I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at RBC (New York, NY) in Feb 2012
Interview
We first applied online through submitting resume and cover letter. After several weeks we got the response about doing a trading analysis on paper and send it back. Later came the email informing of the next round. Next round happened on site where we met the people from the company the day before. Then the interview for half a day.
Very light stuff. They (was interviewed by two people) asked me questions about my major (engineering) and tried to get a sense of my personality. Wasn't quizzed at all. Interview was conducted at my college when I was a junior. Maybe it was easy because I had an impressive background.