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Is Wall Street Prep Worth It?

Guide to Understanding the Wall Street Prep Certification

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Wall Street Prep Certification Overview (2022)

Investment banks most often recruit candidates attending undergraduates and MBAs from top “target” schools, such as Harvard, Wharton, NYU, and Princeton.

While bankers are still recruited out of “non-target” schools, the process is less formal and structured.

Most prospective investment bankers pursue undergraduate degrees in finance, business, economics, and accounting, but it is not an application requirement at investment banks.

The statement above can be confirmed by the number of hires with liberal arts and engineering degrees, as banks focus on finding bright motivated students that can be trained internally and molded, regardless of prior education.

In fact, it is widely recognized that the primary determinant of whether a candidate will get an interview are GPA, the reputation of the undergraduate or MBA program, and past work experience.

The result is that those interviewing for investment banking jobs as well as those eventually landing jobs as incoming analysts (and to some extent associates) have a wide variance in relevant academic backgrounds.

Even for those with undergraduate finance concentrations, the academic skill set is not directly applicable; at most schools, students never learn how to actually perform the types of analysis or build the types of models they would find themselves building on the job from day one.

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Industry-Recognition of Wall Street Prep Certification

Investment banks hire companies – such as Wall Street Prep – to provide the highest-quality, rigorous training programs for new hires, with some programs lasting over 2 months).

The objective of Wall Street Prep’s Premium Package Certification is for individuals to gain access to the same type of training provided to the top investment banks, private equity firms, and business programs (undergraduate and MBA).

That way, all candidates, even those attending less prestigious schools, have a higher likelihood of landing an offer at the leading firms, as they are equipped with the skill set necessary on the job.

The courses are made available directly to all students, new and experienced hires alike and are designed to enhance the skills and competitive profile of prospective investment bankers by equipping them with the skill set they will use daily on the job.

Wall Street Prep’s Certification Eligibility

Certification is issued only upon passing an online examination (70% is the passing score) which tests the concepts taught in the Premium Package and live seminars.

Upon passing the certification requirements, trainees can place the credential on their resumes since simply enrolling in a program does not signal to recruiters that one actually completed the program.

Is a Financial Modeling Certification Necessary?

The primary determinants of whether a candidate will get an interview are the following:

  • Undergraduate/MBA Program Reputation (Target vs. Non-Target)
  • GPA and Test Scores (SAT, GMAT)
  • Networking Prowess
  • Relevance of Past Internship (or Work) Experience

If you do not have those things in place, no certification will help you, so prioritize those first.

However, when those other elements are in place, the certification can help “round out” the profile.

Do Investment Bank and Private Equity Recruiters Care?

In a nutshell, some recruiters care while others do not.

The reason is that since Wall Street Prep works directly with corporate clients, the certification is a “seal of approval” of sorts that hinges on the reputations of the training providers.

At Wall Street Prep we consistently receive calls from employers to validate certification claims on candidates’ resumes – employers would only do this if the certification mattered.

For international students and students that come from a liberal arts background, certification is a highly effective way to demonstrate basic competence in financial concepts and modeling.

So those who complete the program and receive our certification have the option to place it on their resumes. While some recruiters might not view the credential as a “significant” resume booster, others believe that the certification does in fact enhance a student’s academic profile.

But frankly, understanding financial modeling can only serve to benefit you in interviews and on the job.

Downsides to Financial Modeling Certifications

It should be noted that some have argued that such a credential may potentially be counter-productive because it will expose the trainee to more challenging technical questions.

This is a red herring; it is true that the more candidates represent what they know during interviews, the more they will be challenged.

But this is not unique to candidates who complete a program like this: A finance major will undoubtedly receive more challenging technical questions than a music major.

But stronger resumes are also more likely to lead to an interview in the first place.

From our experience, if the candidate is careful about not “overselling” the experience, the advantages of using such a Certification as a credential far outweigh any perceived risk.

In closing, Wall Street Prep’s certification offers a way to gain confidence and succeed in interviews and during the networking process by providing students with intuitive, step-by-step training in what they would actually be doing on the job.

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Michael
Michael
February 27, 2019 9:41 pm

I highly recommend WSP. I did their self study program and learned an incredible amount of information you would never see at the university level in such detail. It’s not a waste of time if you truly learn and figure out how to market the information. Basically, you have to… Read more »

Aakash Kumar Gupta
Aakash Kumar Gupta
June 11, 2015 4:08 am

What is the validity of a premium package account once I register? I mean is there a maximum time limit for course completion once I enroll?

Pranav
Pranav
February 21, 2019 10:22 am

Hello,

What is the average number of hours in total needed to complete the Premium Package?

Gagan Patel
Gagan Patel
August 13, 2018 12:52 pm

Is training program is good or online program? Do both provide certificate

Mauricio
Mauricio
March 8, 2023 5:53 am

EXCELLENT course, totally worth the money. I exceeded my boss expectations during my Investment Banking Summer Internship at a BB.

Last edited 13 days ago by Brad Barlow
Addisu Degefu
Addisu Degefu
January 3, 2023 12:03 am

What is promo cod? how can I get it Promo Code:

yanbin lin
yanbin lin
June 3, 2022 1:35 pm

where can I take the certification exam? I can’t find any link for the certification exam on the Wallstreet website? Thank you.

Rishabh Agarwal
Rishabh Agarwal
March 7, 2022 12:58 pm

Hello, what are the key differences between FPAMC and Financial and Valuation Modelling (Premium Package)?

Kenneth
Kenneth
March 28, 2021 8:30 pm

Can someone tell me if you should have a finance/business background to take this Financial Modelling Premium certification? Or is this supposed to be for beginners?

Jeff Schmidt
Jeff Schmidt
March 23, 2021 10:44 am

Mikel:

I would reach out to support at wall street prep dot com for further assistance with this.

Best,
Jeff

Maria Alexopoulou
Maria Alexopoulou
January 13, 2021 3:46 pm

Hello,
I plan to take the ultimate excel vba course exams and it just seems to me that 138 questions are a lot for only 90 minutes. Do I only have two attempts?

Rachit
Rachit
October 18, 2020 4:28 am

Q1. With your premium package will there be exam for each 6 courses or will there be just one certification exam??
Q2. Can it can used as a designation like CFA or CA ??
Q3. Is your course updated to 2020 with new case studies??

Edgar Andrés
Edgar Andrés
August 31, 2020 11:55 pm

Hello,

Do you have a full package of all online courses premium+powerpoint + project finance, etc.?

Best

Martin Verzier
Martin Verzier
August 29, 2020 3:57 am

Hi WSP team,
I just bought the Project Finance Modelling course, and I intend to get the premium package once I have completed it. I saw that the premium package comes with lifetime access . Is it the same for the project finance course ?
Many thanks,

Suraj
Suraj
July 21, 2020 1:32 am

Two questions:
1. Does the course have a lifetime validity ?
2. Do you provide financial aid ?

Thank you

Matome Tsholetsa Malema
Matome Tsholetsa Malema
May 16, 2020 1:40 pm

Can I sit for the online exam and if I fail, make another attempt immediately thereafter, say 6 hours later especially if my mark was very close to the pass mark

Kezia Acquah
Kezia Acquah
May 16, 2020 10:25 am

Please I failed the wall street prep certification exam, how do I retake it?

Paul
Paul
May 15, 2020 9:48 am

For the course exams it says there is “one attempt”, what happens if you fail this exam?

Bandar Ewain
Bandar Ewain
August 18, 2019 12:50 am

I have 16 courses on my courses page, which ones are included in the certification exam? and can I know the weights for each course in the exam

Mridul
Mridul
July 3, 2019 12:14 pm

Hello! Can I download the videos once I pay for the premium package?

Zaman Dubey
Zaman Dubey
September 24, 2018 12:43 am

Does the Premium Package access expire? How long do I have before I must complete the exam?

Es Kim
Es Kim
September 21, 2018 3:17 pm

Would you recommend taking the online premium package course first and then also taking the boot camp in-person course for F & V modeling or is that essentially the same curriculum and redundant?

Gagan Patel
Gagan Patel
August 13, 2018 12:44 pm

Hi,
How many retakes can we take in total?

Patrick Dunne
Patrick Dunne
May 29, 2018 3:25 pm

Which courses are the most important to pass the Excel exam? Will the test cover all of the courses, or only a select few?

Zaki
Zaki
May 29, 2018 1:00 am

Hi Haseeb,

Another question. Do you train on Interview Questions and Answers. If so , which program is that? I could not find it in any of the packages. Thanks.

Zaki
Zaki
May 29, 2018 12:56 am

Hi Haseeb, I have graduated from Masters in Economics in Canada and I went back to my country and it has been almost years since. But I want to find a job in Toronto. You can say I am not a recent grad. Do you think Wall Street Prep only… Read more »

Samuel Low
Samuel Low
May 15, 2018 1:15 am

Hi, Where can I have the re-take of the examination?

George
George
March 23, 2018 3:43 pm

Would the Premium Package benefit someone desiring to go into corporate finance, or is it mostly geared toward investment banking?

Dylon
Dylon
March 6, 2018 1:21 am

Would you say obtaining this certification helps when I’m applying to a top tier MBA program? Especially for someone who is not a finance major.

Cathy
Cathy
March 3, 2018 3:02 pm

How many hours the exam and do I needs to pay the course and exam?

Nicholas Paley
Nicholas Paley
February 19, 2018 9:20 pm

Hi,

I was curious as to what happens if you do not pass the exam? Whether it be on your first attempt or additional attempts.

Thank you,
Nick

Amaan
Amaan
October 5, 2017 12:14 am

Hi. I would like to know the format of the exam. How many attempts we get and is the exam taken online? Thank you.

Lin Shi
Lin Shi
June 16, 2017 5:12 am

I’ve purchased the 3-day Financial and Valuation Modeling Boot Camp package – will this give me access to the exams? Thank you.

hasmit
hasmit
June 15, 2017 12:23 am

Thanks Haseeb

hasmit
hasmit
June 12, 2017 10:12 am

Can we only appear for the examination without enrolling for the premium package?

celia
celia
May 1, 2017 11:28 am

I am willing to work with the team . thank you

Rola
Rola
February 27, 2017 8:04 am

Hi, guys

Once i fall the exam, would the second exam be same as the first?

Yu Song
Yu Song
February 2, 2017 10:00 am

so how long is the exam , how come some says 3 hours some says 90 minutes ?

Stacey York
Stacey York
January 9, 2017 5:41 pm

I didn’t receive the excel shortcuts PDF. How do I get that with my premium package order?

Bashar Abu Hwaij
Bashar Abu Hwaij
December 17, 2016 6:52 am

Hi, im planning on taking the wallstreetprep exam , how should i prepare myself? i just finished watching the financial modeling lectures and was wondering do i have to watch the entire video listings ? LBOs etc … should i prepare myself by watching the videos or i should also… Read more »

Ali Ghaith
Ali Ghaith
November 24, 2016 6:39 am

Hi Just had a few questions about the exam:

1. Is the exam timed?

2. Will I be able to view the correct answers once I complete the exam?

Your response is eagerly anticipated

Rania Sherif
Rania Sherif
November 8, 2016 6:44 am

How many questions will be asked in the exam? and what is the expected allocated time? is it 50 MCQ questions or 24??
and how will the exam will look like one or few cases? and will there be theoretical questions?

alaasalah@ayadyegpt.com
November 8, 2016 4:07 am

Hi,

Can you elaborate more on how the exam is going to be like? what kind of questions should I expect? Will it be based on a case? Will I be tested on concepts or will I have to build a model?

George
George
October 14, 2016 1:27 pm

How much financial knowledge is required before starting the Wall Street Prep course?

Matome Tsholetsa Malema
Matome Tsholetsa Malema
September 4, 2016 4:27 am

Hi. I am based in Botswana in Southern Africa and would like to know if you have practice tests that one can use to prepare for the exams upon finishing the course.

Kshitij Harve
Kshitij Harve
July 19, 2016 4:27 pm

Dear Team,

Will i lose access to all the videos and materials of the premium (online) package if i pass the certification test?

Thank you for all the hard work you are putting into this educational platform.

Mukaddas
Mukaddas
May 9, 2016 11:51 pm

hello i would like to know how much is it cost?

Manuel Canario
Manuel Canario
April 16, 2016 6:27 pm

What previous college or technical knowledge in finance should I have before enrolling in your program?

Nikunj Sharma
Nikunj Sharma
March 20, 2016 9:10 am

I am working with a Broking House as a dealer from past 3 years and I have done my PGDM in Marketing. I have very good knowledge about stocks, commodities and derivatives. Do you think this certification will help me to take my career globally. And what is the fee… Read more »

Aris
Aris
February 11, 2016 5:21 am

Hello everyone. Just one question. I am a chartered accountant in an audit firm and i want to break in the financial sector, mainly the investment banking sector. I do have a BA in Economics, a Msc in Development economics (a mainly theoretical degree) and, of course, proven expertise in… Read more »

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