Basic, lesson 1 of 5
What trader, researcher, and developer interviews test
Trading firms hire three kinds of people and interview each differently. Know which seat you want before the first phone screen, because the questions follow from it.
6 min, 3 checks
1Three seats, three interviews
A quant trader prices and trades, usually alongside automated strategies, and decides in seconds. A quant researcher looks for patterns in data that predict prices and turns them into models. A developer builds the systems both of them run on, where microseconds can matter.
| Seat | The job | What the interview tests |
|---|---|---|
| Trader | Quote prices, manage risk, decide fast | Mental math, probability, betting and market making games |
| Researcher | Find signals in data and build models | Probability, statistics, coding, one project in depth |
| Developer | Build fast, reliable trading systems | Algorithms, data structures, systems design |
Everyone gets some probability. Traders get the most speed and the most games. Researchers get the most statistics and the hardest questions about their own past work.
Check 1
An interviewer asks you to quote a two sided price on an unknown number, then buys from you three times. Which seat is this round most likely for?
2The online assessment
Many firms open with a timed test. A common format is an arithmetic sprint: dozens of questions, no calculator, a few minutes. Others add number sequences, probability puzzles, or a coding test for research and developer tracks.
The sprint punishes hesitation more than mistakes. Practice until two digit multiplication and common fractions are automatic, and skip a question the moment it looks slow.
Check 2
A test gives you 80 questions in 8 minutes. How many seconds do you have per question on average?
3What the interviewer is watching
The number matters less than how you get there. Say your approach before you compute, state assumptions, sanity check the answer, and expect the interviewer to change one condition and ask again.
Check 3
Halfway through an answer you realize your setup double counts an outcome. What is the best move?
Terms in this lesson: Quant trader, Quant researcher, Online assessment.
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