Investment Banking
Valuation, LBOs, M&A, and IPOs
Read the valuation fundamentals first.Eight guides. Ready now.
Read with a target.
Every recommended book has a downloadable GPEC study guide and a verified link to the official edition.
01
R1 · Valuation arithmetic
Move fast without losing the bridge
Purchase price, equity value, cash flow, and returns. The gateway test gives you about 30 seconds per answer.
02
R1 · Business reading
Choose the numbers that make the case
The screening deck rewards decisions. Read the statements, isolate the driver, then write the thesis.
Financial Statements
A Step-by-Step Guide
Best starting point for the three statements.Mastering Private Equity
Use the buyout and value creation chapters.03
R2 · Building the LBO
Make the spreadsheet move
The debt schedule, cash sweep, and returns must stay linked when the grader changes growth to 2 percent.
Leveraged Buyouts
A Practical Guide
The closest match to the Round 2 model.Valuation
Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies
Open after the DCF works.04
R3 · Pitch structure
Keep the argument intact under interruption
The IC will change the frame mid-answer. Lead with the conclusion and know where the proof sits.
The Pyramid Principle
Build the pitch around answer-first logic.Pitch Anything
Prepare for investor pushback.05
Context · The deal room
See the mechanics inside a real takeover
This one is optional. Read it before Week 1 if the formulas still feel abstract.