Investment banking interview notes from the desk.
Tactical breakdowns of the questions that decide an offer. Platform updates, industry context, and the rubric behind every grade.
FeaturedThe $3.7 Billion Merger That Died a Month After Being Approved
Getty and Shutterstock's $3.7B merger died after the CMA approved it. The remedy math, the break mechanics, and the financing unwind, for IB interviews.
Knowledge HubEnterprise Value vs Equity Value: The Questions Behind the Bridge
Enterprise value vs equity value, past the memorized bridge: the one principle, the multiple-pairing rule, and the edge cases interviewers test.
Aug 19, 2026Read
Market BriefThe Month in Question: July 2026
The Month in Question, July 2026: the Fed's 9-3 split, the Getty-Shutterstock collapse, Sky's ITV deal, SpaceX in the index, and how to defend each view.
Jul 31, 2026Read
HARDO InsightsUpdate: Introducing Topic Sprints, a Second Practice Format
HARDO now runs two formats: the full 12-question mock interview, and Topic Sprints. Three questions, one topic, ten minutes, graded like the real thing.
Jul 18, 2026Read
Live Deal ExamplesThe $86 Billion IPO That Named Its Own Price
SpaceX's $86 billion IPO broke down for Investment Banking interviews: the fixed price, the greenshoe math, and the aftermarket that fell.
Jul 10, 2026Read
Market BriefThe Month in Question: June 2026
The Month in Question, June 2026: Warsh's first Fed hold, the SpaceX IPO record, the Iran oil shock, and how to defend a view on each in an IB interview.
Jul 7, 2026Read
Knowledge HubThe Three-Statement Questions That Open Every IB Technical Interview
The three-statement questions that open every IB interview - the four patterns behind all of them, and the follow-ups that kill prepared candidates.
Jul 5, 2026Read
Knowledge HubHow to Answer Due Diligence Questions in an Investment Banking Interview
Due diligence is the IB interview category with no formula. What QoE reports actually check, the working capital peg, and how to prioritize red flags.
Jul 2, 2026Read
Live Deal ExamplesThe $16.5B Buyout That Left Wall Street Holding $600 Million in Losses
The $16.5B Citrix buyout, the leverage, the hung debt crisis that cost banks $600M, and the lessons for investment banking interview LBO questions.
Jun 30, 2026Read
Knowledge HubHow to Handle an IB Interview Question You Didn't Prep For
Investment banking interviews always include a question you didn't prep for. How to handle the miss without bluffing, freezing, or surrendering.
Jun 24, 2026Read
Knowledge HubFirst-Round vs Superday: What Actually Changes
First-round and superday are not the same interview at harder difficulty. What actually changes between them, and how to prep for each
Jun 21, 2026Read
Knowledge HubThe Weakness Question, Without Sounding Coached
In an investment banking interview, the weakness question kills more candidates than the technicals. Why rehearsed answers fail, and how to fix yours.
Jun 19, 2026Read
Knowledge HubM&A Premiums and Why They Move
M&A premiums sit at 20-35% on average. The range hides everything. What moves premiums up, what moves them down, and how to defend one.
Jun 14, 2026Read
Live Deal ExamplesHow Microsoft Closed a $68.7B Deal Three Regulators Tried to Stop
How Microsoft closed its $68.7B Activision Blizzard deal after three regulators tried to stop it. The financing, the divestiture, the lessons for IB interviews.
Jun 11, 2026Read
Knowledge HubComparable Companies — Pick, Adjust, Defend
Trading comps under VP pressure. How to pick the set, what to adjust, which multiples to use, and how to defend every name on the list.
Jun 9, 2026Read
Knowledge HubWhy Investment Banking — Answers That Survive Pushback
Why investment banking — answers that survive pushback. Why not consulting, why not buy-side, why this bank. The questions behind the question.
Jun 7, 2026Read
Knowledge HubWalk Me Through Your Resume — The 90-Second Structure
How to walk through your resume in an investment banking interview. The opening, the GPA problem, non-target schools, the recovery move.
Jun 6, 2026Read
Knowledge HubAccretion / Dilution Math Under Pressure
Accretion or dilution. Stock, cash, mixed, with and without synergies. The math you can do in your head when an MD changes the inputs on you.
Jun 5, 2026Read
Knowledge HubLBO Mechanics — From Sources & Uses to IRR Bridge
The full LBO walkthrough — sources and uses, debt schedule, cash sweep, IRR bridge. Where the return actually comes from, and what MDs push on.
Jun 4, 2026Read
Knowledge HubHow to Walk Through a DCF Like You've Done It
Most candidates memorize the DCF steps. Bankers spot it in thirty seconds. The full walkthrough — UFCF, WACC, terminal value, sensitivity — done right.
May 31, 2026Read
Knowledge HubThe Three Questions That Decide Most First-Round IB Interviews
Walk me through your resume, why IB, walk me through a DCF. The three first-round questions every IB candidate gets, and what a clean answer looks like.
May 31, 2026Read
HARDO InsightsWhat HARDO Actually Is — And Why We Built It This Way
HARDO is an AI mock interview platform for IB candidates — three interviewer tiers, letter-grade scoring, twelve questions per session. The manifesto.
May 31, 2026Read