The First-Round Verdict — Apply for a 1:1 IB Assessment

Who this is for

US undergraduates, master's students and graduates within three years, recruiting for a 2027 or 2028 summer analyst or full-time analyst seat, who will invest in coaching if we see a fit.

Who it is not for

Browsing finance careers
Wanting free resources only
Recruiting more than 18 months out
Anyone who would need the programme to be free

If that’s you, our free resources are at ibblueprint.com/resources — start there.

No affiliation or endorsement implied.

$170k–$195k

Typical first-year total compensation across solid banks

$250k+

What top performers at the best-paying elite boutiques clear

8–12 weeks

Preparation sprint, built around your recruiting deadline and the time you can commit

What people are saying:

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Noah — IBBlueprint member · on camera, used with permission

GGabe MoningIBBlueprint assessment

★★★★★· 5 months ago

The IBBlueprint team is world class. Me and a few other students from my class left talking about how the session was way more insightful and actually useful than we expected — and we already went in with pretty high expectations. Every coach clearly knows both the soft and hard skills for IB inside out. They can spot weaknesses you didn’t even realize you had within like 30 seconds. It’s obvious they’ve done a ton of interviews.

[…] Two different coaches jumped on, including one who had actually worked at my target team/firm. They even sent me a personalized roadmap and resources afterwards.

[…] Clear, honest advice on where I stand and exactly what I need to do to get to elite boutique level. Highly recommend.

LLiam PlangeIBBlueprint assessment

★★★★★· 2 months ago

Just got invited to a Super Day at a tier 1 BB this afternoon and wanted to share my experience. As promised by Kai, I gained an incredible amount of insight and value from the session. I now have a clear understanding of the main thing holding me back in interviews. The whole team is fantastic — they went above and beyond by staying past the scheduled time to answer all my questions. Special thanks to Marco for sending me lessons and tools.

Coming from a semi-target school, for the first time I actually feel like there’s a clear and realistic path to my dream career. Looking forward to starting the full program and continuing to work with them.

NNikolaus McCormackIBBlueprint assessment

★★★★★· 2 months ago

Nearly instant ROI. I love how Kai wastes zero time and instantly recognized exactly what I needed to work on. The way the feedback is given, you can immediately tell they’ve interviewed hundreds of people — it feels like they see through every hesitant word or pause. He really goes above and beyond to make sure you actually get what you need out of the session. Highly recommend.

Individual experiences presented here may not be typical. Their background, education, effort, and application affected their experience. The information shared here is for example purposes and not a guarantee of outcome or received services or products. Your results may vary.

What this leads to

1.
The assessment is the front door to the IBBlueprint programme — 1:1 coaching by former bankers, and a serious investment in a career that pays six figures in year one.
2.
We tell you the exact figure on the call, out loud, before you decide anything. No surprises afterwards, and no pressure on the day.
3.
If we don't think we're a fit, we say so before price ever comes up. A banker's live slot is scarce, and so is your time — which is why every application is screened first.

Families

If your family is part of this decision, involve them from the start. Bring them to the call, or forward the written summary we send afterwards — we’d rather answer their questions directly. A parent can also submit this application on a candidate’s behalf.

What happens at the assessment:

#1:The 25-Minute Interview

A live 1:1 video-call mock first round with an ex-GS interviewer, on a 30-minute timer

A bulge-bracket & elite-boutique style first round. Expect follow-ups, trick questions, and anything else they’d throw at you in a real-life first round.

#2:5 Minutes of Honest Feedback

The verdict moment: your completed scorecard and the three fixes, delivered out loud

Where you stand, out loud — and clear steps to addressing deal-breakers and getting you to a passing level.

#3:Your Written Verdict

What you leave with: your completed scorecard and a written summary with your three fixes

It lands in your inbox after the call:

The actual GS feedback form they currently use — completed on you by an ex-Goldman banker (digital copy)
Written summary — your 3 highest-leverage things to fix immediately
Recording of your assessment — optional, with your consent

The 25- and 5-minute splits are indicative, not a stopwatch — the session flexes to whatever you need, and we’re happy to run past the scheduled time when your questions deserve it.

In reality…

Feedback you can trustFrom someone with no reason to flatter you

Your questions, answeredLive, by someone who sat on the other side

Know where you standAnd exactly what to do next

An edge over the fieldLimited slots — only a few of you get this

Your Chance Of Breaking Into Investment Banking And Landing An Elite Offer Is 1 In 10 Or Even Lower.

The field is brutal — but it’s beatable. Here’s why the assessment is the first step:

Because recruiting is player-vs-player. Hundreds of candidates fight for the same seats — and most only find out where they actually stand when the rejection email lands.
Because real first rounds are too expensive to be your diagnostic.Burn one finding out you weren’t ready and that door stays shut for the cycle. Find out here instead, while everything is still fixable.
Because you leave with specifics, not vibes. Your exact gaps and your three highest-leverage fixes — written down, so you know exactly what to work on.
Because the seat is worth getting right. A first-year analyst seat pays six figures. Thirty minutes, and a decision about whether to invest in your preparation, weighed against the salary, exits, and life an IB offer opens.

Who We Are

IBBlueprint is a US-focused investment-banking recruiting programme founded by a former Goldman Sachs banker who ran first-round interviews and helped decide which candidates advanced. Today it’s a team of coaches — every one of them has sat on the hiring side of real IB interviews.

We take a small number of candidates each cycle and prepare them 1:1 — story, networking, technicals, superdays. The assessment is how we meet the people worth backing, and how you find out whether we’re worth your investment. We don’t take everyone who applies — and if we don’t think the programme is right for you, we say so before price ever comes up.

Founded by an ex-Goldman interviewer

All our coaches are ex-investment bankers who’ve actually run the interviews themselves

US-focused · 1:1 · small cohorts

You Don’t Need More Resources.

Every candidate this cycle is studying the same guides, the same courses, the same 400 technical questions. Interviews are an elimination process — how do you stand out using the exact resources everyone else has?

The Traditional Approach

The same stack as everyone else

Practicing the same question guides as everyone else
The same technical courses every candidate buys
The same networking templates hitting the same inboxes
A coach reading from the same question sheet
Assuming doing the exact same thing will somehow differentiate you against the sharpest kids in the countrythe default
Relying on raw intelligence and ignoring social skillswhat gets you cut

Result:

Same guides. Same answers. Same rejection email.

IBBlueprint

Prep nobody can copy

Coaching on you — your story, your gaps, your fixes, not a guide’s
Live mocks with people who sat on the hiring side and decided who advanced
Feedback that tells you why you’d be cut — before a bank does
Social skills trained as hard as technicals — story, presence, the room
Superday Dojo for reps, not re-reading
It starts with a 30-minute assessment that tells you where you stand

Result:

Prep nobody else has. A candidate they remember.

How It Works

01
Submit Your Application
About four minutes: who you are, the cycle you're recruiting for, how the programme would be funded, and your résumé.
02
We Screen It — You Hear Back Within 24 Hours
Every application is checked against the same written criteria. If you're selected, we email you a link to choose your 30-minute slot. If we're not the right fit, we tell you that instead and point you to what is.
03
Sit The Assessment
30 minutes, live, camera on. A real mock first round — then the verdict, out loud. Family welcome on the call.
04
Decide With The Facts In Hand
If we think the programme would help you, we say what it involves and what it costs on the call, before you decide anything. If we don't, we say that too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free?＋

The assessment costs nothing. The programme it leads to does — we tell you the figure on the call, out loud, before you decide anything.

What does the programme cost?＋

It is a serious investment, and we would rather say the figure to you directly than print it here: you hear it on the call, once we know whether we can help and what that would take. If we don't think we're a fit, we say so before price comes up.

Can my parents or family join the call?＋

Yes — and if they will be part of the decision, we'd encourage it. Bring them to the call, or forward the written summary we send afterwards; we'd rather answer their questions directly.

What will my assessment be used for?＋

Your feedback — nothing else. What you share on the call is used to grade you and write your fixes, and both go to you. No information will ever be stored without your explicit permission, and nothing appears publicly unless you volunteer it — like the members on this page did.

What if I'm not ready yet?＋

That's the point of it. This is the practice, not the exam — waiting until you're polished just means your first real first round becomes the diagnostic, with a rejection email instead of a scorecard. Nothing you do on this call counts against you. There's nothing to prepare beyond your résumé: a quiet spot, your camera on, and 30 minutes.

Who is it for?＋

US undergraduates, master's students and recent graduates seriously recruiting for investment-banking internships or analyst roles in the next 18 months, who would invest in coaching if we see a fit. No target school and no finance pedigree required. It's not for people casually curious about finance, or for anyone looking only for free resources — a banker's live slot is too scarce for that, which is why applications are screened.

Who will my call be with?＋

One of our coaches — every one of them has sat on the hiring side of real IB interviews, and the team is led by a former Goldman Sachs banker who ran first rounds and evaluated which candidates advanced. Not a careers adviser, not a peer reading from a question sheet.

How quickly can I sit the assessment?＋

The application takes about four minutes, including your résumé. You hear back within 24 hours; if you're selected, we email you a link to choose your time.

How many assessments do you run?＋

A handful each month. They're live, 1:1, and run by the coaches who run the programme — the capacity constraint is real, not a marketing device. It's also why applications are screened: scarce slots go to candidates genuinely in the race.

What is IBBlueprint?＋

A US-focused investment-banking recruiting programme founded by a former Goldman Sachs banker who conducted first-round interviews. We take a small number of candidates each cycle and prepare them 1:1 — story, networking, technicals, superdays.

“Clear, honest advice on where I stand and exactly what I need to do to get to elite boutique level.”

Gabe M. — after his assessment

One application. 30 minutes. An honest verdict on where you stand.

Would you make the cut? Most find out in the rejection email.