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Next question. If a PE firm buys a company for $1mm and then sells the company at $1mm, is it possible for the firm to achieve a return? Assume the purchase multiple and exit multiple are the same.

If a PE firm buys a company for $1mm and then sells the company at $1mm, is it possible for the firm to achieve a return? Assume the purchase multiple and exit multiple are the same.

Start with the one-sentence answer an interviewer expects, then support it with the two or three drivers that actually move the number. Anchor every claim to a mechanism, not a memorized phrase.

Intuition

Interviewers are testing whether you can connect the concept to how the business actually earns and spends cash. Walk the logic in the order the money moves, and say what would change your answer.

Watch

The classic trap is reciting a definition and stopping. Strong candidates flag the edge cases, name the assumption they would sanity-check first, and keep units and signs consistent all the way through.

Deep Dive

Lay out the calculation step by step, state the inputs you would need, and finish by tying the result back to the original question so the interviewer hears a complete loop.