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

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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?

 

Just utilize the BIWS course and 400 questions book. I’ve also heard that the more prestigious a firm is the more behavioral the interview will be, which was definitely my experience as a non-target fin/econ sophomore. Only got asked one easy technical per round

 
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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.

 

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