QUANT TRADING INTERVIEW PREP

Quant interview practice with infinite fresh questions.

Trading firms filter thousands of candidates with the same families of problems: coin games, dice expectations, Bayes traps, market making quotes, and arithmetic against a clock. Every QuantPrep drill is generated fresh from those archetypes, so you train the method itself. Memorizing answers is impossible.

37question archetypes
generated variants
6categories
30 to 90sinterview clocks
PROBABILITY MEDIUM
live sample. every click generates fresh numbers
THE TRAINER

Run a timed quant interview session

Train with worked explanations after every question, or sit a strict interview with no feedback until the final report. Correct pays +€100, a miss costs −€50.

THE PROCESS

How a quant trading interview actually works

Four stages, each testing something different. Know the game before you play it.

STAGE 01

The online numerical test

Dozens of arithmetic questions against a brutal clock: sums, products, fractions, decimals, sequences. The bar is both speed and accuracy. Most firms penalize wrong answers, so knowing when to skip is part of the skill. This stage eliminates the majority of applicants, so train it daily, like a sport.

STAGE 02

Probability and brainteasers

Live rounds with a trader or quant covering expected values, conditional probability, combinatorics and classic puzzles. Interviewers care less about the final number than your process. State assumptions, use linearity of expectation, think in complements, and talk while you compute.

STAGE 03

Market making games

"Make me a market on the number of windows in this building." You quote a bid and an ask, then the interviewer trades against you and moves the game. They are testing whether you can price uncertainty, manage a position, update on new information, and avoid getting picked off by a better informed counterparty.

STAGE 04

Final round: pressure and personality

Trading simulations, group games, poker style betting rounds, and behavioural conversations. Firms are checking risk temperament. Are you calibrated, do you size bets to your edge, can you lose a round without tilting, and would the desk enjoy sitting next to you for twelve hours a day?

CURRICULUM

Quant interview questions you'll drill

Six categories covering every classic archetype the trading desks actually use.

×

Mental Math

Two digit products, squares, fractions to decimals, series sums and powers of two. The raw speed layer every trading firm screens first.

P

Probability

Exact counts, complements, conditional probability, and Bayes' theorem with base rate traps. The core language of trading.

𝔼

Expected Value

Linearity of expectation, geometric waits, the coupon collector, max and min of dice, and pattern matching coin flips.

C

Combinatorics

Handshakes, committees and arrangements. Fast, structured counting without double counting yourself into a wrong quote.

%

Markets & Betting

Implied probabilities, compounding, variance and the Kelly criterion. The bridge from puzzles to real trading judgment.

?

Logic & Brainteasers

Gambler's ruin, re-roll decisions and matching problems. The puzzles where interviewers watch how you think.

THE EMPLOYERS

Trading firms known for quant interviews

Proprietary trading and market making firms with famously quantitative interview processes.

Optiver

AMSTERDAM
MARKET MAKER

Famous for its rapid fire arithmetic screening test: high volume, short clock, penalties for errors. Speed math is non-negotiable here.

IMC Trading

AMSTERDAM
MARKET MAKER

Heavy on probability, logic puzzles and trading games, with a strong technology culture across its Amsterdam and Chicago desks.

Flow Traders

AMSTERDAM
LIQUIDITY PROVIDER

ETF specialist whose interviews combine numerical testing with market intuition and product knowledge questions.

Da Vinci Derivatives

AMSTERDAM
OPTIONS MARKET MAKER

Boutique options desk. Expect probability, game theory and betting style questions in a small team setting.

Jane Street

MARKET MAKER · NEW YORK / LONDON

The benchmark for probability and market making game interviews: EV puzzles, confidence intervals, and repeated "make me a market" rounds.

Citadel Securities

MARKET MAKER · MIAMI / CHICAGO

Highly quantitative rounds spanning probability, statistics and mental math, plus rigorous technical interviews for quant roles.

Susquehanna (SIG)

TRADING FIRM · PHILADELPHIA

Built its identity on decision making under uncertainty. Poker is part of trader training, and interviews probe betting logic and calibration.

Jump Trading

PROP TRADING · CHICAGO

Research and technology driven. Quant interviews lean on probability, statistics and algorithmic thinking.

Hudson River Trading

PROP TRADING · NEW YORK

Algorithmic trading firm with mathematically deep interviews covering probability, algorithms and estimation questions.

DRW

PROP TRADING · CHICAGO

Broad trading house whose interview loops mix mental math, probability, and market scenario discussions.

Two Sigma

QUANT FUND · NEW YORK

Research oriented quant fund. Expect statistics, probability and data driven problem solving over pure speed math.

Five Rings

PROP TRADING · NEW YORK

Known for challenging probability and game theory interviews with a strong competition math flavour.

QuantPrep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any firm listed above. Interview formats change, so always verify each firm's own process.

FAQ

Quant interview prep, answered

How do I prepare for a quant trading interview?
Train the four stages separately: timed mental arithmetic for the online screening test, probability and expected value puzzles for the technical rounds, market making games for the trading rounds, and calibrated decision making for the final round. Daily timed practice with fresh numbers builds the speed and accuracy that trading firms screen for.
What math do quant interviews test?
Fast arithmetic, probability, conditional probability and Bayes' theorem, expected value and linearity of expectation, combinatorics, variance, and betting concepts such as implied odds and the Kelly criterion. Most questions are solvable in under two minutes without a calculator.
How fast do I need to be on trader math tests?
Screening tests at major market makers typically allow only a few seconds per arithmetic question and penalize wrong answers. Aim to answer two digit multiplications, percentages and fraction conversions in well under ten seconds each, with high accuracy.
Are QuantPrep questions real interview questions?
QuantPrep drills are original questions generated from the classic archetypes that trading firm interviews are built on, such as coin games, dice expectations, gambler's ruin and market making quotes. Every drill uses fresh numbers, so you learn the method instead of memorizing answers.

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Ten questions, real clocks, fresh numbers. See where you stand today.

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