The 45 Ultimate Investment Banking Interview QA Guide - Interview Guide

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

A comprehensive investment banking interview guide that explains the interview structure and what recruiters evaluate, then provides practical frameworks for building strong answers. It introduces proven techniques such as STAR, PREP, and the Pyramid Principle, followed by a curated set of interview questions. The question set covers personal storytelling, motivation, and fit, then moves into core finance topics including financial statements, valuation, EBITDA vs net profit, present value, NPV vs IRR, EPS and buybacks, working capital, leverage ratios, M&A rationale, standalone valuation tradeoffs, and WACC calculation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time3 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What You’ll Learn in This Guide

The Interview Structure

What Are Recruiters Looking For?

Interview Techniques

How To Structure Your Answer

STAR Technique

PREP Framework

Pyramid Principle

How to Choose the Right Framework

Interview Questions

Your Personal Story

Corporate Finance

WACC

By Financial Edge [https://www.fe.training/](https://www.fe.training/) Interview Guide ....................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................1 What You’ll Learn in This Guide ....................................................................................................2 The Interview Structure........................................................................................................................................................ 2 What Are Recruiters Looking For? ................................................................................................................................ 2 Interview Techniques .....................................................................................................................3 How To Structure Your Answer....................................................................................................................................... 3 STAR Technique......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 PREP Framework........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Pyramid Principle .....................................................................................................................................................................4 How to Choose the Right Framework .......................................................................................................................4 Interview Questions ...........................................................................................................................5 Your Personal Story ........................................................................................................................5 1. Tell me about yourself................................................................................................................................................ 5 2. Why are you interested in joining our firm? ...............................................................................................6 3. Why are you interested in investment banking? ................................................................................... 7 4. What makes you a good fit for this role? .....................................................................................................8 5. What are your greatest strengths? ..................................................................................................................8 6. What are your greatest weaknesses? ...........................................................................................................9 7. Describe a challenge you faced and how you overcame it...................................................... 10 8. What motivates you? ..................................................................................................................................................11 Corporate Finance ........................................................................................................................ 12 9. What are the three key financial statements? How do depreciation and tax affect each of these? ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 10. As an investor, would you consider EBITDA or net profit to judge a potential investment? .............................................................................................................

FAQs

What interview techniques does the guide recommend for structuring answers?

It recommends using the STAR technique, the PREP framework, and the Pyramid Principle to organize responses clearly and persuasively.

Which corporate finance topics are covered by the interview questions?

The guide covers financial statements and effects of depreciation/taxes, valuation choices like EBITDA vs net profit, present value, NPV vs IRR, EPS impact from buybacks, working capital, leverage ratios, and M&A motivations.

How does the guide approach WACC questions?

It defines WACC and includes questions on how to calculate WACC for a private firm, compare WACC across firms with different debt levels, and assess risk using beta.

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore