Hey there! I’m finishing up my finance degree in management engineering here in Italy and really want to land an internship in M&A or investment banking. I keep seeing all these prep materials online like the WSP RedBook and those 400 questions from BIWS. There’s so much stuff out there that I’m not sure where to even start. What would you guys recommend as the best way to organize my interview prep? Should I focus on technical questions first or work on the behavioral stuff? Any specific resources that actually helped you get through the process? I want to make sure I’m ready when interview season comes around. Thanks for any tips you can share!
Start mock interviews now - don’t wait until you feel ready. I spent months studying alone without practicing out loud, then completely stumbled through my first real interview even though I knew the material. Found a classmate who was also prepping and we grilled each other weekly. The behavioral questions are harder than people think - you can’t wing those ‘tell me about a time when’ stories. Do technical and behavioral prep at the same time, not one after the other. And brush up on current market knowledge - they love asking about recent deals or what’s happening in specific sectors.
Technical foundations are absolutely crucial - you can’t wing the valuation models or accounting questions they’ll throw at you. I’d dedicate 70% of your prep time to mastering DCF, comparable company analysis, and precedent transactions. Spend the remaining 30% on behavioral questions, but here’s the key: tie your behavioral answers back to technical concepts whenever you can. When discussing teamwork, mention how you collaborated on a financial modeling project. Investment banking interviews follow a predictable pattern: they’ll test your technical knowledge first, then assess cultural fit. Without solid technical skills, even perfect behavioral answers won’t save you. Focus on understanding the ‘why’ behind valuation methods rather than just memorizing formulas.
Networking is massive - most people completely ignore it. I reached out to alumni on LinkedIn at BBs and boutiques, learned way more than any prep book taught me. Don’t sleep on fit questions either. I’ve seen friends nail every technical but get rejected because they couldn’t explain why they actually want banking. Practice your story out loud until it flows naturally, not like you’re reciting a script.
Everyone’s overcomplicating this. Most prep materials are overpriced garbage that rehash the same basic stuff. You’re overthinking it - the technical questions aren’t rocket science. Just DCF models and basic accounting that any finance student already knows. What matters is not sounding robotic when they ask why you want 80-hour weeks for mediocre pay. But if you’re set on joining the corporate grind, you’ll have plenty to complain about later.