I applied through college or university. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Optiver (Chicago, IL) in Sep 2017
Interview
The interview process consists of a numerical online test (mental math, multiple choice - 80 questions in 8 minutes. I answered around 64 and got one or two wrong and still made it to the next step), followed by a behavioral interview, followed by a cognitive reasoning online test (pattern recognition, relatively straightforward), then a technical interview with a trader, and finally an on-site interview.
I made it to the technical interview, which was a ~40 minute phone call with a member of the trading team. Started briefly with casual conversation about why I was interested, and then consisted of three different types of questions (listed below under interview questions). I didn't make it past this point, but other reviews on glassdoor are still the best way to prepare for this interview.
Interview questions [3]
Question 1
If gas costs $2.27 a gallon, how many full gallons can you purchase for $200. I had a little less than 15 seconds to answer.
Over/Under game: You are given ten coins to bet with, then the trader lists populations for five cities, and for each you say whether you think the true population is over or under that number and how much you want to bet.
You are in a race with a car that averages between 10 and 15 mpg. You are also given prices of gas and the time it takes to pump gas into the car, as well as how long the race is and the amount of money you receive if you win. The race starts with your tank empty, so the time taken to pump gas is counted against your final time. Then, given the number of other competitors, you have to give an optimal strategy for how much gas you would pump into your car before starting the race.
Endless online tests with different shapes and forms, they send you links that you complete and you get automatic feedback, no human interaction and no intention to provide feedback which would be useful
Many rounds, including online games, mental math, HR round, and a technical round. Fumbled that one, as unexpected questions regarding options was asked. However, procedure was very smooth and all rounds were completed within 2
a few weeks or so
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Make me a market on the number of supermarkets in Rotterdam
Depending on the role, you might be required to complete one or more online assessments. These could include quantitative reasoning tests, logical reasoning tests, and/or programming challenges.On-site or Virtual Technical Interviews: Candidates who perform well in the initial stages are invited to participate in more in-depth technical interviews. For trading roles, this might include multiple rounds of interviews with progressively harder math and logic questions. For engineering roles, expect several rounds of coding interviews, system design discussions, and possibly a review of past projects or experiences.
