Are the PE prep course worth it?

So I am in the situation where I am pretty comfortable with the modeling aspect of PE interviers, and I can build a full LBO in under an hour / understand how to do recaps/add ons. However, where I struggle is more so the verbal casing part of interviews (Questions like we are considering an investment in x, what do you think). 

I am curious if the courses like PF or WSO help enough with those case style questions to justify the cost. Are the better ways to practice/prepare for those types of questions?

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I did find the PF course to be helpful for cases. There are a few cases in there of varying difficulty and scope that made me more comfortable with going through the process. Then there is a listing of potential questions you may be asked on the business, growth levers, market, etc. I took this listing and created a quizlet and set it on shuffle mode to semi-practice what a case interview may be like. It was also useful when practicing my talking points about deal experience. Can be applied both ways. Not perfect, but was easy to pull up at work and mentally think through when I had some down time. 

All this to say I don’t think it’s a requirement, but in the grand scheme of things the money (equivalent to 3 nights out with the boys) prepared me well for a job I am very excited about. 

 

I would use it merely as a reference if you are quite novice but ideally you want to be doing as many case studies / modelling tests as you can until comfortable. You should develop your own master template for PPT and Excel to make the process more efficient. DM if you are interested, I have quite a few. 

 

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