Bear Stearns IBD vs Barclays IBD

What are the pros and cons of each (deal flow, prestige, pay, industries covered, interview rigor, culture, etc)?

6,248 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '21 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“Thank you, Ryan - a very helpful session, especially for the PE perspective. We worked through my behavioural stories, and he showed me how to reshape them into one cohesive story of about 5 minutes, with more emphasis on the numbers and on my sell-side and buy-side roles. His tricky question on switching jobs was especially useful - it covers a likely interview question - and so was the buy-side vs sell-side discussion. On the technical side, we covered how project finance debt is sized in practice, with merchant risk, which was a good contrast to the availability-payment structures common in the GCC. Thanks again - looking forward to the next session.”

Class of '29 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Career Roadmap (optional)

“Julian was straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush. He answered all of my questions in a clear way while also giving me advice and tips on how to approach my future. Helped me gain a much more clear mindset so I am more confident on what I need to do and how I need to go about it. Additionally, he helped me understand which tasks are the most important to do, gave me a clear split helping me understand what to focus on most/least. He also gave me good ideas for my 7 stories, and how I should be memorable and show my hunger for IB. ”

See All 11,523 WSO Academy Reviews

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Bear Stearns IBD vs Barclays IBD

Score Breakdown

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Score Breakdown

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