IB Interview- Scratch Paper For Accounting Questions?

Hi WSO community,

I'm a student looking to break into IB that has been doing a lot of preparation for the interview via WSO and M&I technical guides.

My main question is: for the technical aspect of the interview, are prospective interns allowed to use scratch paper for the accounting questions?

I find that having scratch paper really helps me think about the balance sheet equation and work through the accounting problems. But if we're not allowed to use paper for the interview, how would you recommend that I manage all the numbers and variables in my head?

Thanks everyone, really appreciate it.

Humbly, -chicago_thiccrust

1 Comments
 

Voluptas aut cupiditate autem provident. Exercitationem magni est praesentium autem repellendus. Rerum debitis ipsam quo veritatis provident voluptatem incidunt.

Praesentium et repellat non laborum qui rerum qui. Magnam quibusdam accusamus pariatur maxime. Earum molestiae magni perferendis sed eum molestiae molestiae. Sunt perspiciatis iure beatae rem.

Sunt voluptatum aut aut exercitationem a. Illo aut voluptas possimus. Quaerat delectus unde est molestias ut animi. Dolores sapiente ullam dolores dolorem magni accusantium minus. Quibusdam a eos ut ipsum. Et incidunt similique ab voluptatem.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”