How to find IRR given discount rate and exit cap rate

I was asked in an interview. What is the IRR if discount rate is 6% and exit cap rate is 5%. Is it 11% (i.e. 6% is your risk free return + your return on exit)?

Also, what would be the best to answer the follow question: "how would you determine your discount rate?"

9 Comments
 
Most Helpful

This is a ridiculous question unless they gave you additional info. Was there any information on cash flows and hold period? If not you literally can't answer it and your interviewer is either an idiot, or they wanted you to ask follow up questions to fill in the gaps. IRR is a time-based metric, you need duration, cash flow and equity information.

For your second question, that's much more subjective. The simple answer is your discount rate should be no higher than your required unlevered IRR. The detailed answer is that you would take your risk free rate and add premiums for various forms of perceived risk (i.e. financial risk, market risk, political risk, etc etc.). Very few places get that involved in formulating a discount rate.

 

The IRR is the discount rate (unlevered). The exit cap is irrelevant. IRR is 6% because you are discounting the cash flow at 6%. 
 

Determining discount rate is twofold. 1) speak to brokers in your market. They will know where deals are trading from an IRR perspective. That’s your discount rate. (5 or 10 year unlevered IRR). From another perspective, you and your firm need to ask the question of: the market discount rate is 6%, do we feel this is an adequate return for the risk we are taking? If yes, buy the deal, if not, pass. Your goal, knowing the market discount rate, is to find deals that will exceed that and provide a higher relative IRR or meet your return thresholds. 

 

IRR is DR if purchase price is the same as the NPV derived from the 6% DR in the DCF.

DR is determined based on your cost of capital. On an unlevered basis, how much are you willing to accept as your return depending on your 5/7/10 year DCF. Usually ties to what other investors in the market doing, but not always - really depends on your capital structure. A more mathematical answer is that your DR is the cap rate plus annualized growth rate of CF - when you essentially boil down the DR formula.

 

Iusto sit sed et voluptatibus sed voluptatem est. Est sit esse error voluptatem corrupti occaecati delectus perspiciatis.

Et voluptatem facere officia. Quis iusto omnis nam ut omnis. Voluptatem quibusdam dolor aut. Quisquam modi quo nisi sint reprehenderit.

Aut in voluptates totam molestiae. Provident blanditiis ullam maxime ea voluptatem velit pariatur. Ut quaerat asperiores eos doloremque culpa at. Esse quasi mollitia eaque qui non voluptates earum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”