The Private Equity Interview Prep Course has arrived after years in the making! [2018 Update: Version 3.0 is better than ever with more PE Cases getting added to the WSO Video Library every month and now we have brought the entire course into a structured LMS for better retention and drilling!]
Our goal at the outset was to make an extremely comprehensive industry and interview guide that would make you very competitive in cut-throat PE interviews. We had countless beta users (from current PE professionals, management consultants and investment bankers, all at top firms) that were amazing in helping us shape the package into the ultimate resource for you.
When we set out to create this guide, our goal was not to simply be the best PE resource on the market. Our goal was to be the best BY FAR, blowing everything else out of the water. I'm proud to say that we have delivered on that goal.
Version 3 includes the following [note - the 2018 version includes significantly more]:
- 9 LBO modeling tests (3 back of the envelope LBO, 3 Basic (1 Hour) LBO Tests, 3 Full (3 Hour) LBO Tests) = priceless
- 15+ hours of detailed video solutions of these 9 modeling tests
- 200+ Pages of detailed insight into the recruiting, history, deal process and technical nature of the private equity industry
- 4 Sample PE resumes from Successful Candidates from a variety of background (consulting -> Large PE, Banking - > MM PE, Banking - > Sector Focused PE, MBA Student with International PE Experience)
- The 30 most common technical questions and sample answers
- Top 15 most common fit questions and sample answers
- 1 YEAR Access to the WSO Company Database to research 100s more company specific questions ($360 value)
- 1 YEAR Access to the WSO Video Library ($400 value)
- Detailed walk-through of the 4 recruiting stages
- Much more (see detailed Table of Contents below)
To get access to this resource and start studying right away, use any of the green buttons on this page and you will be redirected to a page that gives you more detail.
As always, we never stop improving our products and services. This version 2.0 already includes a lot of video content we have incorporated into the guide, but we are always adding in more PE interview Cases into our video library to make this an even more interactive and valuable resource.
We are combining all of our best resources (WSO Company Database, WSO Video Library) to make sure that this product leaves you 100% ready for the competitive PE recruiting process (and also helps you get a better understanding of the PE industry in general)...and once you buy this guide, you get ALL the updates for free into the future (even if we raise the price)!
We've included a detailed table of contents below so you can see how extensive the guide is...
Good luck with your private equity recruiting prep!
Hey Patrick,
This sounds great. I am guessing this is solely focused on the US vis-a-vis recruiting and the nature of the hiring process. Will future editions contain any information on Europe/London since recruitment can differ here?
It is a bit more US centric, but many of the firms in London use similar recruiting practices (LBO modeling tests, certain interview questions, etc) and the knowledge base required to ace your interviews is very similar...so I can see this guide helping significantly to those targeting PE in Europe / London as well.
Currently there are no plans to go too much into depth on regional differences, but as we get feedback from people in Europe about how things differ, we'd be happy to add in sub-sections and highlight differences throughout the guide.
Our main focus over the next 12 months for version 2 is to incorporate a lot of video content to dive deeper into certain sections. As the final touches are being placed on Version 1, we'll be turning our focus to writing scripts, filming and editing...The absolute earliest we'd be able to release version 2 is next recruiting season (Feb 2015) since it's a ton of work to do well. As always, people who buy Version 1, will get Version 2-3-4... for free :-)
Thanks, Patrick
Really interested in PE recruiting (current student). However, this price is way over my budget.
Of course, the main value of this guide is formed by the LBO tests in chapter 5. However, I am not really interested in these LBO tests at the moment (and I think with me, a lot of others do as well). Really would like to gain some more understanding about the PE industry and recruitment proces in general, without going into too much depth on LBO modelling tests etc. I think it would be great if people could also buy only the theoretical part of the guide, so without the LBO modelling tests of chapter 5 etc. This would be really great for me. Is this possible?
Purchased.
Looking forward to it. I've been looking at buying LBO tests this past month and was pleasantly surprised to see that you announced version 1 coming out in May.
Purchasing as well. Any chance I can get the newest version of the IB technical guide? I bought it last year.
for new versions, please e-mail WallStreetOasis.com>[email protected] with your initial e-mail and she'll get it to you within 24 hrs
Hi - is there any way we can get earlier access to parts of the guide (ie - LBO tests, technical questions, etc) for those of us who have interviews in the near-term?
I'm sorry, the beta version / sale is closed. We are working to get a finalized version, aiming for mid May or 2-3 weeks, if not sooner, so we're not that far away (so this pre-sale will no longer exist soon)
Hey Patrick I just placed an order today and got a confirmation email -- am I still going to get the discounted pack or did you guys forget to invalidate the link?
Ordered. Looks like it will blow other private equity guides away.
Hi - any beta testers have any feedback on whether this is useful? I think to 99% of people actually going through the PE process now the only interesting parts of this guide would be the sample questions and the LBO modeling tests and to me I"m not sure whether it would be worth the $250 price tag. Feel free to PM me with feedback.
Thanks.
I was a beta tester.
I think you may be a bit off base when it comes to what is important for PE interviews. Don't get me wrong, the models are incredibly useful (I had a an almost identical modeling test to the Basic LBO in a recent interview and it's nice to have lbo models geared towards PE interviewing), but in my admittedly limited experience, the vast majority of interview time isn't spent on the technical aspects of the job. Understanding how private equity works, how to look at investments, trends in the market, the role of junior IPs, how to talk about deals, etc. are all far more important when it comes to differentiating yourself from other candidates, and this guide covers all of those in great detail.
I won't comment on the cost, as that's clearly person specific. I will say that this guide made me more comfortable in interviews, which is invaluable.
Patrick - this looks great, would be curious as to how helpful you think this would be for someone w/ a non-traditional background (credit analyst - involved with deals but more from a credit underwritting perspective). Have you seen cases of someone moving to PE from other backgrounds?
we have a very detailed table and diagrams for common and less common tracks on how to break into PE. While there are definitely exceptions with very non-traditional candidates breaking in, I think it's pretty rare.
That being said, if you can land an interview through smart networking, then this guide would give you a fighting chance on how to talk about your experience and to show that you have a deep understanding about the industry and what is required at the junior level.
So for super non-traditional candidates, you might want to see if you are able to get close to an interview first...that being said, sometimes showing expertise in an informational interview / networking event is what can land you an interview in the first place...so kind of catch 22.
It's really tough to say how much value this package has for non-traditional candidates since it's very personal / specific to that person, just how non-traditional they are as well as their level of motivation and networking skill.
Either way, best of luck.
So pumped for this! Looks like you guys really did put a lot of effort into making this great--any updated ETA?
Patrick, just bought it. Saw that USD $249 was withhold from my bank account with WSO listed as the merchant. Didn't see any confirmation email with receipt # from WSO though. Any news on when we will be getting the material via email? Thanks.
you should have gotten a confirmation e-mail but looks like you opted out of all email communication from us (probably from newsletters) which prevents our system from emailing you. You will have it by end of month...don't want to promise before that. @"MJK" , same timing for everyone..
I want it out by next week at the latest, but depends how many more days before I get "final" draft, then I have to go through it to put placeholders in for our future video content (should be fast since we have this already outlined), set up the back end, etc which is another 1-2 days after that. So right now I'd say earliest is May 19, latest is May 31 -- sorry I can't be more precise yet.
thanks, Patrick
I was looking to buy a subscription for the wso video library for an interview coming up next week and thought I might as well check out this PE guide. With this package, do I get access to the company and video database immediately after payment / before the final package release? Also, does this include access to the entire video library or just PE specific videos.Thanks!
Version 1.0 will not include access to the video library[we have since changed this to give 3 months free access and another 3 months when version 2.0 is released next year with much more video content], simply because there aren't that many helpful PE videos (yet) made. Once we get to a point (next year) where we have added a lot of content to the video library for PE (some which will have been made just for the guide, other content will be from webinars) we will release a new version of the guide that will include free access for 2-3 months.
Right now, it doesn't make sense too much sense to buy the video library over this Prep Pack if you have a PE interview that you are getting ready for.
Hope that makes sense. As always, people who buy version 1.0 will get a free update and access like everyone else as soon as we grant that next year in version 2.0.
Thanks, Patrick
correction, version 1.0 will include 3 months access to video library and another 3 months any time we release a new batch of videos in newer versions.
Hi Patrick - any updates on timing of release (have interviews next week...)? Noting your post from 5/15 mentioning "earliest is May 19, latest is May 31"... would love to make the purchase now if youre able to say somethin like latest is May 23... Otherwise, any chance I'd be able to obtain a work in progress version on May 23? Thanks!
I can say for sure now that it will be released by May 23, hopefully sooner. If you purchase it and still don't have a copy (for some unforeseen reason) by end of day May 23 we can get you the beta, but I am working through the final copy today/tomorrow and hope to start sending it out in 2-3 days to the people who bought the beta & pre-sale.
Thanks, Patrick
Patrick - my anti-virus went bananas when I tried to download a couple of the Excel files. I assume this is the "tracking software" it mentions, but can you just let us know?
Thanks.
you can trust the files, maybe you have your anti-virus set to high so when you are downloading random Google Docs off of a random folder it goes crazy? anyways, you should be fine.
I tried using the password to unlock the excel docs, but there are too many characters according to excel. Any way around this?
I am also having trouble unlocking and opening the Excel files...The password given is too long, so I am getting an error that the password is not correct. Please advise.
FYI, for Mac users we have shortened the Excel password. If you go back to your download link you will see the new instructions. You will have to download new modeling files with the shorter password...that being said, we highly recommend practicing on a PC keyboard, not a Mac, since on judgement day, there is about a 0.1% chance they put you in front of a mac...
@"Hernandez" fyi
How often is the video library expected to be updated? Why is the access to the video library only limited to a 3 month period? I assume that 3 month period begins at the moment you email ivy@wallstreetoasis or does it begin at the time of gaining access to the entire prep package?
The video library is constantly updated with webinars, Q&A sessions, etc...
The Video Library wasn't even going to be included in this version since there are only a few relevant videos in the library currently regarding PE and PE interviews.
That being said, our plan is to be adding a lot of video content to continue improving the package over the next 12-18 months. When we release a new version of the guide and those videos are ready, we will give another 3 months access to the library. We only include 3 months, because we don't want to give free access to thousands of people because they bought 1 product.
What we may be forced to do as we add more videos for each guide, is limit that user only to see those videos related to their product, but give say 1 year access instead of 3 months. Right now, our main concern was getting you a solid version 1.0 and giving you an indication of the additional videos you can expect in the next 12-18 months.
Yes, the 3 months access is when you contact Ivy for access - so if you want to wait to study, then you can do so. Again, the guide can stand alone without the videos - we see them as a bonus (they were a late addition). Instead of just limiting you to the PE videos, we have given you access to 100% of them in order not to overcomplicate things...
Hope that makes sense, Patrick
Patrick - I think you may have addressed this elsewhere, but do we get instant access to the guide once we pay?
Thanks.
now you will since it is released, yes. As well as the 9 LBO modeling tests...
For the paper, basic and full LBOs in the package, are the step-by-step walk throughs and example recommendations and things to be weary of when giving your recommendation only available for the first LBO of each type? I know the number answer's are given in Excel, but it would be helpful to have some commentary to go along with all the practice modeling tests, especially the more complicated ones. Sorry if I'm missing something here.
been a few months since this has been out - what are the initial thoughts on this pack?
Understand this has been updated - I purchased the earlier version last summer (around July), do I have to buy the update as well or does it come for free? Thanks
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