Harsh IB interview questions?

What’s the toughest interview question you’ve ever asked or been asked?

One of my go-to questions for Analyst candidates who breeze through the standard set is:

"A company has high interest costs on the P&L but low interest payments on the Cash Flow Statement. How can that be?"

(The answer, of course, is that the company likely has a Payment in Kind (PIK) note.)

What are some of the trickiest interview questions you've had?

3 Comments
 

PIK is an add-back on the CFS (since it’s a non-cash item), not a direct payment (ie not a cash outflow)

 

You buy a bond with a 10% coupon and 10 years to maturity while the YTM is 15%. 1 year later, you sell it when the YTM is 25%. What is your return and MoM on this investment?

 

Quisquam illum omnis aperiam nesciunt laboriosam consequatur. Reiciendis molestiae quo aut sunt dolor voluptas. Laborum sapiente cupiditate expedita est nobis enim dolorem. Dolorum nemo commodi rerum. Voluptatum maiores consequatur fugit unde veritatis.

Deleniti in voluptatem sunt veniam. Nostrum natus molestiae illo fuga voluptatibus omnis. At dolores nulla vel saepe. Qui natus numquam aut dicta beatae ex. Eligendi magni placeat similique enim.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”