How hard is it to get an investment banking interview?
The first step on your path to an investment banking career is to get an interview. Investment banking is extremely competitive with way more applicants than available positions each year. You will often be up against students from Ivy League universities, with a high GPAs and multiple internships under their belts.
Investment banking interview questions are often hyper-technical — you may need to calculate specific numbers, explain formulas, or walk the interviewer through various investment banking activities.
The lucrative and fast-paced career of an investment banker is a highly competitive one. For instance, in a recent year, 236,000 applicants competed for roughly 3,500 internships at Goldman Sachs. This is common across the industry where acceptance rates for programs are typically less than 2%.
The demand for coveted positions in investment banks consistently exceeds the available supply, making it a highly selective field. Statistics indicate that acceptance rates for top investment banks, such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, typically range between a mere 3% to 5%.
At the minimum, you'll have to start ~2-3 months in advance to get a good sense for these concepts (assuming no background or limited accounting/finance knowledge). The other question categories can wait until the last minute, but you can't cram and master the technical side in that span of time.
Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at J.P. Morgan as 61.4% positive with a difficulty rating score of 2.93 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty).
Is it hard to get hired at Goldman Sachs? Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at Goldman Sachs as 60.1% positive with a difficulty rating score of 3.11 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty).
- Equity trader.
- Financial consultant.
- Investment executive.
- Loan officer.
- Asset manager.
- Investment bank broker.
- Property and casualty insurance underwriter.
The average salary for investment bankers is around $118,200 per year, according to Payscale data from January 2024. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that securities, commodities and financial services sales careers—which include investment bankers—will grow by 7% from 2022 to 2032.
Investment banking is a quantitative field, and having a strong foundation in mathematics is essential. If you're considering a career in investment banking, it's important to have a deep understanding of mathematical concepts such as calculus, probability, and statistics.
What GPA is required for investment banking?
Yes, GPA matters! Bulge bracket banks and almost all other investment banks will look at your GPA when applying for a job and you should include it in your resume. Typically banks screen resumes based on GPA and will often remove anyone below 3.5.
It's true – top-tier investment banks recruit heavily from ivy league schools and other target schools. Big names such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan visit campuses to drum up interest in their internship programs and full-time entry-level positions.
Overall, I'd say it's more competitive to win a management consulting role at MBB than it is to win an investment banking role at a bulge bracket (BB) or elite boutique (BB) because: There are fewer entry-level roles at the top three consulting firms.
It's important that you're clued up on all of them, as you'll be able to start working on how to impress recruiters once you've got your head around the format. Investment banks typically hold two rounds of interviews, although some hold more than this.
The well-known bulge bracket banks like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Bank of America tend to work analyst-level investment bankers at the industry standard scale of 60-80 hours per week. Example Bulge Bracket Banks: Goldman Sachs.
It is essential to have an in-depth knowledge of, accounting, and capital markets and be prepared to talk about the economy and financial markets. Here is why it is important: Your ability to understand complicated financial concepts will show your competence and your ability to navigate the challenges of the position.
Q: What are your GPA requirements? A: We value diverse degree backgrounds and experiences and while a GPA 3.2 (or equivalent) in your undergraduate degree is preferred it is not required. Our training programs are designed to allow everyone, regardless of major studied to succeed.
Do we like negotiating with JP Morgan? JP Morgan does negotiate, however, it is also important to note that JP Morgan does not pay competitively for technical roles - especially when you compare it to FAANG company compensation.
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm that provides strategic advice and solutions to major corporations, governments, and non-profit organizations. It is known as one of the most prestigious and difficult companies to get into due to its rigorous hiring process and reputation for hiring top talent.
If I had to give a specific range, I would say the average Superday has a 30-40% offer rate and a 20-30% hire rate. The exact rate will differ from office to office, but it would be very odd for more than 50% of candidates to receive offers or less than 10% to receive offers.
How hard is it to get a Goldman Superday?
While Superday is the final step in the interview process, it isn't a time to relax. Considering that Goldman Sachs is reported to have a 1.5% acceptance rate into its internship programs, and JPMorgan only had around 400 openings for nearly 50,000 applicants in 2021, landing a spot at a major bank is no easy feat.
Goldman Sachs is the premier investment bank in the world. With an acceptance rate of roughly 4%, it's harder to get into Goldman than it is to get into Harvard or Yale. Let me share how to get a job at Goldman Sachs from someone who did.
It's common for an investment banker's bonus to surpass their base pay, and in profitable times, they may earn over half a million dollars a year.
- Benefit Funds Administrator. ...
- Sales Manager- Hammond, LA. ...
- VP Finance & Operation. ...
- Director of Fiscal Planning and Accounting. ...
- Retirement Planner- Base Salary plus commission & benefits. ...
- Implant Sales Rep. ...
- Inbound Sales Rep. ...
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
