Someone suggested to skip these topics when prepping for IB technicals

I was talking to an investment banker the other day and they said that when they prepared for technicals, they skipped stocks and bonds since it's more for S&T interviews. I have the WSO technical guide and should I skip the Stocks, Bonds, Currencies, and Options sections (Modules 3-6) and focus on the other things like M&A and valuation? What do you guys suggest or think of the banker's advice? Also I'm on a bit of a time crunch since apps will open soon.

14 Comments
 

Yup, that entire section is useless unless for banking you're interviewing for S&T, and maybe some RX positions (bonds).

Mainly intended for ER (stocks) and quant trading/hedge fund roles. For these positions, however, you should know way beyond the guide here, since the guide only covers basic concepts in these areas.

Can't hurt to read just for the sake of learning though!

 
Funniest

Most banks except the most technical ones won't ask the advanced stuff b/c frankly, we don't even know the advanced stuff......

Will update my computer soon and leave Incognito so I will disappear forever. How did I achieve Neanderthal by trolling? Some people are after me so need to close account for safety.
 

The '400 Questions' guide is really good too. I think the mix of basic and advanced questions for all topics gives you a strong overview of what is to come / can also be a good reminder of maybe areas you need to improve in. Definitely would say that that is the most efficient of them, but the full M&I guides offer way more depth, potentially beyond that which you would need. Would reiterate some of the previously mentioned ideas like don't just memorize - the extra few minutes to conceptually understand an answer unlocks an unlimited array of problems you can solve!

 

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