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.

8,650 trader interview questions shared by candidates

There are two racks, X and Y. X contains red (R) socks with probability 0.4 and black (B) socks with probability 0.6. Y contains R with probability 0.7 and B with probability 0.3. I pick a rack randomly. From that rack, I pick 2R. What is the probability that those 2R come from rack X?
avatar

Quantitative Trader

Interviewed at Susquehanna International Group

3.8
Nov 2, 2020

There are two racks, X and Y. X contains red (R) socks with probability 0.4 and black (B) socks with probability 0.6. Y contains R with probability 0.7 and B with probability 0.3. I pick a rack randomly. From that rack, I pick 2R. What is the probability that those 2R come from rack X?

There are an unknown amount of people on a bus. After the first stop, three-quarters of them get off and 7 get on. This happens again a two more stops. After this process, what is the minimum amount of possible people that could be on the bus?
avatar

Quantitative Trader Intern

Interviewed at Jane Street

4.4
Nov 3, 2016

There are an unknown amount of people on a bus. After the first stop, three-quarters of them get off and 7 get on. This happens again a two more stops. After this process, what is the minimum amount of possible people that could be on the bus?

First round was a brainteaser/statistics/probability round. First question: you have two fair dice, the sum of which is equal to the value of a security. You have a call option on this security with a strike price of 7. If you are two roll each die once to give you the security value, what are you willing to pay for this call option? Second Question: You have two coins, one fair coin and one with heads on both sides. You randomly choose one of the coins and flip it twice. The results are heads and heads. What is the probability that the coin you flipped is a fair coin. Third Question: You have a spherical balloon that is deflating at a rate such that the radius is decreasing at a constant rate of 4cm/min. At what rate is the balloon deflating when the radius is .25cm. Fourth Question: You have a circle with a radius of one. What is the probability that two randomly chosen points connected by a chord have a length greater than 1? Second Round was all fit. Seems like a pretty unique firm in terms of culture (ski trips, paintball, golf, etc.). The first two guys I interviewed with seemed pretty cool, but the guy from the third round seemed like a hardo. Third Round: They ask you to spend 10 hours reading Hull's textbook on options and futures, which is just about enough time to learn the very basics of options and futures if you have no background. I interviewed with a French guy with a very heavy accent, making it real difficult to comprehend anything coming out of his mouth. First Question: You have a revolver with six chamber slots, and you load two bullets next to each other. You fire the gun once and it's not the bullet. You have the option to either re-spin the chamber, or fire again. Which gives you the higher probability. Second Question: Call option at the money with strike of 100. What is a rough value for the price of the this option. What is the delta of this option?
avatar

Junior Trader

Interviewed at TransMarket Group

4.1
Sep 11, 2014

First round was a brainteaser/statistics/probability round. First question: you have two fair dice, the sum of which is equal to the value of a security. You have a call option on this security with a strike price of 7. If you are two roll each die once to give you the security value, what are you willing to pay for this call option? Second Question: You have two coins, one fair coin and one with heads on both sides. You randomly choose one of the coins and flip it twice. The results are heads and heads. What is the probability that the coin you flipped is a fair coin. Third Question: You have a spherical balloon that is deflating at a rate such that the radius is decreasing at a constant rate of 4cm/min. At what rate is the balloon deflating when the radius is .25cm. Fourth Question: You have a circle with a radius of one. What is the probability that two randomly chosen points connected by a chord have a length greater than 1? Second Round was all fit. Seems like a pretty unique firm in terms of culture (ski trips, paintball, golf, etc.). The first two guys I interviewed with seemed pretty cool, but the guy from the third round seemed like a hardo. Third Round: They ask you to spend 10 hours reading Hull's textbook on options and futures, which is just about enough time to learn the very basics of options and futures if you have no background. I interviewed with a French guy with a very heavy accent, making it real difficult to comprehend anything coming out of his mouth. First Question: You have a revolver with six chamber slots, and you load two bullets next to each other. You fire the gun once and it's not the bullet. You have the option to either re-spin the chamber, or fire again. Which gives you the higher probability. Second Question: Call option at the money with strike of 100. What is a rough value for the price of the this option. What is the delta of this option?

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