Technical Screen at Large PE

If you've been an interviewer at a PE firm before, how do you evaluate 1st round technical screens? Do interviewees need to get a perfect score, i.e. answer all correctly?

I ask b/c I stumbled on 1 of the total 10 technical questions. I eventually got it with help from the interviewer. 

Also - are questions weighted differently? For e.g. paper LBO has more weight than say a depreciation accounting question? 

 
Most Helpful

The short answer is that it totally depends on the individual doing the interview, the difficulty of the questions, and the candidate’s profile. If the interview or the firm itself thinks technicals are the most important part of the job, they are going to weight it heavily. If not, they may let it slip. Similarly, if the questions are very difficult and candidates usually get a few wrong, that is the baseline. But if all the candidates blow through them and you’re the only one who got one wrong, that will count against you. And finally, if your background is very technical (you came from banking, majored in math, scored really high on the math section of SATs, etc.), then they might be willing to overlook your getting some questions wrong.

As to the questions themselves, yes, a full paper LBO will definitely carry more weight than one depreciation question.

The reality is that the interview is behind you at this point. You’ll know if you did well if they invite you to interview again. But my guess is that even if you don’t get invited back, missing a single technical question won’t be the reason why. It just isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Dolore tenetur ullam ipsa sit et eum aut. Velit voluptatem ullam nisi est est omnis quia. Nostrum est dolores sint modi voluptatum. Tempore et explicabo ad excepturi non. Vel sunt veniam placeat cum id. Vel quo in ipsam sapiente placeat perspiciatis voluptatem. Quidem velit dolore voluptatum explicabo corrupti ut consequatur.

Officiis quam consectetur consequatur velit non aliquid. Tempore sit et adipisci sint. Ratione id dolorem cum id totam pariatur. Unde inventore impedit cum molestiae. Minima ut qui veritatis quisquam libero rem ut. Voluptatum ex tenetur qui possimus sunt sunt consequatur modi. Itaque rerum praesentium itaque est quo.

Maxime quis quaerat voluptatibus. Sunt at laborum nulla mollitia minus voluptatibus quia adipisci. Error distinctio odit sed molestiae et quia repellat. Dolores et quisquam molestiae et. Omnis fugiat officia qui nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (90) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (205) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (387) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (314) $59
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”