How to Prepare for Private Capital Advisory Investment Banking Interviews

Private capital advisory interviews combine traditional investment banking questions with specialized discussion of private fund liquidity, secondaries, and sponsor objectives. To prepare effectively, you need to understand the market, explain why the role interests you, and apply valuation concepts to transactions that are less standardized than public-company deals.

Author: Ishaan Nair Updated 4 min read

Understand What Private Capital Advisory Teams Do

Private capital advisory, or PCA, can cover several businesses depending on the bank. A team may advise on secondary transactions, private fund placement, or broader capital solutions for private equity firms and institutional investors. Read the group’s website and recent transaction announcements to determine its actual mandate.

For secondaries-focused teams, learn the two main transaction categories. In an LP-led deal, a limited partner sells one or more fund interests to obtain liquidity or rebalance its portfolio. In a GP-led deal, a general partner creates a liquidity option for existing investors, often by moving selected assets into a continuation vehicle managed by the same sponsor.

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