Equity Research Associate Interview

Hi guys,

I got an interview for an equity associate research position at a BB. Wondering what kind of questions I could expect.

My background: Bachelor's in humanities, master's in finance, CFA LII Candidate, no finance experience, my last job experience was in the government sector as a political analyst, trying to break into finance.

Thanks!

10 Comments
 

On the modeling front, they will want to see how proficient with Excel you are. Probably creating a simple DCF and a comps sheet. You may also be asked to "troubleshoot" an existing spreadsheet (find the deliberate errors).

Writing style is very subjective but they will be looking for your ability to convey your ideas in a clear and easy to read manner under some time pressure. You may be asked to take some recent company results and write up a short comment on the main points.

If you have samples of reports that you have written that you think are quite good (and you are allowed to show them) then bring those along as well.

Good luck.

 

Have several other long stock ideas prepared (1 large-cap,1 mid, 1 small/micro) and be ready to talk about the difference b/t growth and value investing as well as ratios like p/e, p/b, etc.

 

Showing up with some stock ideas is a great idea. However, unless they specifically ask you to do so, showing up with slides will come off as over the top in my opinion. We had one guy do this in an interview and it was quite awkward, maybe it was just him though. I would have your pitches ready in your head and be prepared to discuss them in depth.

 

Aut nostrum voluptas culpa nemo. Reprehenderit fugiat est quo. Sapiente dolores totam repudiandae rerum sed et est quod. Quia voluptatibus qui deserunt recusandae qui harum distinctio. Voluptates distinctio magnam quibusdam enim consectetur reprehenderit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”