How do I prepare for a DCM interview?

Own the bond math (price/yield, duration, spreads), the new-issue process end to end, and current market color — where are rates and spreads now, and why. KomFi gives you 2,340 DCM practice questions with full explanations to make the mechanics automatic.

What does a debt capital markets analyst do?

DCM sits between issuers and the bond market: advising on timing, structure, and pricing of new debt, running the syndication process, and monitoring markets. Interviews test exactly that mechanics-plus-markets blend.

How is DCM different from leveraged finance?

DCM is predominantly investment-grade, flow-driven, and market-facing; LevFin lives in high-yield and LBO financing with heavier credit work and documentation. Both start from the same bond math this bank drills.

Free sample questions

1. If a company has a leverage-based pricing grid and SOFR rises significantly while leverage stays the same, wha
2. What is meant by the 'bond floor' in the context of yield analysis?
3. What is a 'call schedule' for a corporate bond?
4. Which of the following describes a 'step-up' coupon in a callable bond?
5. What is a 'deferred call'?
6. What does a 5-year bond described as 'NC2' signify regarding its call protection?
7. A 'make-whole' call differs from a standard 'fixed-price' call because the redemption price of a make-whole ca
8. If a bond has a 'Par Call' feature starting 6 months before maturity, what does this mean?
9. If a bond is 'callable at par,' what is the issuer's redemption cost per $1,000 of face value?
10. A 102 call premium is equivalent to paying:
11. What is the main disadvantage for an issuer when using a 'make-whole' call instead of a 'fixed-price' call?
12. If the compounded SOFR for a given period is 4.50%, what is the all-in annualized coupon for that period?
13. What is meant by the term 'compounding in arrears' for a SOFR-based floating-rate note?
14. Which type of investor is a 'natural buyer' of floating-rate notes due to their need to match floating-rate as
15. Which feature of a covered bond provides 'dual recourse' to the investor?
16. What phenomenon describes a bond's price moving toward its par value as it nears maturity, assuming interest r
17. What is 'seniority' in the context of a capital stack?
18. Which benchmark has replaced LIBOR as the standard reference rate for dollar-denominated leveraged loans?
19. In a Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO), which tranche is the first to absorb losses from the underlying loa
20. Where does PIK debt typically sit in the capital stack relative to senior secured loans?
21. Which term describes the phenomenon where the principal of a PIK bond grows because interest is added to it ra
22. Why might a private equity sponsor prefer to include PIK debt in a leveraged buyout (LBO) structure?
23. What is the main reason an investor might find a PIK toggle note attractive despite its high risk?
24. Which of the following best describes the 'Term Loan B' (TLB) in a leveraged finance stack?
25. If SOFR is 1.15%, what base rate is used?
26. An institutional investor is evaluating a 5-year Floating-Ra… — If the market's required DM for this credit re
27. If all other factors remain constant, how has the Discount Margin (DM) changed?
28. Which component of the Discount Margin calculation is affected by the choice of day-count convention (e.g., Ac
29. If a 5-year FRN is issued with an Original Issue Discount (OID) at a price of 99.00 and a quoted margin of 400
30. Why is the 1-year call likely to be the YTW?