Investment Banking Internship Interview Questions

Free sample from the Deskcraft question bank

The summer internship is the way into investment banking. The interview leans on motivation and your CV, plus the basic accounting and valuation technicals. A real sample from the Deskcraft bank, with model answers.

1. Tell me about yourself in 90 seconds.

Model answer

A tight arc: origin (degree/school, one line), 2-3 experiences each framed as what I did → what I learned → how it pointed here, and a landing on why this seat now. Selective, chronological, quantified at least once, and tailored to the firm type. It should sound like a thesis for hiring you, not a biography.

2. Walk me through the three financial statements and how they connect.

Model answer

The income statement shows profitability over a period, ending in net income. The cash flow statement starts from net income, adds back non-cash items (D&A, SBC), adjusts for changes in working capital, then shows investing and financing flows to reach the change in cash. The balance sheet is a point-in-time snapshot: net income flows into retained earnings, the ending cash from the CFS becomes cash on the BS, and PP&E links via capex and depreciation. Assets = liabilities + equity must always hold.

3. Walk me through your CV.

Model answer

A top answer is a 90-second narrative, not a list: a quick origin (degree, school), 2–3 experiences each framed as "what I did → what I learned → why it pushed me toward this seat", and a close that lands on why this role, now. It is chronological, selective, and ends pointing at the interviewer's firm type.

4. What are the three financial statements and what does each show?

Model answer

The income statement shows profitability over a period (revenue down to net income). The balance sheet shows financial position at a point in time (assets = liabilities + equity). The cash flow statement shows actual cash movement over a period across operating, investing and financing, reconciling net income to the change in cash. They link: net income flows to the CFS and to retained earnings, and ending cash on the CFS is the cash line on the BS.