Incoming analyst, didn't do a target. The paid courses cost more than my last paycheck. What's the actual minimum viable prep — LBO from scratch, 3-statement, DCF? Or is the test mostly vibes and Excel speed?
LBO from a blank sheet, twice, timed. If you can build it in 45 min without templates you'll pass anything they throw at you.
Free resources are better than they were. Speed and not breaking links matters more than fancy outputs at the analyst level.
Pitch books, protected weekends that aren’t, and exit-opp math. Say what the desk is thinking but won’t put in an email.
＋ New threadMarkets, deals, and the group chat — for people who read the footnotes.