Technicals from a Liberal Arts target
Hi, for those who have interviewed/now work in IB & went to Liberal Arts targets (Harvard, Yale type places) without any finance major / like one or two finance classes limited to upper level Econ majors, what are your technicals like? Interviewing for SA 2021, I've heard we don't get as grilled as someone from Wharton or Stern, don't what to prepare for.
It really depends. I went to a good LAC and went through superdays at all top BBs (GS/MS/JPM) - was grilled on technicals at one of those banks, but didn’t get asked a single technical question at the other... So just be as well prepared as you can be.
Can't speak to how the process works for Stern and Wharton, but for those from a general liberal arts background (any Ivy basically), it rarely goes beyond the questions you'd find in the WSO / Vault IB guide (intro level). At the BBs in particular, it is pretty high level basic stuff that you should know just through interview prep. I've seen some of the boutiques still grill liberal arts kids though
a lot of smaller shops don't have the resources or ability to train kids so they want someone who knows their technicals, which is why BB interviews can be "easier" in nature. A BB is going to pay for you to be trained so if you know the basics and a good fit, they are more likely to be content with it than a small sweatshop
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As someone who attends a top LAC directly, I still get asked technicals but they are veryy basic. Financial statements, dcf analysis, valuation methods, etc. Haven’t encountered a firm or bank that has drilled me yet, but I still make sure that I’m as prepared as I can be.
Basically prepare as if you WERE going to get drilled because that’ll be better in the end.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!
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