Building the 100-Day Plan
Medium
The operating partner's first deliverable after close.
You've just closed a buyout of a founder-owned manufacturer. What's in your 100-day plan?
Deal Analysis · Private Equity · ~12 minModel answer & graded attempt
All interview questions
Cerberus interview questions
Private Equity5 questions reported in Cerberus interviews, organised by the group that asks them. Every question carries a model answer and graded feedback on your own attempt.
Questions
5
Easy · Medium
0 · 2
Hard
3
Model builds
0
Built in the spreadsheet grid
Portfolio Operations
Margin bridges, pricing, procurement and 100-day plans. 4 questions
Priorities in an Operating Turnaround
Hard
A judgement case for operational roles in stressed portfolio companies.
A portfolio company is missing plan, burning cash and losing customers. What is your first-month turnaround plan?
Restructuring · Private Equity · ~12 minModel answer & graded attempt
Replacing a Portfolio Company CEO
Hard
It happens in roughly a third of buyouts, and how you handle it determines the outcome.
Eighteen months in, the CEO is not delivering the plan. How do you decide whether to replace them, and how do you do it?
Deal Analysis · Private Equity · ~12 minModel answer & graded attempt
Where Margin Improvement Actually Comes From
Hard
Operating partners are hired to answer this, and the ordering is the answer.
A portfolio company has $300m revenue and a 12% EBITDA margin. The plan requires 18%. Where do you find 600bp?
Strategic Finance · Private Equity · ~13 minModel answer & graded attempt
Buyout
LBO modelling, leverage capacity, value creation plans and exit paths. 1 question
Dividend Recapitalisation
Medium
Asked to see whether you understand sponsor behaviour and its critics.
What is a dividend recapitalisation? Walk through the mechanics, its effect on sponsor returns, and the case against it.
Deal Analysis · Private Equity · ~9 minModel answer & graded attempt
Practise the Cerberus set under interview conditions.
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 Cerberus.