How good of a predictor is GPA for performance as an IB analyst?

It is very important to geta a high GPA for recruiting and a high GPA is a testament to hard work, intelligence, and the ability to learn. It also helps your resume stand out. IB is mostly based on a person's ability to work hard and work long hours at a high level. From your experience how well does GPA correlate to an analyst's performance? Do the students who get high GPAs tend to be better analysts? Is it possible to be a good analyst with a low or average GPA?

 

Who cares. Break in first. As long as you have drive and determination you'll do fine on the job.

 

And even still with this in mind it’s quite limited. It measures your ability to work hard for your grades ofc, but doesn’t consider that some people may just be as hard of a worker as the kid with the 3.9, but maintain two jobs while studying full time. Or maybe they are a D1 athlete and have to balance a full schedule with the demands of a really hard major (say engineering). Or hell life happens and they have an awful semester that throws everything off.

GPA is one determinant of many, which is why you go through so many interview rounds. You can’t show zero drive (GPA IB. Do as many things you are passionate about while minimally affecting your GPA (if you can do 5 cool ass things well and get a 3.6, you’re probably better off than the hardo who went to an UG business school and ONLY did finance related things— quant roles are different tho).

 

I think for the most part this is true (I.e. probability will tell you that successful people in finance had high GPA’s) but that isn’t necessarily true.

There are highly successful people in and out of finance that took a different path. Either they didn’t focus, had circumstances that made getting a high GPA tough, weren’t mature enough, etc. But those tend to be outliers, smart people tend to do well in school, but there are cases of people who struggled for a number of reasons.

So yes, correlated, but I wouldn’t say that it is true across the board.

EDIT: and I don’t think it is a predictor. People who are hard workers will do well, but the GPA itself is usually just a representation of that, but it is more about hard work than intelligence.

 
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Off the cuff thoughts here. I’m at one of the larger MM IBs today with a 3.2 from a state school that I doubt anyone on this forum has heard of. I didn’t discover IB until early my senior year and juiced my way in with a shit ton of luck and networking.

As a student, I was apathetic about my coursework regardless of subject and procrastinated a ton, especially as my undergrad years went on. Despite my weak GPA and school, I rank high come review time, with most feedback being development focused for that next level up to associate (e.g., being asked to delegate more work to interns and first years that are double staffed, speaking up more during internal drafting sessions rather than whispering ideas to my VP after). I like to think I’m well liked among those I’ve been staffed with both because of my work product / ethic but also being an okay guy to shoot the shit with while waiting for comments.

Some of the people I came up with as analysts have ranked below me despite being star students / athletes / whatever other impressive thing back in undergrad. Based on my experience, GPA does not translate to the quality of work or work ethic of the individual.

HOWEVER, I will say that I’ve become apathetic about my job beyond what those higher GPA analysts have, and it’s creeping into the diligence I tackle my work with and my attitude towards staffings / annoying teammates. While this is natural for analysts and really all other ranks in IB, I seem to care much less about whether or not I actually get fired vs. my coworkers who despite maybe feeling apathetic towards the job are still very attentive and able to power through to just get their work done as best they can. I think this is what GPA does actually distinguish more than intellect / capacity for work.

School teaches you to show up on time no matter how early, listen to someone teach you something or give instructions for hours at a time and submit thoughtful work. If your work is thoughtful enough, you’re distinguished by receiving higher grades than your peers (even more so if your school grades on a curve). All of this translates into being a good analyst in that regardless of how dull or meaningless the assignment may be to you, you got up, did your work right and on time and did it all again the next day. It signals high conscientiousness, which you need to do especially well in IB.

I used to cringe when people on WSO would post about how GPA mattered so much, knowing I’d defied their framework for what makes a good analyst coming out of school, but I get it now. I still disagree that it’s indicative of someone’s intellect / capacity (although I guess you could argue that anyone with a low GPA is stupid given how important it is in your first career steps and that to fumble that is something only an idiot would do but that assumes the student truly understands its importance and comes from a background where they see what hard work in the classroom actually gets you; I grew up in a school system and family that thought as long as you finished high school and worked somewhere that had air conditioning and a desk, you were a made guy). But I certainly have noticed what I mentioned above not only with myself but other low GPA guys that weaseled their way in to the industry. We just seemed to have stopped caring as much once the learning curve had obviously flattened, whereas our friends who were higher achievers in school may bitch and moan about the job but still show up, shut up and do their work.

 
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can’t wait for another thread where 4.0 giganerds whose only skill in life is test-taking tell us that your GPA is objectively the only useful metric for determining success only for 2.2 retards who are “smart just lazy, bro” to put down their 5th joint of the day and type out some incoherent rambling on why “GPA doesnt mean shit, man”

 

Can average GPAs be offset by working hard in other areas such as extracurriculars, sports, or even part time jobs to show work ethic? Can an average GPA be offset by networking and great interview skills?

 

I graduated summa cum laude and honestly don't think im that "smart" compared to some ppl I know. Just studied a lot, chose the easiest professors, took the lightest course loads I could take, and leveraged the work kids did from the previous year. College just taught me how to work smarter, not harder... Not so sure if that will correlate into the real world.

 

crushing your courses at uni does tend to show that you're smart and have at least a semi-decent work ethic. but it doesn't teach you any soft skills - FO finance roles require good interpersonal skills, both within your team and without.

being the best financial modeller in your bank is not enough to make it in the long term.

Thank you for your interest in the 2020 Investment Banking Full-time Analyst Programme (London) at JPMorgan Chase. After a thorough review of your application, we regret to inform you that we are unable to move forward with your candidacy at this time.
 

I think GPA is a good predictor of short term success, especially in entry-level roles. Think of it as GPA sets a floor for which someone’s performance will not go below. The American education system rewards being a highly detail-oriented grunt who follows directions extremely well. Obviously those are all wonderful traits for an analyst (or other entry-level position). The problem with GPA, however is it is not a good indicator of someone’s ceiling. The skills it takes to get a high GPA are not always indicative of the skills that it takes to be successful at work.

 

Is a student with an average gpa (3.5-3.6) from a non to semi target with strong extracurriculars still positioned well if they have good networking and interview skills?

 

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