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First Derivatives Interview Questions
& Process

Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.

Based on 354 interview experiences · FREE TO READ

2.5 Rounds average
Average Typical difficulty
57.7% Positive experience

Which role are you interviewing for?

30 roles · 354 reports

Candidate interview experiences

First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at First Derivatives.

Showing 4 of 354
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First Derivatives

Analyst

Analytics · a year ago

Entry Easy Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Group Presentation Background check
Interview formats
Technical Group Presentation Behavioral

Honestly, avoid this company. It took them ages, like 6-7 months, to decide on a graduate, entry-level role. I went through 2 interview rounds, with an assessment centre being the last one. The HR team seems clueless and won't reply to emails, probably because they can't give answers. After my final interview, they totally ghosted me for 6 weeks. I had to chase them for an update, and then they finally said they chose someone else, after keeping me hanging for almost 7 months. They also refused to give any feedback on what I did wrong when I asked. Overall, a really bad experience that wasted a lot of my energy.

Confirmed questions1 question
  • What's your understanding of the company, including KX and its first derivative aspects?
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First Derivatives

UI-UX Designer

Design · more than a year ago

Intern Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen
Interview formats
Behavioral

The interview process is a structured series of interactions between a candidate and a prospective employer, designed to evaluate the candidate's qualifications, skills, and suitability for a specific job position. The interview process typically consists of several stages and may vary in complexity depending on the organization and the nature of the job. Here's a general overview of the interview process: Application and Resume Submission: The process often begins with the candidate submitting an online application and resume through the company's website or a job por

Confirmed questions1 question
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
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First Derivatives

Financial Engineer

Finance · more than a year ago

Entry Easy Neutral experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Group Coding

I applied online and then got an email to set up a phone interview. The email said to research the company, but I was too busy to do it. When asked 'what do you know about FD', I was honest and said I didn't know anything, but surprisingly I got called back for a full interview at their Dublin offices. I've done interviews at Big 4 accounting and law firms before, and this was unlike any of them. It had three parts. The first part was a two-stage interview: one focused on competencies and the other reviewed my CV. The second part was a group presentation where we had to act like we were presenting to a client alongside other candidates. The third part was a numerical reasoning test, like you'd expect. It was weird because the interviewers were around my age (I'm 23) or just a bit older. They mentioned beforehand that we were competing against each other, but everyone I know who interviewed got the job. I haven't started yet, but it was definitely odd how long it took and how many steps there were, especially since we all got hired anyway. Top accountancy and law firms don't even do what they did, so I'm a bit confused about what they're actually looking for.

Confirmed questions3 questions
  • Can you walk me through your background and experience?
  • What insights do you have regarding this company and the position?
  • Could you share your knowledge about FD?
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First Derivatives

Program Trading Technologist

Engineering · more than a year ago

Mid Easy Negative experience Decline offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Panel Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical

The interview process started with a phone interview, which was brief and focused on my knowledge of the company and what I could offer. This was followed by a 30-minute final video interview, which also covered aspects of the firm and the role, along with some business competencies. The experience after this interview was terrible; I still haven't heard back after more than a month. The HR department is awful, and they don't even respond to emails. I ended up accepting another offer I received.

Confirmed questions5 questions
  • What do you know about kx?
  • What do you know about KDB+?
  • What do you know about our firm?

First Derivatives Interview Questions

Quoted word for word from First Derivatives interview reports.

Can you explain SQL injection and outline methods for its prevention in both web APIs and stored procedures?

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Are you familiar with kx systems and what percentage of it FD owns?

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What is the most recent news item you are aware of regarding First derivatives?

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Do you have information on any companies recently acquired by First Derivatives?

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Can you share any details on significant product sales that First Derivatives has announced?

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Can you tell me the difference between the tech trading scheme and the data science stream?

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Formats, difficulty and experience

Across all 354 First Derivatives interview reports.

Interview formats

Behavioral 43.3%
Technical 37%
Group 7%
Coding 4.2%
Presentation 3.9%

Interview difficulty

Easy 38.4%
Average 52.3%
Difficult 9.3%

Candidate experience

Negative 15.9%
Positive 57.7%
Neutral 26.4%

Reports by job function

Finance 120
Analytics 81
Engineering 77
Other 34
Consulting 16
Sales 11