How long did it take you to study for IB technicals?

Sophomore preparing for recruting and trying to come up with a study plan for technicals. I have no finance background so will have to learn everything from scratch. Curious to know what others study plans looked like and how much time it took to master the technicals for IB interviews and internships

13 Comments
 

Fortunate enough to have the Covid lockdown summer to force me into studying. So like 2 months. It’s a check box requirement, but don’t give them a reason not to check it. Focus more on behaviorals , especially for top tier firms. Edit: Scratch that, didn’t realize you weren’t fin/econ major. Learn them front and back as you’ll probably be tested harder. What school do you go to?

 
Most Helpful

Two all nighters! Really it’s not as hard as people make it to be. I didn’t have a finance background, as I studied engineering in college, and accepted an offer at a top BB. I didn’t recruit for EBs since I wasn’t dead set on IB, and didn’t network significantly either. Sure I might have been lucky, but I think it’s more about going into it knowing you have X amount of time to learn Y amount of “technicals”. You have to be diligent, confident, and keep calm. Let me know if any further questions.

 

M&I guide 400Q should be your first exam - don't waste those questions on intro learning because 90% of banks use them for interviews

If you truly have no finance background, Wall Street Prep is a good resource for a reasonable price. You can memorize the top 50-100 questions in a few days or a week but to have a true understanding it's helpful to have a course and/or videos IMO.

 

Voluptas veritatis qui quo iusto ipsa quidem tenetur. Laborum nemo pariatur perferendis reprehenderit doloribus fugit dolorem. Sed adipisci et quidem nihil.

Architecto sit nam aut debitis ratione asperiores repudiandae. Quae ratione voluptate eum ab. Est ut voluptas quam temporibus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”