Screwed for Restructuring Interview SA 2025

I applied to both restructuring summer analyst and M&A at a EB and got emailed about an interview for restructuring. The problem is that it is is in less than 2 days and I genuinely know nothing about restructuring. Ive done the general technicals and feel good about M&A but not restructuring.

Wanted to know if messing up this interview would also mean that I wouldn’t get another interview for M&A. Are the interviews very different from generalist IB interviews? Is it better to explain to the interviewer, if they start asking restructuring specific questions, that I can’t answer. Is there anything I can do to prep at this stage?

Before someone says it, I realise now that I should not have applied but I didn’t think I would get a response and 19 year olds make bad decisions.

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Try learning all you can about rx over the next 2 days to at least get somewhat knowledgeable and not make a fool out of yourself. Since the interview is a first round, theres likely a good chance that it will be mainly behaviorals and you wont get asked any rx technicals - if your interviewer is HR, theres a very small chance that you'll be asked anything technical. I would expect some questions like "Why rx?" This is actually a hugely important question for rx, so figure something out there. 

As for the M&A application - I'd say it kinda depends. If you mess up your rx interview enough, they might throw out your application for the M&A. I've heard that sometimes when you have two applications for a bank, they'll interview you for the one they want to and disregard the other one. Not sure if thats the case all around, but it would be kinda weird if you fucked up your rx interview then got another interview for M&A, so would just focus on doing good in the rx interview. 

 

Thanks man, yeah honestly just don’t want to make a fool of myself. I know that there’s only a 1% chance I make it past this round so I just don’t want to embarrass myself. Honestly wish I could just cancel the interview.

 

Its almost definitely gonna be an initial screening interview with someone from HR anyways bro. If you've practiced your behaviorals, shouldn't have too much to worry about. Just grind the fuck out of rx technicals as much as you can and if you get to the next interview and they ask some difficult technical questions that you mess up on, then it is what it is. But definitely dont go in there half-assed because you're afraid or embarrassed, you have an interview that many students would dream of

 
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but honestly why did you apply if you had no clue about rx (I did the same thing 2 years ago XD)

 

Was on the same boat last week..honestly you won’t be able to go through all rx technicals but try your best to remember the basic terms like chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcy and tranches of debt etc. you can only study so much before your brain stops taking in new info. I’m pretty sure I fucked up mine but wishing you the best.

 

Wondering the same thing lol. But to be fair I go to an Ivy (not HYP) and I have a 3.8 with some decent experience (nothing finance besides working at a searchfund) and applied the day the app opened

 

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