10 questions reported in Bessemer interviews, organised by the group that asks them. Every question carries a model answer and graded feedback on your own attempt.
Questions
Easy · Medium
Hard
Model builds
Built in the spreadsheet grid
Cohort economics, CAC payback, net revenue retention and burn multiple. 5 questions
Tests whether a candidate can interrogate the metrics in a SaaS growth-company dashboard.
Define ARR, bookings and recognised revenue. A company reports strong bookings but weak revenue growth. What would you ask next?
A first-round growth-investing question on the quality of recurring revenue.
A SaaS company begins the year with $10m of ARR from existing customers, loses $1m to churn and contraction, and gains $2m of expansion. Calculate gross revenue retention and net revenue retention.…
A simple calculation that reveals whether the candidate knows how to use a common growth-company heuristic.
A software company is growing revenue 32% year over year and has a -14% EBITDA margin. What is its Rule of 40 score? Does it pass the test?
Tests whether a candidate can distinguish true product-led expansion from a flattering customer story.
A company says it has a land-and-expand sales motion: customers start with a small team and later buy enterprise-wide licences. What evidence would you require before believing it?
The single most informative chart in growth-stage diligence.
A company shows you cohort retention curves. What are you looking for, and what would make you walk away?
Reference calls, technical diligence, term sheets and preference stacks. 2 questions
The workstream a VC analyst actually owns.
You have three weeks to diligence a Series B software company. What do you do?
The hardest recurring decision in venture, and a strong test of judgement.
A portfolio company is burning cash, growth has stalled, and the founder asks for a bridge. How do you decide?
Founder assessment, market sizing from first principles and ownership maths. 2 questions
A take-home style task for analysts supporting a seed investment committee memo.
You complete five customer calls. Two love the product, two say it is useful but non-essential, and one stopped using it after a month. How would you turn that into a recommendation rather than a list…
Every deck claims a large TAM; the analyst's job is to test it.
A founder claims a $50bn TAM. How do you test that, and why does market size matter so much in venture?
Driver-based forecasts, variance analysis and forecast accuracy. 1 question
FP&A at a software company is largely metric definition and defence.
You've joined a SaaS company as its first FP&A hire. The board wants a metrics pack. What goes in it, and what definitional traps do you avoid?
Write your answer, get it graded on technical accuracy, completeness and communication, and see exactly which mechanic you missed.
Company tags reflect where a question type is commonly reported in interviews. They are not sourced from, endorsed by, or affiliated with Bessemer.