Coverage
What is in the question library
Prepalyst has 1,052 finance interview questions, each written with a model answer and graded feedback. They are organised across 48 distinct desks within 12 career tracks, and every desk has at least 19 questions, so preparation matches the specific group being interviewed for rather than a general topic. Practice is free.
- 1,052
- Questions
- 48
- Desks
- 12
- Career tracks
- 409
- Firms represented
By difficulty
Weighted toward the range candidates actually get asked. Easy questions build the mechanics, hard questions are where interviews are decided.
Every desk covered
Each desk has its own question set and its own page.
Investment Banking
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Mergers & Acquisitions | Advising on the purchase and sale of companies. | 78 |
| Equity Capital Markets | Raising equity through IPOs, follow-ons and convertibles. | 21 |
| Debt Capital Markets | Raising investment grade and high yield debt in the public markets. | 20 |
| Leveraged Finance | Underwriting and syndicating the debt behind buyouts. | 22 |
| Restructuring | Advising distressed companies and their creditors. | 22 |
| Technology Coverage | Software, internet and hardware clients. | 20 |
| Healthcare Coverage | Biotech, pharma services, medtech and providers. | 20 |
| Industrials Coverage | Manufacturing, aerospace, transport and building products. | 22 |
| Consumer & Retail Coverage | Brands, retail, food and beverage. | 20 |
| FIG Coverage | Banks, insurers and asset managers. | 20 |
| Energy & Power Coverage | Upstream, midstream, utilities and renewables. | 20 |
Private Equity
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Buyout | Control investments in mature, cash-generative businesses. | 20 |
| Growth Equity | Minority investments in scaling companies. | 20 |
| Portfolio Operations | Driving operational improvement inside portfolio companies. | 22 |
| Secondaries | Buying existing fund and direct positions from other investors. | 20 |
Hedge Funds
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Long/Short Equity | Fundamental equity longs and shorts, usually market-hedged. | 21 |
| Event Driven | Merger arbitrage, spin-offs and special situations. | 22 |
| Global Macro | Rates, FX and cross-asset directional and relative value. | 20 |
| Credit | Corporate credit long/short, distressed and capital structure arbitrage. | 21 |
| Multi-Strategy | Pod-based platforms running many independent books. | 22 |
Venture Capital
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Early Stage | Seed and Series A investing. | 20 |
| Growth Stage | Series B and later, where metrics exist. | 21 |
| Portfolio & Diligence | Diligence process and post-investment support. | 22 |
Asset Management
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Portfolio Management | Running long-only equity mandates. | 21 |
| Fixed Income | Rates, credit and multi-sector bond portfolios. | 21 |
| Multi-Asset | Asset allocation across equities, bonds and alternatives. | 19 |
Equity Research
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Sell-Side Research | Publishing estimates and ratings for institutional clients. | 19 |
| Buy-Side Research | Internal research supporting portfolio decisions. | 20 |
Sales & Trading
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Rates | Government bonds, swaps and the curve. | 21 |
| Credit Trading | Investment grade and high yield cash and CDS. | 21 |
| Equities | Cash equities, program trading and execution. | 21 |
| FX & Commodities | Currencies, energy, metals and agriculture. | 21 |
| Derivatives & Structuring | Options, exotics and structured solutions for clients. | 21 |
Private Credit
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Lending | Unitranche and senior loans to sponsor-backed borrowers. | 22 |
| Special Situations | Rescue financing, stressed credit and complex capital solutions. | 20 |
| Mezzanine & Junior Capital | Subordinated debt and preferred with equity upside. | 21 |
Real Estate PE
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisitions | Sourcing and underwriting property investments. | 21 |
| Asset Management | Operating assets to business plan after acquisition. | 21 |
| Development | Ground-up and value-add construction projects. | 21 |
| Real Estate Debt | Mortgages, mezzanine and CMBS on property collateral. | 20 |
Corporate Development
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| M&A and Integration | In-house acquisitions from sourcing to integration. | 22 |
| Corporate Strategy | Portfolio strategy, market entry and build-buy-partner decisions. | 20 |
Corporate Finance
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| FP&A | Planning, forecasting and business partnering. | 20 |
| Treasury & Capital Markets | Liquidity, funding, ratings and hedging. | 22 |
| Strategic Finance | Capital allocation and long-range planning. | 20 |
Quant Finance
| Desk | Focus | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Research | Signal research and systematic strategy development. | 20 |
| Quantitative Trading | Market making and systematic execution. | 21 |
| Risk & Modelling | Model validation, risk measurement and derivatives pricing. | 20 |
How questions are written and graded
Every question carries the interview context it would be asked in, a model answer, and the specific concepts a complete response has to reach. Questions are written for the desk, not adapted from a general bank, which is why a leveraged finance question asks about documentation and a restructuring question asks about the fulcrum security.
Answers are graded on three axes: technical accuracy, completeness against the required concepts, and interview communication. Grading returns the concepts you missed rather than the model answer, because reading the answer produces recognition and interviews test recall.
Start with your desk.
Pick the group you are interviewing for and work through its questions under interview conditions. Free.