On Cycle 2026 Starting?

Is on cycle starting? Have done intro calls with every major HH and they've asked preferences and some even have had technical questions. Now, one HH has sent a model test and technical assessment out to incoming analysts. Is OCR bound to start any day now?  

24 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Probably trying to keep candidates warm / scare them into more prep. Hope it is not starting soon. I am trying to have a life before going into IB. I just want to fuck around with my friends, day drink, fish, and travel. But no, shit gets earlier and earlier and it is just pressure to grind before you even start. Like let me have May and at least half of June without the anxiety of missing on cyle shots because im not cranking out LBOs in my free time. Its insane how early stuff has become especially in this fundraising environment... like wouldn't they want to delay the process?

 

I think making sure that you have all your experience on LinkedIn with the incoming analyst bio helps along with contact info. I heard they just do a LinkedIn scrape to find names to hit up. Outside of that I think it’s perfectly fine to just hit them up directly.

 

This. At the earliest some start mid June. A lot start early/mid July, some even start in August. If it kicked off this soon i couldn’t see more than 40% of the NYC class actually being in NYC

 

Which HH sent out evaluations? Are these live interviews or actual full blown take home assignments

 

Are the tests really non evaluative? I haven’t prepared anything at all

 

Don’t foresee oncycle starting until July when most analysts are in NY for training / Series exams. June doesn’t make sense imo

 

Hey man just wanted some clarity on things given I’m an incoming first year analyst:

1) You are an incoming analyst and have already interviewed with HH, correct ?

2) How did you or they find you ?

3) Should I be worried that I have not heard anything from headhunters ? My start date isn’t until Mid July and I haven’t even moved to NYC yet!

 

I went through on cycle last year and please stfu for your own benefit. The more antsy this forum gets, the more antsy funds get since there's always a benefit to moving first. Yes, HHs are doing these chats really early, but it's likely just a function of them being so unprepared last year, which led to an absolute shitshow, that they want to get well ahead of the curve this year.

Maybe this ages poorly, but it really makes 0 sense for firms to run on-cycle now, when kids are backpacking in Euro and Asia post-grad and no one is settled into NY yet. 

 

It is a prep resource not a model test. Assuming you are talking about the HSP one. Also the email basically says this is no indication that recruiting is starting.

 

Definitely don't think that it is going to start mid-June (if I am wrong and this happened last year plz reply with firms that did this bc the fucking communication around these processes is so contradictory). Had a HH say that very few fill all seats On-Cycle anymore and while she cannot predict what firms are going to do, many were dissatisfied last year by the lack of prep by candidates. Whether or not this means they will wait till late-July, or the HHs just try and pressure quicker prep amongst candidates, we have no clue. 

I've had talks with roughly half of the HHs, but many of my friends at great firms have not heard from some of the HHs yet and I think this indicates that they are still working through the early screenings of candidates. There is at least one MM hosting an info session next week, but was told by previous analysts that this is not indicative of the process officially beginning.

Worst case scenario, let's say on-cycle were to begin Mid-June. If you are not ready, do not do it. There will still be seats open in the later cycle and definitely during off-cycle. Had two HHs name mega funds (one of them being TPG) that filled open seats in the last couple of months. 

Also not seeing crazy activity on WSO yet - I think its still very early

 

Omnis error voluptatum voluptatum assumenda aut nulla hic. Quis magnam ratione nihil neque. Quia ut dolor saepe hic.

Quos quo est non ut voluptas facilis. Culpa repellendus nihil ut reiciendis. Quidem quidem in iure commodi est et. Explicabo facilis ullam id.

Eum rerum voluptatibus ut qui. Et eveniet magnam fuga saepe facilis rem aut asperiores. Saepe reprehenderit deleniti dignissimos ut ad eos. Doloremque non amet voluptas qui nam praesentium. Itaque unde sit sint tempore.

Sint illo veritatis eos commodi rerum est adipisci ducimus. Fuga voluptatibus nesciunt sunt eligendi veritatis eveniet. Sed esse quo unde itaque quasi.

 

Dignissimos reiciendis alias ea. Sunt debitis deleniti modi blanditiis provident recusandae. Delectus harum rerum inventore itaque fugit. Aut quo est odit. Facere voluptas non consequatur non. Necessitatibus eos qui temporibus quo maiores et.

Repellendus magni occaecati ut cupiditate quas nobis porro. Aperiam possimus reprehenderit praesentium in nihil voluptas enim. Et explicabo omnis illo cum qui voluptatibus enim. Magni sint eum explicabo eaque quia voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”