IFMP Investment Banking and Analysis Certification (IBAC), Pakistan study plan

Map the full IBAC syllabus for Domain 1 and tag each topic as known, shaky, or unknown

Explain the investment banking value chain from origination through syndication and aftermarket support in your own words

Distinguish the roles of buy-side and sell-side participants and list three client types each serves

Describe the regulatory bodies and disclosure regimes that govern capital raising in Pakistan

Walk through each stage of an IPO from mandate to listing and state the key decision at every stage

Compare book-building and fixed-price offer mechanics on pricing, demand discovery, and allocation

Identify the documents produced during an equity offering and the purpose of each

Explain how underwriters price risk and what a greenshoe or over-allotment option protects

Differentiate debt instruments available to issuers by tenor, security, and coupon structure

Explain the mechanics and rationale of rights issues, preferential allotments, and private placements

Outline the M&A sell-side process from mandate through closing and name the deliverable at each step

Compute a basic accretion/dilution outcome for a simple all-share acquisition

Build a three-statement model from a clean set of historicals with working capital and depreciation schedules

Link the cash flow statement correctly to the balance sheet and eliminate circular references

Rehearse valuation approaches and state when each is appropriate

Explain how a discount rate is built and what each input represents

Value a company using trading comparables and justify each multiple selected

Run a precedent transaction analysis and explain why control premia appear in the multiples

Perform a two-way sensitivity analysis on the outputs of a DCF

Reconcile the valuation ranges from DCF, comparables, and precedents into a single football-field view

Calculate and interpret the core credit metrics used in lending and bond analysis

Assess liquidity, leverage, and coverage ratios across two hypothetical issuers and state which is stronger

Explain how credit ratings are assigned and what triggers a downgrade

Describe the main risks in a leveraged structure and how covenants mitigate them

Analyse a real published annual report and extract the drivers of revenue, margin, and cash conversion

Identify accounting choices that flatter reported earnings and explain the adjustment you would make

Explain how macro variables such as interest rates and inflation transmit into a company's forecasts

Summarise an investment thesis in a structured, evidence-backed argument

Consolidate weak topics flagged in earlier weeks into a single revision sheet

Complete timed practice sets across both domains under exam conditions

Review every incorrect answer and record the underlying concept gap, not just the right option

Rehearse concise verbal explanations of core concepts to test recall without notes