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Ace Your Finance Interview

Prep for IB, PE, and HF interviews using real financial data, analyst reports, and market intelligence.

5 steps
1Bloomberg Terminal
→
2Capital IQ
→
3WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services)
→
4Wall Street Journal (ProQuest)
→
5LSEG Workspace
1

Practice Bloomberg commands

Many IB and trading roles expect Bloomberg proficiency. Practice in the library.

💡 Pro tip: Learn EQUITY, FA, DES, and COMP commands — they come up in interviews.

Database$31,980/yr value
Bloomberg Terminal logo

Bloomberg Terminal

Financial Data & Markets

Terminal-bound financial services platform with advanced analytical and data functions. Access full-text Bloomberg.com via the BBG command. The gold standard for real-time financial data, news, and analytics.

Access
2

Build a comparable companies analysis

Comp tables are the bread and butter of IB — practice building them here.

💡 Pro tip: Export to Excel and practice formatting a proper comp table.

Database$24,000/yr value
Capital IQ logo

Capital IQ

Company & Industry Data

Data on public and private companies, financial statements, M&A/deals, PE/VC, LBOs, and executives and boards worldwide. Use the screening and charting features to create lists of firms for investment analysis coursework or job searches.

Access
3

Download historical data for DCF models

Get CRSP and Compustat data to build realistic financial models.

💡 Pro tip: Use CRSP for historical stock prices in your DCF assumptions.

Database$25,000/yr value
WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services) logo

WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services)

Financial Data & Markets

Data platform specializing in historical financial information for banks, government bonds, stock exchanges, and major companies. Intended solely for academic research and teaching. Popular datasets include Compustat, CRSP, TAQ, and IBES.

Access
4

Read the latest market news

Stay current on markets — interviewers will ask what's moving today.

💡 Pro tip: Read every morning for a week before your interview.

Database$500/yr value
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest) logo

Wall Street Journal (ProQuest)

News & Media

Full-text access to the Wall Street Journal from 1984 to present. Text-only database without PDF images.

Access
5

Pull analyst reports

Read sell-side research to understand how analysts think about companies.

💡 Pro tip: Focus on the investment thesis section of equity research reports.

Database$500/yr value
LSEG Workspace logo

LSEG Workspace

Financial Data & Markets

Fundamental financial data on public companies, M&A, market data and quotes, analyst reports, and PE/VC data. Features screening and charting. Formerly known as Thomson ONE, Eikon, and Refinitiv Workspace.

Access