structured. Alongside that, I completed the online games, which felt more like cognitive and behavioral assessments rather than anything finance-specific.

After that, I was moved directly to the Superday without a traditional first-round interview, which seems to be more common now. The Superday was virtual and consisted of four back-to-back interviews with a mix of analysts, associates, and one VP. Each interview was about 25 minutes. The conversations were a blend of behavioral and technical questions, but overall they leaned more toward fit and communication than heavy technical depth.

On the behavioral side, I got the standard questions like “Why J.P. Morgan,” “Tell me about a time you handled pressure,” and “Tell me about a leadership experience.” What stood out was that they pushed for specificity and clarity. If an answer felt vague, they would follow up and ask me to be more precise about my role or the outcome. On the technical side, it was mostly core concepts. I was asked to walk through the three financial statements, explain how depreciation flows through them, and discuss valuation methods like DCF and comparable companies. There were also a couple of more open-ended questions, like how rising interest rates impact valuation and M&A activity, which tested whether I could connect technical knowledge to broader market dynamics.

The overall tone of the Superday was professional but not overly intense. It felt less like they were trying to trip me up and more like they were evaluating whether I could communicate clearly, think logically, and hold a conversation at a client-ready level. The biggest challenge was maintaining energy and consistency across all interviews, since the process is fast-paced and you’re being evaluated continuously.

I heard back within a couple of days after the Superday. Overall, the process felt very structured and efficient, with a strong emphasis on polish, communication, and having a clear, well-thought-out story for why investment banking and why J.P. Morgan specifically.