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The whole technical curriculum. Written for the interview.

Eleven chapters of lessons, from accounting to LBOs, built around what you get asked in interviews. The reader keeps your page, your notes and your progress, and every lesson leads straight into practice.

  • 11 chapters
  • A reader that keeps your page
  • Marked read on its own, no box to tick
LessonsContents
  1. 01Context & Markets Completed
  2. 02Fit & Behavioral Completed
  3. 03Accounting In progress
  4. 04Bridge
  5. 05DCF
  6. 06Multiples & Comparables
  7. 07Merger Model
  8. 08Private Equity & LBO
  9. 09M&A Process
  10. 10DCM/LevFin
  11. 11ECM
Example progressThe colored tabs open each chapter’s cover.

The reader

Try the reader, on an example lesson.

This is OctoFin’s reader, just as you will find it on the platform, with a lesson written for this page. Flip through it, switch to book view, open the panel, write a note: everything works, but nothing is saved here.

Demo · an example lesson, to read right here

  • Written for the interview“Interview tip” boxes show how to put a concept into words out loud, and “Watch out” boxes flag the classic traps.
  • Linked to your practiceA question you miss in Practice sends you back to the guide that explains it, and Smart Calendar suggests the lessons you haven’t read yet.
  • In English tooA translated lesson switches to English with the whole platform, or on its own from your profile: handy for an interview in London.
  • Your notes stay with the lessonVisible only to you, they are there every time you open it: everything to reread the night before the interview.

The curriculum

Eleven chapters, from accounting to LBOs.

Read them in order or one by one. On the Lessons page, every chapter has its card, its color and your progress, and search finds a lesson across every chapter at once.

  1. Chapter 01

    Context & Markets

    The jobs in banking and funds, the market players, and the news you are expected to know.

    JobsMarket playersNews
    Chapter 01 · What you learnHow an investment bank and a fund work, who does what on a deal, and how to read market news well enough to discuss it in an interview.
  2. Chapter 02

    Fit & Behavioral

    Your background, your motivation and behavioral questions, for a story that holds up.

    PitchMotivationExperiences
    Chapter 02 · What you learnBuilding your pitch, answering motivation questions (why finance, why this bank) and telling your experiences with a structure that convinces.
  3. Chapter 03

    Accounting

    The three financial statements, how they link, and the adjustments you will walk through.

    Financial statementsWorking capitalAdjustments
    Chapter 03 · What you learnThe three financial statements, how a transaction ripples from one to the other, and the classic questions asked about them.
  4. Chapter 04

    Bridge

    From enterprise value to equity value: net debt and adjustments.

    Enterprise valueNet debtEquity value
    Chapter 04 · What you learnMoving from enterprise value to equity value and back: net debt, minority interests, non-operating items, and the traps in the calculation.
  5. Chapter 05

    DCF

    Future cash flows, cost of capital and terminal value: valuing a company by its cash flows.

    Cash flowsWACCTerminal value
    Chapter 05 · What you learnProjecting free cash flows, computing the weighted average cost of capital, estimating a terminal value and defending every assumption.
  6. Chapter 06

    Multiples & Comparables

    Picking a peer set, reading a multiple, valuing by comparison.

    PeersMultiplesPrecedents
    Chapter 06 · What you learnBuilding a set of comparable companies and transactions, picking the right multiple and explaining valuation gaps.
  7. Chapter 07

    Merger Model

    Accretion, dilution and how a deal is financed.

    AccretionDilutionSynergies
    Chapter 07 · What you learnModeling a combination: price paid, financing mix, impact on the acquirer’s earnings per share, and the synergies that justify it.
  8. Chapter 08

    Private Equity & LBO

    The leveraged buyout, the fund’s returns and what creates value.

    LeverageIRRExit
    Chapter 08 · What you learnHow an LBO is put together, its debt structure, the levers that create value and how the fund’s return is computed (IRR, multiple).
  9. Chapter 09

    M&A Process

    The steps of a deal, from the first letter to closing, and who does what.

    MandateTimelineClosing
    Chapter 09 · What you learnThe steps of a sale or an acquisition, from mandate to closing: documents, timeline, the role of the advisory bank and the other parties.
  10. Chapter 10

    DCM/LevFin

    Lessons in preparation

    Coming soon
    Chapter 10 · What you learnHow a company raises debt: bonds, syndicated and leveraged loans, credit ratings and the terms of a financing.
  11. Chapter 11

    ECM

    Lessons in preparation

    Coming soon
    Chapter 11 · What you learnEquity transactions: IPOs, capital increases, placements, and the role of the banks that run them.

After the last page

A lesson doesn’t end on its last page.

What you read counts elsewhere, and every lesson leads to what comes next.

User guide

How to use them

Lessons can be read in curriculum order or one by one. Here is the routine that gets the most out of each read, then four typical evenings.

Step by step

  1. 01

    Open the curriculum

    Start with the chapter that weighs most in your next interview, or with accounting if you are starting from scratch: everything else builds on it.

  2. 02

    Search for a concept

    Curriculum search covers every chapter; a chapter’s search stays within that chapter.

  3. 03

    Read at your pace

    Book view or full screen. If you stop, “Resume at page N” takes you back where you were.

  4. 04

    Take notes

    Formulas, points to review, questions: My notes save on their own.

  5. 05

    Keep favorites

    The star, then the Favorites filter: a ready-made list of lessons to reread the night before.

  6. 06

    Move on to practice

    “Practice this chapter”, chapter already ticked. Answering is how you see what you have understood.

Example

Four evenings to get back into accounting

  1. MondayInterview in three weeks. Two lessons back to back: on the last page, the arrow moves straight on to the next.
  2. TuesdayTwo more lessons, then “Practice this chapter”: the summary sends you back to the guide behind a missed question.
  3. WednesdayOne concept won’t click: “Ask Octo”, without leaving the lesson. The formula goes into My notes.
  4. ThursdayYou finish the chapter and run another session. Your dashboard has moved forward.

Do

  • Read a lesson, then practice its chapter right away.
  • Write formulas and traps in your own words: rereading your notes the night before takes ten minutes.
  • Interview coming up: start with what comes up at the bank you are targeting.

Avoid

  • Reading everything before you practice: you think you know what you have only recognized.
  • Scrolling through to “validate”: a lesson only counts with real reading time.
  • Only reading your favorite chapters: the interview will look elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us most often about this feature.

What do OctoFin’s lessons cover?

Eleven chapters covering the technical curriculum of finance interviews, from accounting and valuation to LBOs and the merger model. Each lesson opens in a paged reader, with its key points up front, and a lesson video when it has one.

How does a lesson get marked as read?

On its own: there is no button. It moves to “Completed” once you have seen most of its pages with real reading time. A lesson left open in a background tab doesn’t count, and going back never lowers your progress.

Can I read the lessons in English?

Yes, once a lesson’s translation is published. The FR | EN switch in the sidebar sets the whole platform to English, and the Language card in your profile lets you set lessons on their own. A translated lesson shows an EN badge on its card; without a translation, it opens in French. In English, a link lets you report a translation error.

Are my notes private?

Yes. Notes in the “My notes” panel are tied to your account and to the lesson, only you can see them, and they save automatically as you type.

Do I need to read every lesson before I practice?

No. Every lesson leads straight to practice on its chapter, and Smart Training knows how to pace questions you have never seen. Alternating reading and questions is how you spot what you have really understood.

Discover the whole curriculum on OctoFin.

Eleven chapters of lessons, a reader that keeps your page, and practice at the end of every lesson.

Join the beta