Behavioral / Frameworks
Investment Banking Behavioral Interview Questions: The Complete Guide
Master common investment banking interview questions and the specific stories (like the Centerview "Alaska" story) that win offers. The complete behavioral guide.
Behavioral Questions
Technical questions are a pass/fail gate. Behavioral questions determine the offer. They test the "Airport Test": If I am stuck in O'Hare with this person for 6 hours during a flight delay, will I want to kill them?
Two behavioral question types exist in investment banking: Stories and Situational Scenarios. For narrative questions like "Tell me about yourself," see Banking Stories & Whys and the HERO framework.
Stories: STAR PUNCH Framework
Use for: "Tell me about a time when..." or "What is your greatest weakness?"
Prepare 4-5 core stories. Each must be flexible enough to answer multiple prompts (failure, leadership, conflict, success).
Scenarios: GSL Framework
Use for: "What would you do if..." (Ethical or Practical Dilemmas)
Scenarios test judgment, understanding of hierarchy, and commercial awareness. You are a junior banker. Your directive is to be risk-averse, compliant, and reliable (see: Bankers Are Butlers).
GSL (Goal, Short-term, Long-term): State your overarching goal, explain immediate actions, describe how you'd prevent recurrence.
Scenario A: Ethical Trap
"A client asks for non-public information."
Framework Reference
Execution Checklist
- Prepare 5 Stories: Use STAR PUNCH. Include one personal story and one "Trojan Horse" technical story.
- Master Scenarios: Escalate, Communicate, Protect.
- Practice: Do not recite to a mirror. Record yourself or use the War Game Method to simulate pressure.
Structure enables authenticity. For the complete framework reference, see Investment Banking Interview Frameworks. For offer strategy, see .