2. Intuition
Why the answer makes sense conceptually. Not the math — the why. "EV/EBITDA is the default multiple because it strips out capital structure and lets you compare companies across leverage profiles" is intuition; the formula is mechanics.
Intuition is what lets the candidate handle a follow-up question without panicking. Memorized answers fail when the interviewer twists the prompt. Intuition keeps the candidate oriented.
3. Watch
Common mistakes and traps. "Don't use cost of equity as the discount rate for free cash flow to firm — that is mismatched." "Don't double-count synergies in the standalone valuation."
The Watch section exists because most candidates fail interviews by stepping on a known landmine, not by missing an obscure detail. The traps are documented because they have actually been observed in real interviews.
4. Objective
What the interviewer is actually testing for. "This question tests whether you understand the difference between cash-flow-based and accrual-based reasoning, not whether you can recite EBITDA's formula."
The Objective section reframes the question from the interviewer's seat. Knowing what is being tested changes how the candidate emphasizes their answer.
5. Mechanics
Step-by-step reasoning and math. The full formula, the actual derivation, the table that produces the number. LaTeX rendering supports complex finance formulas (KaTeX), so DCF, LBO, and accounting math display correctly.
Mechanics is the deepest section. A candidate who only memorizes Direct Response and skips Mechanics will fail any follow-up that pokes at the calculation.
6. Script
How to articulate the answer verbally in an interview. Spoken-word form, not written prose. Short sentences. No "however" or "furthermore." Pacing.
The Script is what the candidate rehearses out loud before the interview. It exists because reading a written answer and saying it confidently in a Superday are different skills, and the platform should teach both.
Why six sections, not one
Most prep tools collapse all of this into a single block of text. The candidate reads the block, recognizes the answer, and feels prepared. Then in the interview they cannot produce the answer cleanly because they were never asked to separate the parts.
The six-section format forces the candidate (and the platform) to be explicit about what each part of the answer is doing:
- Direct Response is the rehearsable line.
- Intuition is the recovery if the interviewer goes sideways.
- Watch is the trap to avoid.
- Objective is the lens.
- Mechanics is the depth check.
- Script is the delivery.
A candidate who internalizes this structure can adapt to any phrasing of the question. A candidate who only memorizes the answer is stuck.
How candidates use the format
In practice mode (GOBLINMODE, GOBLIN100, Bank & Round, or Topics) the candidate reads the question, attempts the answer out loud, and then reveals the structured answer.
The first read-through, candidates usually start with Direct Response and Intuition. The second pass, after they get a question wrong a couple of times, they read Watch and Mechanics more carefully. By the third or fourth time the question surfaces, they are mostly checking Script — making sure the words they say actually land like Director-level finance, not like a textbook quote.
Markdown and math support
Answers render with full Markdown, GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions, and LaTeX math via KaTeX. Tables, code blocks, formulas, fractions, and accounting equations all display correctly.
This matters for technical content. A DCF or LBO answer that cannot show the actual formula cleanly is half an answer.
What the format is not
The six-section format is not a script template the candidate parrots back. It is a structure the candidate learns from. In an actual interview, no one says "now I will deliver the Mechanics section." The candidate just answers — but they answer with structure because the practice format trained them to think that way.
It is also not unique to OFFERGOBLIN as a concept. Every disciplined banker thinks in some version of this structure. What is specific to OFFERGOBLIN is making the structure explicit on every single one of the 3,500+ questions in the bank.
