Q&A: The IB Interview

One of our mentors will be doing a private webinar this Saturday covering all aspects of the investment banking interview.

Please submit your questions here and she will answer them during the webinar.

I will @mention you once the webinar is posted on WSO so you can hear the answer to your question.

11 Comments
 
Best Response
  1. I noticed that very often the outcome of my interview is dependent on how well the interviewer asks poignant questions. How do you, as an interviewee, steer the conversation towards where you want it to go in terms of your experience?

  2. Related to 1. I noticed that my superday interviews especially with senior bankers tend to be much more relaxed and conversational but I often end up feeling that I didn't end up selling myself enough or didn't point to to the more interesting parts of my experience before they ask me if I have any more questions for them. How would you try to sell yourself at this point?

  3. How do you sell yourself in superday interviews without coming off as too aggressive/obnoxious? I just feel like its a bit contrived to end every response to every question with how it relates to banking, but maybe its just me?

  4. What do you think most often separates the candidates that gets offers vs. the candidates that are almost there/get placed on hold?

After getting dinged like the NYSE bell this will be very helpful. Thank you.

 

How do you prepare efficiently for the interview?

I feel i have spent many good hours looking up the wrong information.If any tips are provided for preparing without dropping hundreds of dollars on guides that would be awesome.

When you are offered a drink (water or anything else) do you accept or decline? Serious

When you research your interviewer and the connections don't come up naturally, but you can lead the conversation casually in a way that brings up their experiences, should you do it?

 
BillieJean

How do you prepare efficiently for the interview?

I feel i have spent many good hours looking up the wrong information.If any tips are provided for preparing without dropping hundreds of dollars on guides that would be awesome.

When you are offered a drink (water or anything else) do you accept or decline? Serious

When you research your interviewer and the connections don't come up naturally, but you can lead the conversation casually in a way that brings up their experiences, should you do it?

Guides contain the information you want, basically handed to you on a silver platter. Why aren't you prepared to invest in a couple guides to maximize your chance of success? There are no excuses - make the damn investment instead of wondering 'what if'.

 

Do interviewers have a bias for students who are from target schools vs. non target schools?

" I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." Benjamin Franklin
 

Hi,

I have 2 questions:

  1. How exactly does a superday work? If you were to talk about what usually happens in the major investment banks in their Superdays using specific examples (maybe details about the interviews or assignments/ projects that they work on). Do you use the same guidelines to evaluate candidates in a superday that you use during first rounds, or is it more in dept? Examples will be highly appreciated.

  2. Not everyone has the same level of knowledge about the markets, financial modeling and other finance related technical skills, so is everyone expected to know the same things or they will be asked technical questions based on their level of prior exposure to the field?

Thank you very much.

 

Laboriosam adipisci alias sit eos. Quibusdam tenetur id ut dolores ut maxime quia vel.

Omnis fugiat nam impedit ex fugiat aut atque. Quisquam ut provident dolorem voluptas excepturi consequuntur. Voluptas asperiores rem eveniet iusto.

Earum qui praesentium sint dolor et officiis. Amet voluptatibus magni quia fugit expedita voluptas. Dicta ut itaque deserunt sint in voluptatibus. Eum cupiditate commodi modi at. Neque commodi sunt aperiam. Occaecati nam consectetur nihil aspernatur commodi.

Nesciunt laboriosam ratione placeat repellendus quia dignissimos. Quia itaque et aut ipsa et sed. Fugit velit sint sit doloremque eius. Facere et vero dolores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”