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.

8,651 trader interview questions shared by candidates

1. Why trader and Maven? 2. An incomplete deck of cards: if you divide it by 3 you have 2 as remainder; if you divide it by 5 you have 2 as remainder; if you divide it by 4 you have 3 as remainder. How many cards are there in the deck?
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Graduate Trader

Interviewed at Maven Securities

4.3
Nov 25, 2018

1. Why trader and Maven? 2. An incomplete deck of cards: if you divide it by 3 you have 2 as remainder; if you divide it by 5 you have 2 as remainder; if you divide it by 4 you have 3 as remainder. How many cards are there in the deck?

Asked three arithmetic and probability questions. Honor code of not using a calculator or paper and pen/pencil. Arithmetic: 1. 18/5 2. 76+57 3. 99*99 Probability: 1. A fair coin is flipped three times, what is the probability that it will land on heads at least once.

Intern Assistant Trader

Interviewed at Gray Whale

4.6
Oct 23, 2012

Asked three arithmetic and probability questions. Honor code of not using a calculator or paper and pen/pencil. Arithmetic: 1. 18/5 2. 76+57 3. 99*99 Probability: 1. A fair coin is flipped three times, what is the probability that it will land on heads at least once.

1) How many times do you have to flip a coin such that the probability of getting 2 heads in a row is at least 1/2? answer: 4 2) You have 1 fair coin and 1 coin with 2 heads. Given that the first flip was a heads what is the probability of getting another heads? Answer: 5/6 3) We are sending 1s and 0s. And there is a 10% chance that the wrong number is sent so we send the number 3 times and the opposing party takes the majority of the 3 tries to be the correct message. What is the probability that we send the wrong message? Answer: 0.028 4) How many sets of A,B,C are there such that they are all non-negative integers and A+B+C<10. Answer: 13C3 = 286. Basically you have 3 dividers and 10 balls at first, but if you add a fourth divider such that A+B+C+D=10, then you've basically got a standard balls and bins problem with 10 balls and 4 bins.
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Trader

Interviewed at Five Rings

3.8
Oct 7, 2015

1) How many times do you have to flip a coin such that the probability of getting 2 heads in a row is at least 1/2? answer: 4 2) You have 1 fair coin and 1 coin with 2 heads. Given that the first flip was a heads what is the probability of getting another heads? Answer: 5/6 3) We are sending 1s and 0s. And there is a 10% chance that the wrong number is sent so we send the number 3 times and the opposing party takes the majority of the 3 tries to be the correct message. What is the probability that we send the wrong message? Answer: 0.028 4) How many sets of A,B,C are there such that they are all non-negative integers and A+B+C<10. Answer: 13C3 = 286. Basically you have 3 dividers and 10 balls at first, but if you add a fourth divider such that A+B+C+D=10, then you've basically got a standard balls and bins problem with 10 balls and 4 bins.

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