The Toolkit

Practice on real
tools. Not textbooks.

Interactive models calibrated to what buy-side firms actually use in interviews. Understand the mechanics — not just the inputs.

01
Coming Soon
LBO Model Practice

Walk through a full leveraged buyout model with real-time guidance. Adjustable entry multiples, debt tranches, and exit scenarios. Know why each assumption matters — not just how to fill in the boxes.

3-statement integration with cash sweep
Adjustable leverage (4x–8x) with coverage constraints
IRR sensitivity tables by entry/exit multiple
Step-by-step walkthrough mode for interview prep
02
Coming Soon
Credit Analysis Framework

A structured framework for analyzing a company's creditworthiness — the way direct lenders and distressed funds actually think about it. Credit metrics, covenant analysis, and recovery scenarios.

Leverage, coverage, and liquidity ratio analysis
DSCR and free cash flow modeling
Recovery waterfall by debt tranche
Covenant stress testing
03
Coming Soon
Valuation Comps Builder

Build a comparables analysis the way it's done at top firms — not the Excel template from class. Select peers, scrub for one-time items, and calibrate multiples to your sector. Understand why the spread matters.

EV/EBITDA, EV/Revenue, P/E, P/FCF
LTM and forward multiple calculation
Football field output with bridge to intrinsic value
Sector-specific adjustments (EBITDAX, ARR, etc.)
04
Live Now
Mock Interview Simulator

AI-powered interview simulation calibrated to the fund type you're targeting. LBO, credit, valuation, and behavioral questions — with immediate feedback on accuracy, completeness, and what a model answer looks like.

LBO, Credit, Valuation & Behavioral tracks
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced difficulty
Immediate per-question scoring and model answers
End-of-session summary with strengths and gaps

12 guides. Real numbers.
Built for PE interviews.

Everything from full 3-statement model walkthroughs to paper LBO shortcuts, sensitivity tables, and the 15 questions every PE interviewer asks. Written for semi-target undergrads who know basic accounting and need to close the gap.

01 · Walkthrough
Standard 3-Statement LBO Model Walkthrough
Step-by-step build with a $500M EBITDA company at 5.5x entry. Sources & uses, debt schedule, FCF, exit, and full return attribution.
Read Guide →
02 · Assumptions
LBO Assumptions Cheat Sheet
Entry/exit multiples by sector, leverage levels by tranche, hold period norms, management rollover, and quick-reference standard ranges.
Read Guide →
03 · Sensitivity
Sensitivity Analysis Deep Dive
IRR vs. entry/exit multiple, IRR vs. leverage, and MOIC vs. operating performance. How to read and build sensitivity tables in interviews.
Read Guide →
04 · Reverse LBO
Reverse LBO Walkthrough
Back into the implied purchase price from a target IRR. How PE firms anchor first-round bids — with worked numbers and a comparison across return thresholds.
Read Guide →
05 · Framework
"Talk Through an LBO in 2 Minutes" Framework
The 5-part verbal framework every PE interviewer expects — with a verbatim model answer script and timing guidance. Memorize this.
Read Guide →
06 · Paper LBO
Paper LBO Guide
How to do an LBO on paper in 5 minutes. Shortcuts, mental math tricks, and the exact sequence for when an interviewer hands you a blank page and a case.
Read Guide →
07 · Formulas
Quick-Reference Formula Sheet
IRR, MOIC, cash-on-cash, equity value bridge, leverage ratios, coverage tests, free cash flow, and the MOIC→IRR conversion table for every hold period.
Read Guide →
08 · Debt Schedule
Debt Schedule Walkthrough
Mandatory vs. optional paydown, revolver draws, PIK toggle mechanics, the cash sweep waterfall, and the circular reference problem most candidates get wrong.
Read Guide →
09 · Q&A
15 Common LBO Interview Q&As
The 15 questions every PE interviewer asks — with detailed model answers. From basic mechanics to advanced return attribution. Not one-liners.
Read Guide →
10 · Mistakes
LBO Mistakes That Fail Interviews
The 10 errors that tank otherwise-prepared candidates. IRR math, FCF shortcuts, leverage constraints, and the attribution question everyone skips.
Read Guide →
11 · Operating Leverage
Operating Leverage in LBOs
How margin expansion drives MOIC. Side-by-side MOIC comparison: flat margins vs. 500bps improvement on the same deal. The most controllable return driver.
Read Guide →
12 · Add-Ons
Add-On Acquisition Modeling
Platform + bolt-on mechanics, multiple arbitrage math, synergy modeling, integration risk, and a worked example showing 2.0x → 3.5x MOIC from a buy-and-build strategy.
Read Guide →

12 guides. Real templates.
Built for semi-target recruiting.

The technicals are the table stakes. What kills semi-target candidates is everything else — how they tell their story, how they answer "why PE," how they network without a target-school alumni network. These guides cover the recruiting game that no one teaches in class.

01 · Resume Walk
"Walk Me Through Your Resume" Framework
The 3-part structure behind a confident 3-minute answer. With full verbatim examples for semi-target backgrounds — state school to MM IB to PE.
Read Guide →
02 · Why PE/Credit
"Why PE / Why Credit?" Answer Guide
How to answer without sounding like you read a Wikipedia article. Semi-target-specific framing and 3 model answers for different backgrounds.
Read Guide →
03 · Why This Firm
"Why Our Firm?" Research Framework
The 5-layer research framework that separates candidates who did their homework from everyone else. With example answers for PE, credit, and sector-focused funds.
Read Guide →
04 · Deal Experience
Deal Experience Questions
How to present deals, make limited experience sound credible, and answer "walk me through a deal" without freezing. For analysts with 1 deal and candidates with none.
Read Guide →
05 · STAR Stories
STAR Framework for Finance Interviews
Leadership, teamwork, and failure stories adapted for buy-side — not the generic business school version. 4 full example answers calibrated for PE expectations.
Read Guide →
06 · 20 Q&As
20 Behavioral Q&As with Model Answers
The questions PE and credit funds actually ask — with why-they-ask-it context and 100-150 word model answers. Calibrated to buy-side, not MBA recruiting.
Read Guide →
07 · Timeline
Semi-Target Recruiting Timeline
Month-by-month from sophomore year through offer day. On-cycle PE vs. off-cycle credit — when to do what, and what happens if you're already behind.
Read Guide →
08 · Headhunters
The PE Headhunter Guide
How the headhunter process works, which firms matter, how to get on their radar from a non-target bank, and what to have ready when they call.
Read Guide →
09 · Networking
The Networking Playbook
Cold email templates, LinkedIn outreach scripts, informational interview questions, and the follow-up sequence that converts calls into referrals.
Read Guide →
10 · Break In
How to Break In from a Semi-Target
The three paths — lateral from MM IB, direct-to-PE, credit fund route — and how each one actually works. What no one tells you about semi-target recruiting.
Read Guide →
11 · Resume
Resume Optimization for PE & Credit Apps
What to highlight, what to cut, and the formatting that gets read. Before/after bullet transformations, the 30-second scan test, and one-page rules.
Read Guide →
12 · Coffee Chats
The Coffee Chat Playbook
What to say, what to ask, how to follow up, and the referral ask that converts 40% of calls into introductions. Verbatim templates included.
Read Guide →

12 guides. Real numbers.
Built for credit fund interviews.

Most competitors skip credit entirely. These 12 guides go deep: leverage and coverage metrics, covenant structures, debt capacity sizing, distressed recovery analysis, and the direct lending landscape. Calibrated for Ares, Antares, Golub, Monroe, and Owl Rock recruiting.

01 · Framework
Credit Analysis Framework
The structured 5-C framework direct lenders use to evaluate every deal — with real metrics, thresholds, and a worked company example from start to finish.
Read Guide →
02 · Key Metrics
Key Credit Metrics Explained
Debt/EBITDA, Interest Coverage, FCCR, DSCR, Net Leverage — six ratios every credit interview tests, with formulas, thresholds, and worked numbers on one company.
Read Guide →
03 · Debt Capacity
Debt Capacity Analysis Walkthrough
How to size a credit facility from scratch — cash flow constraints, downside recovery, and why a $80M EBITDA software company gets 4.75x leverage while a retailer gets 3x.
Read Guide →
04 · Loan Structures
Revolver vs. Term Loan vs. Mezzanine
When direct lenders use each instrument, how they're priced, what covenants attach, and how subordination works — with real 2025 market rates for each tranche.
Read Guide →
05 · Covenants
Covenant Analysis Deep Dive
Maintenance vs. incurrence covenants, the financial tests that trip them, equity cure mechanics, and exactly what happens when a company breaches its 5.5x leverage test.
Read Guide →
06 · Loan Docs
Credit Agreement Basics
What's actually in a credit agreement, the 12 provisions every analyst gets tested on, and how to navigate 300 pages of loan docs — including the EBITDA add-back game.
Read Guide →
07 · Distressed
Distressed & Restructuring Primer
What happens when credit goes wrong — recovery waterfall analysis, fulcrum security identification, Chapter 11 mechanics, and how distressed investors size their position.
Read Guide →
08 · Ratings
Rating Agency Methodology Overview
How S&P and Moody's assign ratings — business risk profiles, financial risk thresholds, why the same company gets B+ from one and B from the other, and why direct lenders do their own work.
Read Guide →
09 · Q&A
15 Common Credit Interview Q&As
The questions Ares, Antares, Golub, Monroe, and Owl Rock actually ask — with detailed model answers that show you understand the business, not just the formulas.
Read Guide →
10 · Waterfall
Cash Flow Waterfall Analysis
The priority of payments from EBITDA to equity — how to trace $150M EBITDA through interest, taxes, sweeps, and covenants to see what's left for the sponsor.
Read Guide →
11 · Unitranche
Unitranche vs. First/Second Lien
Direct lending structures explained — unitranche economics, first-out/last-out mechanics, the Agreement Among Lenders, and when sponsors choose one structure over the other.
Read Guide →
12 · Direct Lending
Credit Fund vs. Bank Lending
How direct lenders differ from banks, why private credit hit $1T in AUM, and what analysts actually do at Ares vs. a bank credit desk — relevant for every credit fund interview.
Read Guide →

Built in the order that matters most.

We're building tools in the order that impacts recruiting outcomes — starting with mock interviews (the thing that determines offers) and adding modeling depth as the platform matures.

Early access members get each tool as it launches.

Live
Mock Interview Simulator
AI mock interviews for PE, credit, and IB. LBO, credit, valuation, and behavioral tracks with immediate scoring and model answers. Start now →
Q3 2026
LBO Model Practice
Interactive leveraged buyout model with guided walkthrough mode. Adjustable scenarios and interview question overlay.
Q4 2026
Valuation Comps Builder
Build comps from scratch. Sector-specific multiple guidance. Football field output built for walking through in interviews.
Q4 2026
Credit Analysis Framework
Full credit analysis toolkit including DSCR, covenant testing, and recovery waterfall. Targeted at direct lending and credit roles.

Every tool, as it launches. Free trial included.

Waitlist members get first access to each tool as it launches, plus the full Levered platform at $50/month.

Join Waitlist