How hard are IB interviews?

For the past year I have been preparing for S&T interviews but recently decided to switch over to a IB path. One of the things I noticed is how more difficult the technical questions are and how specific they can get. I know IB is more technical than S&T but these practice technical questions seem very detailed. Are the superdays for IB a close reflection of the IB Bible and those finance technical guides?

12 Comments
 

I have only gone to one S&T super day and the most technical question they asked was how to value a building. So this jump from S&T to IB interview questions has been a little big.

 

IB interviews is generally more technical in the sense that you need to have a good fundamental understanding of finance and how it interplays with IB.

What is beta? How is it calculated? What's it used for? if Beta increases, what happens to the target's valuation?

a fundamental understanding of this will be able to yield you all the right answers to the questions above, instead of memorizing 5 answers. if you have time, read (or skim) investment banking by rosebaum - especially the DCF/comps section. I personally found my s&t interviews more harder (prep wise at least) than my IB interviews. good luck!!

 

I have been doing the LBO and M&A modeling course through Wall Street Prep. Do you think I should know most aspects of it or the broad sense that’s discussed in the IB book by rosenbaum?

 
Most Helpful

i would try to understand the solid fundamentals first instead of spending time delving deep into lbo modelling

from my experience, the questions you'll get will get progressively more difficult, and some questions will be asked in a way that you may never have heard of which people get stumped by, but a good grasp of the concept will help you navigate through it

it would of course be best if you could read the rosenbaum book as well as do the WSP course, but should you have limited time, I'd personally spend most of it with the rosenbaum book and IB guides. it's very rare (at least for me and friends ive talked to) be asked really really specific questions on LBO modelling beyond the traditional fundamental understanding of it (covered in rosenbaums book)

YMMV, but rosenbaum book + some ib guides on the internet was all I needed. im taking courses for ON the job, but to prepare for it, the book and some guides were enough.

 

From my experience, you need to have done some good reading about how the IB works, the roles involved, modelling, and how the company positions itself :)

 

Error dolore dignissimos rerum omnis cum voluptatem consequatur. Ea dolores voluptatem reprehenderit esse. Quod et voluptate totam velit.

Saepe deserunt odit cum consectetur beatae et. Cumque non aliquid consequatur magnam perferendis laudantium. Tempora cum omnis nam quibusdam error et et. Ad sed recusandae illo accusantium nesciunt neque assumenda omnis. Aut ullam ea velit incidunt qui quasi atque voluptas.

Dolor voluptas rerum sapiente maxime nihil quo voluptatem. Exercitationem expedita labore quis sunt omnis. Vero vitae nihil incidunt quam eum quia. Omnis fugiat excepturi eos pariatur consequatur. Accusamus qui id nihil non provident sunt eos. Sed magnam rerum sunt accusantium. Suscipit quo neque voluptatum labore.

Eum quia et quae aut aut id. Velit optio sed cupiditate quasi et. Qui voluptatibus libero sit quia qui. Nam inventore molestiae in quaerat. Reiciendis adipisci distinctio ducimus sed. Atque et dolor eius praesentium.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”