I applied through university. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Optiver (Chicago, IL) in Oct 2016
Interview
Starts with 80 question mental math test in 8 minutes. Need around a 55 to move on. After this there is a pure fit interview with HR, basic questions about why optiver, why trading, etc. Then there was another online test, this time around 26 questions both multiple choice and short answer. All probability and logic questions. Needed around a 19 to pass. After this test I had a purely technical interview with a trader. A lot of mental math questions, a fermi question, and a card game question about expected value. I think usually there are two rounds of these trader phone interviews, but I was invited to the superday after just one round. Superday was long (5 hours), with 6 technical interviews, an HR interview, and a shadow with a trader. A lot of the interviews focused on online games, only one of the six interviews had any questions related to financial theory. Also, some of the interviews were more difficult than they should have been due to the lacking verbal and social skills of the interviewers...
Also, the vibe of the office seemed a lot more stressful/less fun than the other chicago prop trading firms I have seen in person.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Estimate the amount of money people save using coupons each year in the United States.
online interview on zoom and online platform. Was in front of a trader and they asked questions to do with market making. The questions were about market making and used probability and statistics
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Optiver (Sydney) in Mar 2023
Interview
Had to first complete and pass 5 online quizzes, mostly relating to math (e.g. mental math and pattern recognition) Then the final round interview consists of 3 back-to-back zoom interviews. Progression to subsequent round depends upon performance in previous round. First and second interviews were 1 hour long each and were simulated games that emulated the stock market. After the second interview I got a call that I will not be progressing to the last interview.
I applied through university. I interviewed at Optiver
Interview
It was very fast paced. And they expect you to be quick with mental math and good at grasping information. The questions were very interesting and real-life. The communication was also well done. There were 2 days of assesment, then a GD, then a personal interview with a trader for 45 minutes, then the final on campus day.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Estimate the number of shoes sold in london last year