Sep 13, 2020

Learning technicals time

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a junior in the midst of recruiting. Despite going to a target, I've pretty much missed all for my school's OCR and applied only to the ones remaining. This was due to mental health and overall familial issue going on. I was able to network a bit and got pretty close to one of the connections at a MM. He told me that he pushed my CV and I should expect an interview in the next two weeks.

My problem is that I barely know the basics of the technicals. I have the WSO guide, would that be sufficient to learn everything I need for my first round?

Thanks and stay safe everyone

5,802 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '28 Jul 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“The questions were amazing and genuinely challenging, which made the session extremely valuable for me. Going into the mock interview, I felt that I had memorized and understood most of the critical technical concepts, but Julius pushed me beyond the surface-level knowledge and went much deeper into the accounting side. That was especially helpful because it showed me the difference between simply knowing the main concepts and being able to confidently explain the details, connections, and reasoning behind them under pressure. The behavioral portion was just as useful. Julius gave me very detailed feedback on how I should prepare for questions related specifically to my background, experiences, and story. Rather than only practicing the standard behavioral questions, we discussed how interviewers could dig deeper into different parts of my resume and ask follow-up questions about my academic path, previous experiences, motivations for finance, and the decisions I have made along the way. This helped me understand that I need to be prepared not only with strong initial answers, but also with clear and thoughtful explanations for almost every important part of my background. One of the biggest takeaways from the session was identifying the areas where I should spend more time developing a deeper level of understanding instead of relying on memorization. Julius was very good at asking follow-up questions that tested whether I actually understood the underlying concepts, which gave me a much clearer picture of what a real interview could feel like. We also created a longer-term preparation plan together. Our goal is to work together approximately once every two to three weeks and use each session to focus deeply on a particular topic. Instead of trying to cover everything at once, we will gradually specialize in different areas and build my knowledge step by step, while continuing to work on behavioral questions and my overall interview story. I think this structure will be extremely helpful because it gives me enough time between sessions to study independently, address the weaknesses we identify, and come back better prepared for the next topic. Overall, the session gave me a much better understanding of where I currently stand, what interviewers may expect from me, and what I need to improve before recruiting begins. I left the session with very clear action items and a much more structured approach to my preparation.”

Class of '29 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Coffee Chat

“Kevin was incredibly helpful. He took the time to do a coffee chat with me and was candid about where I could improve. His main point was that I should build more knowledge of the industry before these conversations, so I can ask sharper questions and show I've done my homework. He also gave me a clear framework for the conversation itself. Start by asking about their background and how they got into their role. Then ask for advice for my field, including what they would do in my shoes. He also explained when it is and isn't appropriate to ask for a referral, which is something I hadn't thought through before. ”

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10 Comments

am84

Technical Analysis? Stock charts dot com chart school. Totally free, best I have ever seen.

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Authored by: Certified Investment Advisor Professional - Vice PresidentCertified Investment Advisor Pro

Intern in IB - Cov

What did you major in? Any previous finance internships? Answers to these questions will impact the complexity of technicals you receive. But yes, studying the WSO guide will be sufficient. Drill down on the basics and medium rigor questions, assuming you are from a non-technical major.

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Prospect in IB - Gen

I'm majoring in Econ and interned at a small PE fund. My internship was a good experience but no real modeling experience or any real transferable skills besides due diligence, business evaluation, and basic accounting. I don't know if this makes any difference but my only "finance" course so far was accounting this past Spring. How'd you like the WSO guide?

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Debt Restructuring Process

Intern in IB-M&A

What type of bank are you targeting: EB, BB, or MM? The answer to that really determines how much you’re expected to know beforehand.

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Prospect in IB - Gen

I mentioned it was a MM but it's also similar in the likes of HSBC, Mizuho

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Investment Banking Interview Guide

Intern in IB-M&A

Missed that... You should be good with the main BIWS guides. Much better than WSO in my opinion. You should probably read Rosenbaum & Pearl if you wanted to actually understand how to apply what you're learning.

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Prospect in Other

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Learning technicals time

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Learning technicals time

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