Trader Interview Questions

Trader Interview Questions

In a trader interview, the interviewer likely wants to see that you are knowledgeable about financial markets and have strong opinions about them. Further, you can expect hypothetical questions that test your sales skills and showcase your personality. Speak persuasively and with conviction about the latest news in stocks.

Top Trader Interview Questions & How To Answer

Question 1

Question #1: Pitch me a stock that you would buy or sell now.

How to answer
How to answer: This is an opportunity to demonstrate your sales skills and tell a convincing story about a stock. Choose a company you know well, and be prepared for follow-up questions. Defend your case without wavering.
Question 2

Question #2: What is the riskiest decision you have ever made?

How to answer
How to answer: While trading is a role that requires risk taking, you can use this question to prove that you are thoughtful and well-researched when evaluating risk. Talk through your reasoning, why you determined this was an appropriate risk to take, and what the outcome was. The interviewer might also want to see you confidently stand by your decisions.
Question 3

Question #3. Tell me about something that happened recently in the financial markets and your opinion of it.

How to answer
How to answer: This question is twofold. A successful answer would first prove that you have a genuine interest in stocks and keep up to date with market news, which changes daily. Stay informed by reading reputable financial newspapers regularly. Second, this question allows you to share your unique point of view. Try to show the interviewer that you see value where others may not.

8,649 trader interview questions shared by candidates

You have 3000 apples at Edingburgh want to transfer as many apples as you can to London. You have a truck, the maximum capacity of which is 1000 apples. London is 1000 miles away from Cambridge and when the truck is carrying apples, for every mile it drives, it will drop one apple. What is the maximum number of apples you can deliver to London?
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Trader

Interviewed at Jane Street

4.4
Dec 6, 2010

You have 3000 apples at Edingburgh want to transfer as many apples as you can to London. You have a truck, the maximum capacity of which is 1000 apples. London is 1000 miles away from Cambridge and when the truck is carrying apples, for every mile it drives, it will drop one apple. What is the maximum number of apples you can deliver to London?

N points lie on a circle. You draw lines connecting all the points to each other. These lines divide up the circle into a number of regions. How many regions is this? Assume that the points are scattered in such a way as to give the maximum number of regions for that N.
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Quantitative Trader

Interviewed at Jane Street

4.4
Jan 2, 2010

N points lie on a circle. You draw lines connecting all the points to each other. These lines divide up the circle into a number of regions. How many regions is this? Assume that the points are scattered in such a way as to give the maximum number of regions for that N.

You have a box filled with cash. Cash value is uniformly randomly distributed from 1 to 1000. You are trying to win the box in an auction: you win the box if you bid at least the value of the cash in the box; you win nothing if you bid less (but you lose nothing). If you win the box, you can resell it for 150% of its value. How much should you bid to maximize the expected value of your profit (resale of box minus bid)?
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Assistant Trader

Interviewed at Jane Street

4.4
Oct 5, 2010

You have a box filled with cash. Cash value is uniformly randomly distributed from 1 to 1000. You are trying to win the box in an auction: you win the box if you bid at least the value of the cash in the box; you win nothing if you bid less (but you lose nothing). If you win the box, you can resell it for 150% of its value. How much should you bid to maximize the expected value of your profit (resale of box minus bid)?

was asked this question today...you want buy a car at an auction whos price is uniformly distributed between 0-1000 if you bid more than the car you win it at the price you bid.if you bid less that the cars proce you dont win it but dont lose anything. you can sell the car for 1.5 time the value of which you bought it. what should you bid on the car to maximumise your profit?
avatar

Trader

Interviewed at Jane Street

4.4
Apr 27, 2011

was asked this question today...you want buy a car at an auction whos price is uniformly distributed between 0-1000 if you bid more than the car you win it at the price you bid.if you bid less that the cars proce you dont win it but dont lose anything. you can sell the car for 1.5 time the value of which you bought it. what should you bid on the car to maximumise your profit?

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