Vault Guide or WSO Guide
My budget is limited at the moment, but I want to jump on this right away, and I see that both are talked about, although I've seen some say that the WSO guides blow away the Vault guide. Is the Vault still a good place to start? Thanks.
WSO is better imo. My school gives us the vault guides for free and they're aren't as good.
Don't get vault
WSO far and away or BIWS
M&I/BIWS 400 question guide is the best, imo
A lot of my friends that got ibanking jobs (including me) used it.
This was a few cycles back now, but when I was interviewing Vault and WSO were literally the two guides I used. I found Vault to have a bit more information, but most of it was largely superfluous for IB interviews. WSO was much more concise and relevant - it won't waste your time in the same way.
If you want the best preparation, the answer is to read both (and additional guides like M&I). However, most of realize this isn't feasible given time constraints, so if you need to pick just one or one to read first, I'd go with WSO.
In my opinion:
BIWS: These guides were simultaneously the most thorough, informative, detailed, and manageable. They do a phenomenal job of breaking up the content by difficulty, so you'll see two sections on valuation (basic and advanced), accounting, distressed/restructuring, etc. There is also some pretty comprehensive info on behaviorals; rather than telling you what to say, it tells you how to say what you should be saying, allowing you to use your own experiences and background for a compelling story. Another huge advantage is that you get future access to updated versions, so as he continually refines the material, you get the newer editions of the same guide without having to continually pay. The only downside I can see is that there is such a wealth of material that you may find it overwhelming without sufficient time to prepare; however, if you have at least a week before an interview, you can crush that whole book and be ready to breathe everlasting fire in your interviews.
WSO: Also good, but less so than BIWS. Self-admittedly (can't find the link), Patrick and team created these to be briefer than BIWS. They don't include every single technical question under the sun or every variation of behavioral, but they are a strong resource nonetheless. Knowing everything in these guides would put you in fine shape for interviews.
Vault: These are almost the most elementary resource available. I remember reading these as a first-semester sophomore in my first major course and thinking how simplistic they were. My distinct impression was that they were written for Susie Nonprofit enrolled at Tepper or Darden learning about finance for the first time so she could interview for Summer Associate roles. They are not updated frequently (every 3-5 years if I recall correctly) and have outdated information in more than a few instances. The fact that they are a free resource provided through most career centers tells the story accurately enough: they are 'table stakes' -- required reading material to get in the door, but nothing special that sets you apart from anyone else.
BIWS. Vault is a joke and WSO doesn't quite have the depth for me to feel truly prepared.
Honestly, I think the Vault Guide (the big 200 page one) is better than the WSO guide. WSO basically just copied the Vault Guide, simplified it a bit, and cut out some of the questions. Not worth the $ in my opinion if you can get the Vault guide for free.
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