IB IQ 5.0: Guides, 1,000+ Questions, and a New Look

Since we launched IB IQ, the app has been built around one idea: you should be able to prep for investment banking interviews anywhere, not just at a desk with a textbook open. Version 5.0 is the biggest update we've shipped, adding a feature we've been working toward for months: in-depth guides that let you learn interview topics from the ground up, not just drill individual questions.

This update also crosses a milestone we're proud of: the app now contains over 1,000 technical and behavioral questions with detailed solutions. Combined with a cleaner interface that makes the whole experience feel sharper, version 5.0 is a meaningful step forward for how IB IQ helps you prepare.

Here's what changed and why it matters.

The question bank has always been the core of IB IQ. But questions work best when you already understand the underlying concepts. If you don't know what net interest margin means, a question about bank profitability won't stick no matter how many times you read the answer. We built guides to close that gap.

Each guide is organized into modules and chapters, structured as learning cards designed for mobile. You can work through a module in a single sitting or pick it up across multiple sessions. The format is dense but digestible: every card covers a focused concept with enough depth to hold up in an interview, without the 3,000-word articles that work on desktop but don't translate to a phone screen.

Three Guides at Launch

Version 5.0 ships with three guides, each covering a major interview topic area:

Valuation Guide covers the frameworks bankers use to determine what a company is worth. The guide walks through DCF analysis, comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, LBO valuation, and how these methods interact. If you've been told to "learn valuation" but didn't know where to start, this guide provides the structured path.

TMT Guide covers technology, media, and telecommunications, one of the most active coverage groups in investment banking. The guide breaks down how TMT companies are valued differently (revenue multiples, rule of 40, cohort analysis), what drives deal activity in the sector, and the specific metrics interviewers expect you to know.

FIG Guide covers the Financial Institutions Group, which is analytically unique because standard valuation breaks down for banks and insurance companies. The guide covers bank accounting, insurance metrics, FIG-specific valuation methods (DDM, P/TBV), and why debt is raw material rather than financing for financial institutions.

Progress Tracking That Actually Helps

Each guide tracks your progress through the learning content: which modules you've completed, which chapters you've read, and how far along you are in the overall guide. But the tracking goes beyond just "have you seen this card."

The question bank includes its own tracking layer. You can bookmark questions for review, and the app tracks which questions you've answered correctly and which you've missed. Over time, this builds a picture of your strengths and weaknesses, so you can focus your remaining prep time on the areas that need the most attention rather than re-drilling concepts you've already mastered.

Progress Tracking

A system within IB IQ that monitors your advancement through guide content (modules and chapters completed) and question performance (correct answers, missed questions, bookmarked items). Progress tracking helps you identify weak areas and allocate your remaining prep time where it will have the most impact.

IB IQ now contains over 1,000 technical and behavioral interview questions with detailed solutions. This milestone reflects both the expansion of our existing question categories and the new questions included within the guides.

The question bank covers the full spectrum of what you'll face in interviews:

Every question includes a detailed solution that explains the reasoning, not just the answer. The goal is for you to understand why the answer is what it is, so you can handle follow-up questions and variations that interviewers throw at you.

Master interview fundamentals: Practice all 1,000+ questions with detailed solutions and track your progress, download IB IQ on iOS.

Most investment banking interview prep resources were built for desktop: long PDF guides, spreadsheet-based modeling courses, and web platforms designed for laptop screens. These work well for dedicated study blocks at your desk, but they ignore the reality of how candidates actually prepare.

You're reviewing questions on the subway to campus. You're drilling valuation concepts during a 15-minute break between classes. You're refreshing your memory on accretion/dilution in the lobby before walking into an interview. These moments add up, and they require content designed for a phone screen, not reformatted from a desktop layout.

IB IQ is built mobile-first. The learning cards in the guides, the question format, the progress tracking: everything is designed to work in short, focused sessions on a phone. This isn't a desktop product squeezed onto a smaller screen. It's a prep toolkit built around how you actually study when you're juggling classes, internships, networking, and recruiting simultaneously.

Version 5.0 includes a UI refresh across the entire app. The changes are about making the experience feel cleaner and more polished rather than overhauling the navigation or layout you're already familiar with.

The visual refinements touch typography, spacing, color usage, and interaction patterns throughout the app. The result is an interface that feels more modern and easier to scan during quick study sessions. If you're reviewing a question on the subway or working through a guide module between classes, the reading experience is smoother and more comfortable than previous versions.

We also improved how content is organized and surfaced within the app, making it easier to navigate between guides, questions, and your tracked progress without losing your place.

The three launch guides (Valuation, TMT, FIG) are the beginning. We're actively building additional guides covering more interview topics and industry groups. If you've explored our website guides on Healthcare, Energy, or Industrials, expect similar depth to arrive in the app, adapted for the mobile learning card format.

We're also continuing to expand the question bank and refine the AI mock interview feature based on user feedback.

Get the complete guide: For desktop study, download our comprehensive 160-page PDF covering 400+ technical questions and frameworks, access the IB Interview Guide.

IB IQ 5.0 is available now on the App Store. Whether you're starting prep from scratch or fine-tuning before a Superday, the combination of structured guides, 1,000+ questions, and progress tracking gives you a complete toolkit that fits in your pocket.