Optiver

Role: New Grad Software Engineer

College: Top 10 CS School; CSE + Math Bachelor's, summa cum laude; Current MSE student in CSE. Past Internships: One at a trading firm, another at a bank.

Interview Date: October 2023

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Rejected

Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Rounds: 4 stages (Online Assessment, Behavioral, Technical Phone Screen, Final Round with 2 Technical Interviews + HR Wrap-up)

Topics Asked: Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), Data Structures, Algorithms (DSA), Operating Systems (OS), Networks, System Design, Behavioral Questions, Brain Games (Zap-N).

Experience:

The candidate applied online without a referral for the New Grad SWE 2024 position in Chicago.

Stage 1: Online Assessment (OA)
The OA was split into 3 parts:

• OA Questions (90 minutes): Included 2 OOP questions where a lot of starter code was given, requiring the candidate to fill out a few functions. The difficulty could vary.
• MCQ (~20 minutes): Entirely based on DSA, OS, and Networks. The candidate noted that Optiver seems to ask more about networks than other firms.
• Zap-N Test (~60 minutes): A "brain games" test consisting of memory games, reflex tests, and logic puzzles.

The candidate felt the OA wasn't too bad and suggested practicing memory games online.

Stage 2: Behavioral Round
A few weeks after submitting the OA, the candidate received an email for a behavioral round with a recruiter. Questions focused on recent trading firm experience, interest in trading/mathematics, and in-depth discussion about a project. The candidate felt this stage was "not too bad."

Stage 3: Technical Phone Screen
About a week after the behavioral round, a remote technical round was scheduled. It started with resume review and experience questions, followed by technical questions focused on Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA).

Final Round (Remote)
This round consisted of two separate interviews and an HR wrap-up.

• Interview 1: Started with resume review and generic experience questions. A tricky OOP-related coding question with nuances was asked, to be written in C++. The candidate felt they solved it but could have gone faster.
• Interview 2: Began with introductions and background. This was a system design question, with no coding required. The interviewer expected a good working knowledge of DS&A and OS, and the candidate needed to explain design choices and algorithms thoroughly. The candidate enjoyed this question despite it being stressful.
• Wrap-Up: A discussion with the recruiter about next steps, the candidate's experience, and any clarifications needed.

The candidate was unfortunately rejected, though they were informed it might have been due to a headcount issue and interviewing too late.