Private Equity Interview Guide

The Break Into Private Equity Guide is your complete shortcut to PE interviews. Inside you'll find clear explanations, simple frameworks and polished, interview-ready answers for every core topic private equity interviewers test, plus fully worked paper LBOs and 88 practice questions.

What's inside

• Returns: IRR & MOIC: how they differ, when each matters, how leverage changes returns, and IRR rules of thumb for mental maths
• EBITDA & valuation: why PE uses EV/EBITDA, and the 8 Adjusted EBITDA add-backs to know
• LBO fundamentals: how deals work, how sponsors size leverage, and LBO vs. DCF vs. M&A
• "Walk me through an LBO": a short answer and a detailed one, with Sources & Uses and the value creation bridge
• Exits & dividend recaps: every exit route and how recaps boost IRR
• 3 paper LBOs, fully worked: every step shown, with sanity checks and sensitivity tables
• Working capital, margins & credit metrics: the operating and leverage questions that separate top candidates
• Mini cases & take-privates: price vs. volume, cost cuts, and why companies go private
• Fit, deals & case studies: "Why PE?", walking through a deal, pitching an investment, and what to expect from modeling tests
• Practice question bank: 44 extra questions for timed drills

Quick stats

• 12 chapters, 38 pages with a clickable table of contents
• 27 core questions answered in full
• 3 worked paper LBOs
• 88 practice questions and drills

Built for

Students and early-career professionals recruiting for private equity, including bankers preparing for on-cycle and off-cycle PE recruiting.

What you get

An instant PDF download that works on any device and prints cleanly.

Still in banking recruiting? Pair it with the Street Ready IB Interview QBank and the HireVue Prep Guide at joinstreetready.com.

For educational purposes only. Questions reflect topics commonly raised in PE interviews; answers, examples and practice questions are written by our team, and example figures are simplified for teaching. No question or outcome is guaranteed. Street Ready Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by any firm.