What are the best external exams to take if you’re trying to break into IB with a humanities degree
I take a humanities degree at a good university, which external exams should I take to increase my chances of breaking into investment banking?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are the best external exams to consider if you're trying to break into investment banking with a humanities degree:
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst): Taking the CFA Level 1 exam is a strong signal of your commitment to finance. It demonstrates your ability to grasp financial concepts and go beyond your academic background.
SIE (Securities Industry Essentials): The SIE exam is a great foundational qualification that shows your understanding of basic financial concepts and regulations. It's particularly useful for those without a finance background.
GMAT/GRE: If you're considering a Master's in Finance or an MBA to pivot into IB, a strong GMAT or GRE score can help you get into top programs.
Excel/Financial Modeling Certifications: While not an "exam," certifications in financial modeling (e.g., Wall Street Prep or Breaking Into Wall Street) can demonstrate your technical skills and readiness for the role.
Python/SQL Certifications: Learning programming languages like Python or SQL, especially through certifications, can be a differentiator, as technical skills are increasingly valued in IB.
These exams and certifications can help bridge the gap between your humanities background and the technical skills required in investment banking.
Sources: A Helping Hand to Humanities Students, Intro to Investment Banking, Career switch from journalism to finance...how to go about?, Career in Finance - Reality or Reach?, Do the humanities have value in today's banking world?
>I take a humanities degree
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If at a target, literally nothing. My BB takes target non-nepo non-diversity humanities kids fairly frequently; once at a target degree doesn't really matter at least here in the US, networking and resume matters far more in terms of getting the interview. Once you get the interview, it's all up to you to convert and many of these humanities kids do. Also to some extent, being a humanities major that can speak about IB and got far enough to superday is impressive at least in my view as someone who does interviews because it shows you are taking a lot more time out of your day to study and learn more about finance/the industry.
Will note that type of humanities and degree matters a lot in perception too. Things like History or Philosophy for example will probably be viewed as better than supposed easier majors like Sociology or the memed on Gender Studies. So, the exact degree in the humanities might also influence your odds in the sense it will shape the perception of those that you might network with and/or interview with. However, at the end of the day it's all up to the candidate and if at a target school major truly does not matter much.
I've got an offer from UCL for bsc archaeology, do you recon this will give me a better shot in IB than a finance/maths related degree at bayes and qmul? thanks
There is no exam you can take that will have any meaningful benefit on your ability to enter IB.
What about CFA will that help me?
What part of 'no exam' do you have difficulty understanding?
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Here's a resource that will explain which exams will help you:
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/comment/3570842
Except for the SIE
Differs region to region, but in the UK the only external (non-university) qualification that you see semi-regularly is the ACA (Chartered Accountant). You see some folks with the CFA but they typically moved across from ER and the CFA itself wasn't really a differentiating factor, rather the ER experience is what got them looks. You see some Actuaries who work in the Insurance coverage vertical for obvious reasons. None of the qualifications will actually help you break in but may assist your CV getting looks, you still have to nail the interview processes and you won't be given any special treatment during the process because of the qualification. Given the effort a good qualification requires, I would advise focusing that effort on getting relevant experience (i.e. via networking) over the qualification
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