25 Finance Interview Questions for Banking & Investment Roles

25 Finance Interview Questions for Banking & Investment Roles

Finance interviews cover valuation, financial modeling, market knowledge, and fit. Here are the most-asked questions for investment banking, private equity, and corporate finance roles.

Technical / Valuation (10)

1. "Walk me through a DCF analysis"
2. "How do you value a company?" — DCF, comps, precedent transactions
3. "Walk me through an LBO model"
4. "What's WACC and how do you calculate it?"
5. "How does depreciation affect the three financial statements?"
6. "Walk me through an accretion/dilution analysis"
7. "What's enterprise value vs equity value?"
8. "How would you value a pre-revenue startup?"
9. "Explain beta and how it impacts cost of equity"
10. "What makes a good LBO candidate?"

Market / Industry (7)

1. "Tell me about a recent deal you found interesting"
2. "Where do you think interest rates are headed?"
3. "What sector would you invest in right now?"
4. "Pitch me a stock" — Bull case, bear case, valuation
5. "What's happening in the M&A market?"
6. "How does AI impact financial services?"
7. "What macro trends concern you?"

Behavioral (8)

1. "Tell me about yourself" — The 2-min pitch
2. "Why investment banking?"
3. "Tell me about a time you worked under pressure" — STAR method
4. "Describe a team conflict and how you resolved it"
5. "Why this bank?"
6. "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
7. "Tell me about a time you showed leadership"
8. "What's your biggest weakness?"