Investment Banking

ExcelJet (Dave Bruns) is the go-to professional quick reference. BIWS Excel series is the gold standard for IB model hygiene. TrumpExcel (Sumit Bansal) is India's most trusted Excel educator with 500K+ subscribers. Macquarie/Coursera Excel specialisation is the best free structured certificate path.

Audit-Ready Financial Model with Full Checks

Build an analyst-quality Excel workbook for any Indian company's financial projections. The model must follow professional hygiene: blue hard-codes, black formulas, no hard-codes inside formulas, circular reference check, balance sheet check, and a dedicated Assumptions sheet. Add a scenario toggle (Base/Bull/Bear), a sensitivity table, and a summary dashboard page. Someone should be able to audit your model without asking you any questions.

Time box: 3-4 days

Data/source: Screener.in for historical numbers

Built audit-ready financial model in Excel following professional hygiene standards; included balance sheet checks, scenario toggle, sensitivity table, and dashboard output.

FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Messy model cleanup challenge

Refactor a messy finance workbook into a clean analyst model with inputs, calculations, outputs, checks, formatting, and version notes.

Refactored a messy finance workbook into an audit-ready model with checks, clean structure, and version notes.

BMC is the universal credential recommendation. On Wall Street Oasis and LinkedIn, 'do your BMC' appears in virtually every 'how to prepare for IB recruiting' post. For students without Bloomberg access, CapIQ has a free student version through many colleges (ask your library). Screener.in is the free Indian alternative for equity data; RBI and CCIL databases cover Indian fixed income data. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Data Terminal Proficiency Portfolio - 5 Live Analyses

If you have Bloomberg access (college terminal), complete 5 structured analyses using actual Terminal functions. If you don't, replicate the same analyses using free alternatives (Screener.in, NSE, RBI, Trendlyne). Analysis 1: Build a trading comps table for 5 peers using market data and financial ratios. Analysis 2: Pull a 5-year bond yield history for a Nifty 50 company's outstanding NCD and plot it. Analysis 3: Screen NSE equities for EV/EBITDA < 10x and ROE > 15% to find potential value picks. Analysis 4: Build a news flow monitor for 3 companies for one week, logging all market-moving events. Analysis 5: Export 3 years of daily price data for 5 stocks into Excel and calculate rolling correlations.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: Bloomberg Terminal (college) / Screener.in, Trendlyne, NSE India, RBI (all free)

Completed 5-part data terminal proficiency project using Bloomberg/Screener.in; built live comps, yield history, equity screen, news monitor, and correlation matrix across Indian securities.

BIWS and CFI are the most-cited comps resources on WSO and Reddit. The Valuation School covers Indian peer group selection (Nifty sector indices, BSE peer search). Damodaran's free sector multiples dataset (damodaran.com — updated annually) is the practitioner benchmark reference.

Professional Comps Table - Indian Sector Deep Dive

Choose one NSE sector (FMCG, IT services, pharma, banking, auto). Build a professional trading comps table for 8 companies in that sector. For each: pull LTM Revenue, EBITDA, EBIT, Net Income, and EPS from Screener.in and annual reports. Calculate EV (Market Cap + Net Debt + Minority Interest - Cash) for each. Spread 6 multiples: EV/Revenue, EV/EBITDA, EV/EBIT, P/E, P/B, Dividend Yield. Calculate the sector median and mean. Build a formatted output table exactly as you would see in an IB pitchbook - no raw Excel formatting. Write 3 observations about what the multiples tell you about the sector's valuation dynamics.

Time box: 3-4 days

Data/source: Screener.in (free), NSE India (free), BSE India annual reports (free)

Built pitchbook-quality 8-company trading comps table for Indian [sector]; spread 6 LTM multiples with correct EV calculation and wrote sector valuation commentary.

Andrew Ng (Coursera ML) remains the #1 ML foundations recommendation globally. StatQuest for intuitive ML explanations with zero jargon. Sentdex for applied ML in trading. Krish Naik bridges Hindi ML education for Indian students with strong practitioner credibility.

Credit Default Prediction Model

Build a binary classification model to predict whether a loan will default. Use a public credit dataset (e.g. LendingClub from Kaggle, or RBI published NPA data). Train at least two models (logistic regression + random forest). Evaluate using AUC-ROC, precision/recall, and confusion matrix. Write a business interpretation: what does a 0.1% improvement in AUC mean for a bank's loss rate? Package as a Jupyter notebook and a 1-page PDF summary.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: Kaggle credit datasets (free), LendingClub public data

Built credit default prediction model using logistic regression and random forest; achieved AUC of 0.XX; interpreted results in terms of bank loss rate reduction.

StatQuest (Josh Starmer) is described as 'the Bill Nye of Statistics' and 'Patron Saint of Silicon Valley' — consensus best statistics educator globally per r/statistics, r/datascience, r/learnmachinelearning. Krish Naik for Hindi. Patrick Boyle for finance-specific statistical applications at institutional level.

Risk Statistics Dashboard for an Indian Stock Portfolio

Using Python (pandas, scipy, numpy), build a statistics analysis of a 10-stock NSE portfolio. Calculate each stock's beta (vs. Nifty 50), annualized volatility, value at risk (VaR at 95% and 99% confidence), and expected shortfall. Run a regression of each stock's returns on Nifty returns. Present all results in a clean Excel or Python dashboard with interpretation of what each number means for a portfolio manager.

Time box: 3-4 days

Data/source: yfinance (free NSE price data)

Built Python-based risk statistics model for 10-stock NSE portfolio; computed beta, annualized VaR, expected shortfall, and regression analysis against Nifty benchmark.

Accounting Stuff (James Hearle) is rated #1 beginner accounting channel globally — r/Accounting, r/learnaccounting, FeedSpot 2025 all agree. 'Made debits and credits finally click.' CA Rachana Ranade (4.3M subs) is the undisputed Hindi equivalent. Brian Bushee's Wharton lectures (free on YouTube) are the rigorous academic alternative.

Three-Statement Tear-Down of a Listed Indian Company

Pick any NSE-listed company from a sector you find interesting (FMCG, IT, banking). Download its latest annual report from BSE/NSE. Manually rebuild its P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement in Excel from the raw PDF. Then link the three statements so they balance. Write a one-page commentary explaining what the numbers tell you about the company's health.

Time box: 3-4 days

Data/source: BSE India filings (bseindia.com), Screener.in, company investor relations page

Rebuilt linked three-statement model for [Company] from annual report disclosures; computed key ratios and wrote analyst-style commentary on financial health.

CFI's 3-statement tutorial (UMYDxmiVin4) is the most-cited free modeling intro globally — r/FinancialCareers, WSO, LinkedIn IB prep groups all recommend it as the starting point. The Valuation School's Step-by-Step series (1.55M+ views) is India's #1 free Hindi/Hinglish modeling resource. BIWS is the gold standard paid path and their free YouTube content is still the best IB-quality free resource.

Three-Statement Forecast Model with Scenarios

Build a complete forward-looking three-statement model for any NSE-listed company. Start from historical actuals (3 years), build revenue and cost assumptions, project 3 years forward, link P&L to balance sheet to cash flow, and add two scenarios (base and bear). Add one sensitivity table showing how EBITDA changes with revenue growth and margin assumptions.

Time box: 4-6 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India, company annual reports

Built integrated 3-year financial model for [Company] with base/bear scenarios and EBITDA sensitivity analysis; model passed internal checks and reconciled to published filings.

Damodaran is non-negotiable — referenced by Goldman Sachs training programs, the CFA Institute, and every serious finance community on Reddit (r/SecurityAnalysis, r/investing, r/FinancialCareers). Called the 'Dean of Valuation.' The Valuation School (Parth Verma — CA & NYU Stern alum) is India's best structured valuation curriculum — applied DCF with Indian companies in a practitioner-taught format. No serious free alternative at this quality for either.

Full Valuation Pack for a Listed Indian Company

Choose a listed Indian company and value it using three methods: DCF (with explicit assumptions on WACC and terminal growth), Trading Comps (build a peer comparison table of 5 companies), and Precedent Transactions (find 2-3 comparable historical deals). Combine the outputs in a football field chart showing the implied valuation range and write a one-page investment recommendation.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: Screener.in (free), Damodaran country risk datasets (free), BSE India annual reports

Built full valuation pack for [Company] using DCF, trading comps, and precedent transactions; synthesized into football field chart with buy/sell recommendation.

BIWS merger model tutorial is the #1 M&A modelling resource on WSO. The Valuation School covers M&A in Indian regulatory context (SEBI Takeover Code 2011, CCI clearance thresholds, NCLT approval for amalgamations). r/FinancialCareers: 'Learn the BIWS merger model before any M&A interview, full stop.'

Merger Model - Two Listed Indian Companies

Pick two real NSE-listed companies in the same sector where a merger makes strategic sense. Build a full merger model: purchase price assumption, deal financing mix (cash/stock/debt), goodwill calculation, combined income statement, and accretion/dilution analysis at 3 different synergy scenarios. Write a one-page deal rationale memo explaining why this deal makes strategic sense.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India filings

Built merger model for simulated acquisition of [Target] by [Acquirer]; modeled accretion/dilution at three synergy scenarios; wrote deal rationale memo.

BIWS covers credit analysis from a leveraged finance angle — most cited on r/creditanalysis and WSO. CFI's credit course is well-rated across communities. The Valuation School covers Indian credit market context — NPA recognition, CRISIL/ICRA rating methodology, RBI prudential norms.

Credit Memo for an Indian NBFC or Bank Borrower

Select a listed Indian NBFC or mid-cap manufacturing company. Prepare a 4-5 page credit memo as if you were a bank analyst recommending whether to extend a INR 100 Cr term loan. Cover: business overview, key risks, financial analysis (leverage ratios, interest coverage, DSCR), covenant proposal, and credit recommendation with rating rationale.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India annual reports, CRISIL public rating rationales

Prepared credit memo for INR 100 Cr simulated term loan to Indian NBFC; analyzed leverage, DSCR, and covenant structure; arrived at credit rating rationale using CRISIL methodology.

Labour Law Advisor covers all Indian regulatory frameworks comprehensively in Hindi — widely used by compliance trainees and CA/CS students. IICA publishes free governance explainers. The Valuation School covers SEBI regulations for finance career preparation.

DRHP Section-by-Section Analysis

Download the DRHP of any recent Indian IPO from SEBI's website. Write a 4-page structured analysis: business overview, use of proceeds vs. valuation logic, top 5 risk factors by severity, related-party transactions and their significance, and your assessment of whether disclosures raise any concerns. Include specific SEBI ICDR Regulation references where relevant.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: SEBI DRHP public database (sebi.gov.in)

Conducted DRHP analysis for [Company]'s IPO; evaluated use of proceeds, risk factor quality, and related-party disclosures against SEBI ICDR Regulations.

McKinsey, BCG, Bain publish free industry reports (McKinsey Insights free access). IBEF covers Indian industries comprehensively for free. Damodaran publishes free sector multiples datasets updated annually (damodaran.com). BIWS uses industry analysis in every case study.

10-Page Industry Deep Dive - IB Pitchbook Format

Choose one Indian industry (specialty chemicals, hospital chains, data centres, logistics, renewable energy). Build a 10-page industry section exactly as it would appear in an IB pitchbook. Pages must include: industry definition and segmentation, market size and historical growth (with CAGR), 5-year growth forecast with key drivers, Porter's Five Forces analysis (with company-level examples), competitive landscape (market share table), regulatory environment, and sector valuation benchmark (what multiples this sector typically trades at and why). Every number must be sourced. No unsourced claims.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: IBEF free sector reports (ibef.org), SEBI/RBI publications, company annual reports, IMF World Economic Outlook (macro), MCA21 database

Built 10-slide IB-format industry analysis for Indian [sector]; synthesized market size, Porter's Five Forces, competitive landscape, and valuation benchmarks with all data sourced.

Damodaran's capital structure lectures are the academic reference (trade-off theory, pecking order). BIWS covers leveraged finance structuring from a practitioner angle. The Valuation School covers Indian capital markets context — NCD issuance, SEBI ICDR regulations, preferential allotment rules.

Debt Capacity Analysis and Capital Structure Recommendation

Take a real Indian mid-cap company with available EBITDA figures. Build a debt capacity analysis: at what leverage multiples (3x, 4x, 5x EBITDA) does the company's DSCR remain above 1.25x and FCCR above 1.0x? Model 3 capital structure scenarios (conservative/base/aggressive) using a mix of term loan and NCD. For each scenario, calculate: total debt, annual interest burden, debt service coverage, and impact on equity returns assuming 5-year exit at 8x EBITDA. Recommend the optimal structure with a written rationale.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India annual reports, RBI published interest rate data (free)

Built debt capacity and capital structure model for [Company]; stress-tested 3 financing scenarios against DSCR/FCCR thresholds; recommended optimal structure with equity return analysis.

McKinsey's operational value creation frameworks are the gold standard. Bocconi/Coursera covers the conceptual foundation. TWSS applies it to Indian PE context. The most important hands-on exercise: take a real Indian PE-backed company (list from Venture Intelligence) and build a 5-lever EBITDA improvement bridge showing how you would take EBITDA from INR X to INR Y in 3 years. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Value Creation Plan - EBITDA Bridge for a PE-Backed Indian Company

Identify a publicly listed Indian company that you believe is operationally underperforming vs. its peers (use margin analysis from Screener.in). Build a 3-year value creation plan with 5 specific levers: revenue growth initiatives, gross margin expansion, SG&A reduction, working capital improvement, and capital allocation optimization. For each lever, quantify the EBITDA impact in INR Cr, the KPI that measures progress, and the specific action required. Present as a 100-day plan (first 100 days post-acquisition) and a 3-year EBITDA bridge chart.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India annual reports, industry benchmarking from IBEF reports

Built 3-year PE value creation plan for [Company] with 5-lever EBITDA bridge model; quantified INR X Cr EBITDA improvement and built 100-day operational action plan with KPI tracking.

Brad Feld's Venture Deals is the reference text. YC Startup School covers the full term sheet curriculum for free on YouTube. Warikoo provides the Hindi Indian startup context. The most important thing: model out the economic impact of a liquidation preference clause in your cap table - the math, not just the definition, is what distinguishes analysts. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Term Sheet Red-Line - Founder vs. Investor Perspective

Download the NVCA model Series A term sheet (free from nvca.org). For each of the 10 most economically significant clauses, write: what the standard NVCA language says, what a founder-friendly version would look like, what an investor-protective version would look like, and the economic impact of each version (quantified in your cap table model). Then build a one-pager summarizing the key negotiating points a founder should push back on and why - with specific language suggestions.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: NVCA model term sheet (nvca.org, free), SAFE Note template (ycombinator.com, free), iSPIRT/IndiaTech Indian VC term sheet notes

Annotated NVCA Series A term sheet from founder and investor perspectives; modeled economic impact of 10 key clauses; built one-page negotiation guide with language recommendations.

Y Combinator and a16z blog posts on TAM are the VC practitioner standard. The Valuation School covers Indian market sizing using government data (IBEF, MCA, RBI, DPIIT). Consulting case interview resources teach mental math market sizing transferable to VC memos.

Market Sizing Exercise - Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down for an Indian Startup Sector

Size the Indian digital lending market using both approaches. Top-down: start from India's total credit market (RBI data), segment by individual vs. MSME vs. corporate, estimate the digital-first portion, and apply a realistic penetration rate. Bottom-up: estimate the number of creditworthy but underserved borrowers (income data from PLFS survey + formal credit exclusion data from CIBIL/TransUnion), average loan size, and repeat rate. Compare both outputs. Write a 2-page market sizing memo defending your best estimate with confidence interval and key assumptions.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: RBI Handbook of Statistics (free), Census India (censusindia.gov.in), MOSPI PLFS data (free), IBEF BFSI report (free), TransUnion CIBIL public reports

Sized Indian digital lending market using bottom-up and top-down approaches; reconciled $X-Y Bn range with confidence intervals using RBI, Census, and PLFS primary data sources.

World Bank/OLC for the development finance framework. BIWS for project finance model mechanics. TWSS for Indian infrastructure finance context in Hindi. The most impactful practice: download any SEBI-registered Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) prospectus (PowerGrid InvIT, NHAI InvIT) - these are 200-page project finance documents that show real infrastructure cash flow modeling in Indian markets. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Solar Power Plant Project Finance Model - Indian Context

Build a complete project finance model for a 100 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan, India. Assumptions: INR 4.5 Cr/MW capital cost, 25-year PPA at INR 3.00/unit with NTPC/SECI, 70/30 debt-equity, senior debt at 8.5% for 18 years, DSCR covenant of 1.20x. Model construction phase (18 months), ramp-up (Year 1 = 85% capacity, Year 2+ = 90% CUF), operating costs, depreciation, and tax. Calculate annual DSCR, LLCR, project IRR, equity IRR, and the minimum tariff at which the project breaks even. Include a sensitivity table on CUF vs. tariff.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: MNRE solar resource atlas (free), CEA electricity tariff orders (free), RBI reference rates for debt pricing

Built 25-year project finance model for 100 MW solar IPP in India; computed DSCR, LLCR, project and equity IRR; sensitivity-tested tariff and CUF assumptions; wrote bankability memo.

Patrick Boyle explains structured products with practitioner clarity — cited by finance professionals studying for FICC interviews. BIWS covers structured finance in the leveraged finance context. The Valuation School covers Indian securitisation — RBI ARC framework, PTC structures.

ABS Waterfall Model - Indian NBFC Securitization

Build an ABS waterfall model for a fictional Indian NBFC securitizing a pool of 2-wheeler loans. Pool: INR 100 Cr, average LTV 80%, average tenor 36 months, WAC 18%, expected default rate 3%. Structure: Senior tranche (80% = INR 80 Cr, rated AA, yield 8.5%), Junior/Subordinate tranche (20% = INR 20 Cr, retained by originator). Build monthly cash flow waterfall for 36 months: principal collections + interest collections -> fees -> senior interest -> senior principal -> subordinate payments. Stress test: default rate at 3%, 6%, and 9% - when does the senior tranche suffer principal loss? Write a 2-page rating rationale as if you were a credit analyst at CRISIL.

Time box: 5-6 days

Data/source: Self-constructed pool (use CRISIL/ICRA 2-wheeler ABS public reports for realistic default rate assumptions, free from their websites)

Built ABS waterfall model for INR 100 Cr 2-wheeler loan pool securitization; stress-tested senior tranche protection at 3/6/9% default rates; wrote CRISIL-style rating rationale.

BIWS is the global reference for ER mechanics. The Valuation School covers Indian ER (NISM RA exam, Screener.in workflow, BSE filing analysis, reading Indian annual reports). Reading published Motilal Oswal, Kotak, ICICI Securities sell-side reports (all free) is universally recommended as the best way to study professional output.

Initiation-Style Stock Pitch

Write a 4-6 page initiation-style equity research note on any NSE-listed company of your choice. Include: investment thesis (why buy/sell), business overview, financial model summary, valuation (DCF + comps), key risks, and a 12-month price target with upside/downside. Format it as a professional document - readable by a portfolio manager or interview panel.

Time box: 5-7 days

Data/source: Screener.in, BSE India filings, company IR pages

Authored initiation-style equity research note on [Company] with DCF and comps valuation, 12-month price target, and investment thesis; modeled 3-year forward earnings.

BIWS is the primary free DD resource on WSO and r/privateequity. CFI's DD modules are well-rated. The Valuation School covers Indian regulatory DD (Companies Act 2013, SEBI, FEMA 1999, AML/KYC). Reddit r/IndiaInvestments for Indian PE DD case studies and practitioner discussions.

Financial Due Diligence Report - 5 Pages

Conduct a simulated financial DD on a listed Indian company as if you were a PE fund evaluating a buyout. Using only publicly available data (annual reports, BSE filings, Screener.in, CRISIL ratings), write a 5-page financial DD report covering: quality of earnings analysis (recurring vs. non-recurring items), working capital analysis, debt and contingent liabilities, capex trends, and 3 key deal-risk flags for the IC.

Time box: 5-6 days

Data/source: BSE India annual reports, Screener.in, CRISIL public ratings

Authored 5-page financial DD report on [Company]; identified QoE adjustments, working capital seasonality, and 3 IC-level risk flags using public data only.

CFA Institute is the authoritative ESG source globally. SEBI BRSR mandates make ESG essential for Indian listed company analysis. The Valuation School covers India ESG (BRSR framework, NVG/NGRBC, SEBI disclosure requirements). r/ESGInvesting for practitioner discussions.

ESG Scorecard for a NIFTY 100 Company

Choose a NIFTY 100 company. Using its BRSR report and annual report, build an ESG scorecard across Environmental (GHG, water, waste), Social (employee safety, diversity, CSR), and Governance (board independence, related-party transactions, auditor tenure). Score each 1-5 with evidence. Compare to any available third-party rating (MSCI, Sustainalytics, CRISIL ESG). Write a 2-page ESG investment memo.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: BSE India BRSR filings, company annual reports

Built BRSR-based ESG scorecard for [Company]; scored E/S/G dimensions with evidence and wrote 2-page investment memo benchmarked against MSCI/CRISIL ESG ratings.

Patrick Boyle (former PM, UCL professor) is the top-rated derivatives educator on YouTube — praised on r/options and r/algotrading for combining rigorous theory with practitioner trading intuition. CA Rachana Ranade covers Indian NSE F&O market for Hindi-speaking students.

Options Strategy Backtesting Notebook

Choose one options strategy (covered call, protective put, or iron condor). Using historical NSE options data (available free via NSE's Bhavcopy archives), backtest the strategy over 12 months of Nifty weekly expiries. Calculate the average P&L per trade, win rate, maximum drawdown, and Sharpe ratio. Write a one-page analysis of when the strategy works and when it fails.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: NSE Bhavcopy archives (free, downloadable from nseindia.com)

Backtested Nifty weekly options strategy over 12 months using NSE historical data; computed win rate, Sharpe ratio, and max drawdown; wrote quantitative strategy evaluation.

BIWS pitchbook tutorials are cited on WSO as the best free resource for pitchbook structure. Reading actual Goldman, Morgan Stanley, and Lazard pitch deck samples (many available publicly) is always recommended alongside video learning. McKinsey's Pyramid Principle (Minto) is referenced in every top IB analyst blog for communication structure.

Sell-Side M&A Pitch Deck - 10 Slides

Build a 10-slide sell-side pitch deck for a fictional mandate. Imagine you are pitching to the board of an Indian FMCG company to hire your bank to run a sell-side M&A process. Slides must include: bank credentials, situation overview, buyer universe (strategic + financial), valuation football field, proposed process timeline, and your team. Follow IB formatting standards: consistent fonts, aligned elements, no clip-art, proper use of tables and charts.

Time box: 3-4 days

Data/source: Publicly available bank pitchbook examples from M&I and Alexander Jarvis's collection (67 free M&A presentations)

Built 10-slide IB-format sell-side M&A pitch deck for simulated FMCG mandate, including buyer universe, football field valuation, and process timeline.

Stanford's Matt Abrahams is the most respected English communication educator for professionals. Ankur Warikoo is undisputably India's #1 career communication resource in Hindi - his combination of ISB MBA background, Fortune recognition, and 5 bestselling career books gives him unmatched credibility for Indian students. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

3-Minute Stock Pitch - Recorded and Self-Reviewed

Record yourself delivering a 3-minute verbal pitch on a stock of your choice. The pitch must include: investment thesis, key financial metrics, one risk and how you'd mitigate it, and a buy/sell recommendation. Record on your phone or Loom. Review it critically against a rubric: clarity of thesis, handling of numbers, pacing, filler words, eye contact. Revise and record a second version. Compare both.

Time box: 2 days (including revisions)

Data/source: Your own equity research project (link to valuation project above)

Delivered stock pitch for [Company] in simulated investment committee setting; recorded, self-reviewed, and revised against professional communication rubric.

The Pyramid Principle is the non-negotiable framework - learn it before your first day at any finance or consulting firm. The Coursera Business Writing course is the best free structured path. Warikoo covers the Hindi-language side of professional communication with credibility. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Investment Memo - 2 Pages, Pyramid Structure

Write a 2-page investment memo for a fictional IC (Investment Committee) recommending whether to invest INR 10 Cr in a listed Indian mid-cap company. Use the Pyramid Principle: lead with your recommendation, then support it with 3 key arguments, then provide evidence for each. No bullet-point dumps - write in professional prose. Get someone to read it cold and tell you what your recommendation was after reading only the first paragraph.

Time box: 2-3 days

Data/source: Your valuation project as the analytical foundation

Authored 2-page IC-format investment memo for INR 10 Cr equity investment using Pyramid Principle structure; memo communicated recommendation within opening paragraph.

HBR YouTube is the English professional standard for stakeholder management education. Warikoo is the Hindi equivalent for Indian workplace context. The most important principle: over-communicate before deliverables are late, not after. This single habit separates trusted analysts from unreliable ones. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Stakeholder Map + Difficult Conversation Role-Play

For any internship, college project, or mock deal scenario you have done: create a stakeholder map identifying all people involved, their interests, their power level, and how you would manage each. Then write out 3 difficult conversations you would need to have (e.g. telling an MD the model has an error, asking a client for an extension, pushing back on an unrealistic deadline). Script each conversation using the HBR 'SBI' (Situation-Behavior-Impact) framework. Role-play them with a friend or record yourself.

Time box: 2-3 days

Data/source: Your own experience (internship, project, capstone)

Managed cross-functional stakeholder communication across [X] parties during [project]; navigated conflicting priorities by proactive expectation-setting and structured escalation.

Ali Abdaal for evidence-based productivity systems in English. Warikoo for the Hindi-language equivalent with Indian professional context. The most important thing is not which system you choose - it is building the habit of weekly planning and daily prioritization before you start your job, not after. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Personal Workflow Audit and System Build

Conduct a 2-week time audit using Toggl (free). Track every hour across 5 categories: deep work, reactive work (email/messages), meetings, admin, and breaks. Analyse where your actual time goes vs. where you think it goes. Then design your personal workflow system: weekly planning template, daily top-3 priorities method, email batching, and a focus block schedule. Run the new system for 2 weeks and compare output quality and stress levels before/after.

Time box: 4 weeks total (ongoing habit, not a one-time task)

Data/source: Your own time tracking data

Designed and implemented personal productivity system using time-block scheduling and weekly review; sustained output quality across 80+ hour simulated deal week during capstone project.

FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Role-specific interview answer bank

Create a technical and behavioral interview bank for a target finance role with STAR stories, model explanations, and project talk tracks.

Built a role-specific finance interview bank with technical answers, behavioral stories, and project talk tracks.

Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic is the undisputed authority on data storytelling - her book and YouTube channel are used in MBA programs globally. For Hindi-language visual communication education, Avi Singh covers the finance-specific application. The most impactful exercise: take your last financial model output and redesign it as if you were presenting it to someone who has never seen a spreadsheet. FinPreparoo prioritizes free or free-to-audit resources so cost does not block learning. Crowd research uses public Reddit threads, web results, and YouTube search — not private social feeds.

Annual Report Turned Into a 5-Slide Data Story

Take the annual report of any listed Indian company and distill its financial performance story into exactly 5 slides - no more. Each slide must make one clear point. No data dumps, no standard bar charts copied from Excel. Every chart must be redesigned following Cole Nussbaumer's SWD principles: clear title that states the insight, minimal non-data ink, one highlighted data point that drives the message. The audience is a CEO with 5 minutes.

Time box: 2-3 days

Data/source: BSE India annual reports (free)

Distilled [Company] annual report into 5-slide CEO-facing data story; redesigned financial charts following SWD principles to drive single clear insight per slide.

NIRI (National Investor Relations Institute) publishes free guidance. The Valuation School covers Indian IR (SEBI LODR, price-sensitive information rules). BIWS covers IR from the analyst/investor-side perspective.

Investor Relations Audit + Earnings Call Simulation

Part 1 - IR Quality Audit: Choose any 2 Nifty 50 companies. Compare their IR programs across 6 criteria: frequency and clarity of earnings call commentary, quality of investor presentation, speed of SEBI disclosure filing (time from event to BSE filing), analyst coverage breadth, website IR section quality, and annual report readability. Score each company 1-5 per criterion. Write a 2-page IR quality audit. Part 2 - Earnings Call Simulation: From a company's most recent earnings call transcript and press release, write the CFO's prepared remarks (5 minutes, covering key financial highlights and guidance) and prepare 10 tough analyst Q&A responses - as if you were the IR Director prepping the CFO.

Time box: 4-5 days

Data/source: NSE earnings call audio recordings (free), BSE India SEBI filings (free), company IR websites

Conducted IR quality audit for 2 Nifty 50 companies across 6 best practice criteria; simulated CFO earnings call remarks and prepared 10 analyst Q&A responses for [Company]'s recent quarter.