MM Associate Model Test
Had a model test and case study for a mm associate role. it was my first legit test and had a 3hr limit. would be the first to admit that i thought i would be totally good on time based on my preparation but ended up being totally crammed. got my LBO mostly done but didn't have time to make a revenue build and couldn't finish one of the output tables they requested. also my investment memo was made in about 15 minutes so my qualitative analysis of the business based on the CIP shared was pretty weak. assuming i'm toast but just for my knowledge going forward with other firms, how should i prioritize these tests when im under a time crunch. is it ok if i don't quite finish some of the outputs on the LBO (e.g. pro forma cap table, credit ratios, etc) but my investment memo is more thought out? do firms expect you to have a perfect LBO and perfect memo because 3 hours just doesn't seem like enough.
also if im selected for a case debrief interview does that give me an opportunity to elaborate on the things i would have included if given more time?
Following - similar thing happened to me on my first timed one
cressey?
3 hrs seems insane for a full model + >1 page memo.
Yeah that’s unlucky - some of these firms just dont give enough time for a model + case study. End of the day you probably wouldn’t want to work at that firm anyways
Hey great Q. That’s relatively standard. In these cases you can do two things for the actual model: (1) Make a short form LBO where you take a few liberties and broad assumptions. Eg. Don’t make a full 3stmt. Or (2) actually do a full 3stmt… that’s hard, but “SkiMaskBro” on YouTube does a great job of making a simple but fulsome one. To prep for interviews, I basically memorized how to make his model and have it down to 90mins on the dot. That may be excessive, but that exact model has gotten me very far in recruiting. Highly recommend.
With that, they should know you’d be crunched for time and the inv memo will be slim. A case red-out is pretty common unless your model was complete cheeks… even if u missed a few things, as long as it made decent sense and wasn’t outright bad, you’ll likely get an opportunity to discuss live. In that case, use it to thoroughly walk through your thoughts on the business. You’d also have the benefit of hindsight and time to come up with a good story on why you said and did what u did (eg. Defend your assumptions).
I wouldn’t sweat too bad - if this doesn’t workout, seriously suggest doing the SkiMaskBro model 7-10x and you’ll be ready for any PE technical interview.
Yeah I gotta say, this is typical. 3 hours is plenty of time to build a simple 3-statement LBO from scratch and create a one-pager. I'm not sure if you had a specific prompt for the model, but you should aim to complete the 3-statement model within 90 minutes max. Every single firm I interviewed with asked for a 60 or 90 minute model test. If you're struggling with that, consider whether you have too many bells and whistles.
This is a test to see if you can put together a decent model, come up with reasonable assumptions, and form a quick opinion on a deal from a highlights and diligence risks perspective.
Have a few example tests, feel free to dm
I have a few sample cases you can try to beat the clock with, posted some on multiplesmatter,gumroad,com but can only post 10 per day (I have close to 100 total)
do those come with solutions?
Just did a model test where I had to do it through teams share screen but no no not me sharing my screen. The interviewer shared their screen and gave me control. The most ridiculous structure I have seen to date as I experienced a 10-30second lag per click. I’m pissed
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