Optiver Trader Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 288 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Optiver.
Optiver
Trader
Mid Average Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Take home Phone screen Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Coding
The process involved some online tests focusing on mental maths, followed by two to three online interviews. Each of these interviews lasted between 30 minutes and an hour. The discussions primarily revolved around probability theory. The interviewers were quite approachable, even when candidates encountered difficulties.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Mental maths questions were asked.
- Questions related to probability theory were asked.
Optiver
Trader
Entry Difficult Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
The first part was about solving number sequences, doing simple probability calculations, and some mind games, all while under strict time limits. I really recommend brushing up on your probability and statistics knowledge beforehand. After that, I got invited to a second round which is a conversation to check your personality. I haven't done this part yet so I can't say much. The third round is another cognitive test but this time it's a 1-on-1 with someone who is currently a trader there.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- How many number sequences can you solve in 20 minutes?
- Solve number sequences as fast as possible within the given time frame.
Optiver
Trader
Entry Average Neutral experience No offer 5 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite Panel Offer
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral Presentation
The hiring process was quite fast and the people I met were nice enough. However, the feedback I got was really weird. Things they liked about me early on were suddenly problems in the last stage. This was frustrating because I explained my thinking all along, and they never flagged any issues. They said I didn't 'maximise expected value,' but I kept explaining I was considering portfolio risk. No mention of that in the feedback. I definitely got faster and more accurate, and they told me I did great after those rounds. I could have shown them what they wanted, but it felt like they only reveal their true priorities after rejecting you. It’s a decent way to spend time if you’re good with numbers and analysis. The interviewers are smart and the games are fun. It’s not super hard, but you have no clue what they’re actually looking for. Unless you cheat, which apparently many people do. Don't buy the hype about it just being about 'good reasoning' because it's not. They'd rather you could read their minds.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- Could you explain your choice of the first trade instead of the second, considering the second trade had a better EV?
- Regarding the trades, why did you opt for the first one over the second, given the second's superior EV?
- What led you to select the first trade instead of the second, which presented a higher EV?
Optiver Trader Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Optiver interview reports.
“Regarding the use of $1, $5, $20, and $100 dollar bills, what's the minimum number of bills required to make any amount from $1 to $100?”
Read reports →“For the largest 5-digit number where the pairwise sums of the digits are unique, what is it? And for the smallest?”
Read reports →“If you start a tennis game at 30-30 and have a 0.6 probability of winning each point, what's the probability you win the game?”
Read reports →“If you are allowed to toss the coin twice, what is the probability of selecting the correct door?”
Read reports →“Can you find a 7-digit number that has this unique pairwise digit sum property? What about a 6-digit number?”
Read report →“Given we draw three cards from a deck, and reveal the one with the smallest value, what is the expected value of a card that we draw next?”
Read report →“Considering a transaction of $x and $(100-x) where x<100, what's the smallest number of bills needed to ensure you always have exact change?”
Read report →“For a put option at 4 related to the product of two dice, what is the expected value?”
Read report →“If you are allowed to toss the coin three times, what is the probability of selecting the correct door?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 288 Optiver interview reports.