Optiver interview questions

Showing 1–30 of 76 results

• Analyze EV, arbitrage, and bet sizing across gamesHard

  This question evaluates proficiency in probability and statistics—particularly expected value and variance computation, arbitrage detection across payoff tables, quantitative bet-sizing strategies (e.g., Kelly and fractional sizing), and numerical approximation skills for independent discrete outcomes.

  OptiverData ScientistStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Analyze an Unfair-Coin Bankroll GameHard

  This problem tests probability theory and expected value calculations in the context of a game with an unfair coin and a bankroll constraint.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Answer why SWE and why OptiverHard

  This prompt evaluates behavioral and leadership competencies within the software engineering domain for low-latency or real-time systems, focusing on motivation, role fit, communication, self-awareness, and interest in trading/financial markets.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerBehavioral & LeadershipOnsite
• Build and Validate a Binary Tree from Parent-Child PairsMedium

  This question evaluates understanding of tree and graph concepts, strict string parsing and validation, duplicate and cycle detection, and the construction of canonical S-expressions within the Coding & Algorithms category.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Calculate Days Between Arbitrary Gregorian DatesMedium

  This problem tests the ability to implement a calendar-based calculation algorithm, specifically handling leap year logic and modular arithmetic without iterating through every day.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Calculate the Probability That Two Dice Sum to SevenHard

  This question tests fundamental understanding of discrete probability, combinatorics, and the impact of conditional dependencies on outcomes.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Cargo Order Allocation Across Departing PlanesHard

  This question evaluates competence in deterministic resource allocation, stateful simulation, and capacity-management under time constraints, exercising algorithmic reasoning and data-structure handling within the Coding & Algorithms domain.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Compare common data structures and usesMedium

  Compare common data structures and uses evaluates algorithm design, data structures, correctness, complexity, edge cases, and implementation details in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Compare two programs for equivalenceMedium

  This question evaluates program-equivalence reasoning skills, including understanding of language semantics (mutation, ordering stability, integer overflow/underflow, integer-division behavior), competency in comparing time and space complexity, and the ability to design property-based tests and edge cases.

  OptiverQuantitative TraderCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Compute expectations, conditionals, odds, and distributionsMedium

  This question evaluates proficiency in fundamental probability and statistics concepts — including expected value and variance, conditional probability, discrete arrival modeling, betting odds and the Kelly criterion, and combinatorics for draws without replacement — and is categorized under Statistics & Math.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Compute expected coin flips to meet on octagonMedium

  Compute expected coin flips to meet on octagon evaluates statistical assumptions, formulas, estimation strategy, uncertainty, edge cases, and interpretation in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

  OptiverData ScientistStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Compute negative-price probability after n stepsMedium

  This question evaluates understanding of discrete probability distributions and random-walk processes within Statistics & Math, testing skills in binomial modeling and numeric computation for probabilistic outcomes.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathOnline Assessment
• Compute odds under time pressureMedium

  This question evaluates probabilistic reasoning and combinatorial calculation skills, including conditional probability, distributional thinking and the ability to convert probabilities into odds.

  OptiverQuantitative TraderStatistics & MathOnline Assessment
• Compute permutations with repeated lettersEasy

  This question evaluates combinatorics and counting principles within the Statistics & Math domain, focusing on permutations with repeated characters and the generalization to multiple symbol counts.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathOnline Assessment
• Compute probabilities and expectations in random processesEasy

  This question evaluates proficiency in probability theory, combinatorics, and mathematical expectation through a series of rapid-fire brain-teasers. It tests the ability to set up clean probabilistic models, apply the right technique, and derive exact closed-form answers under time pressure — skills commonly assessed in quantitative and data science interviews.

  OptiverData ScientistStatistics & MathOnline Assessment
• Count nonnegative buy/sell sequencesMedium

  This question evaluates combinatorial reasoning and algorithmic analysis by asking for the count of constrained buy/sell sequences, testing competence in counting under constraints and reasoning about sequence invariants.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Count the Days Between Two DatesMedium

  This question evaluates date arithmetic, calendar logic, string parsing, and correct leap-year handling as implementation competencies. It is commonly asked to assess algorithmic correctness and edge-case handling across month, year, and leap boundaries, falls under the Coding & Algorithms domain (date/calendar problems), and targets practical application rather than purely conceptual understanding.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Courier Drone: Fastest Fixed-Distance Segment From Tick LogsMedium

  From per-tick distance logs, find the highest average speed over any time span that covers exactly a target distance, where spans may start and end partway through a tick. Tests prefix sums, linear interpolation, and showing that an optimal span touches a tick boundary.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Days Between Two Calendar DatesMedium

  This question evaluates proficiency in date and calendar arithmetic, specifically handling varying month lengths, leap year rules, and computing absolute differences between dates.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Decide and implement DP/heap and approximationMedium

  This question evaluates dynamic programming for counting constrained subsequences, priority-heap implementation and API robustness for job scheduling, and heuristic approximation methods for NP-hard selection problems, along with algorithmic complexity analysis.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Demonstrate task switching and memory strategiesMedium

  This question evaluates task-switching ability, working-memory management, interference control, and error-recovery strategies—core executive functions involved in rapid stimulus–response mappings.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Design a Balloon Festival SimulatorMedium

  This question evaluates proficiency in data structures, event-driven simulation, numerical aggregation of spatially varying fields, and time-based state tracking for mutable entities.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Design a Multi-Level Expiring Item StoreMedium

  Design an in-memory multi-level key-value store where items are stored at specific priority levels with individual expiration timestamps, supporting query fallback and expiration cleanup.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnline Assessment
• Design a News Subscription Processing EngineHard

  Design and implement an in-memory news subscription processing engine that supports attribute-based filtering, deduplication, unsubscription, and unacknowledged delivery tracking.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnline Assessment
• Design a balloon stability trackerMedium

  This question evaluates event-driven simulation, time-ordered state management, floating-point numerical evaluation of aggregate functions, and data-structure design for tracking dynamic object states and stability thresholds; it falls under the Coding & Algorithms domain, specifically simulation, event processing, and algorithmic data structures.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Design a circular queue data structureMedium

  This problem tests your ability to implement a fixed-capacity circular queue using a static array, focusing on efficient pointer arithmetic and state management.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Design a queue and analyze tradeoffsMedium

  This question evaluates understanding of FIFO data structures, algorithmic complexity analysis, memory and cache behavior, and concurrent access concerns.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Design a satellite propagation simulatorMedium

  Optiver software-engineer take-home: implement a SatelliteNetwork that simulates timed message propagation over an undirected graph and fires OnSatelliteReportedBack callbacks in deterministic order. It tests graph modeling, discrete-event simulation, priority-queue scheduling, and careful handling of 10s-per-hop forwarding and 30s report timing with tie-breaking by SatelliteId.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Design a subscription push serviceHard

  Design a subscription push service evaluates requirements, scale assumptions, API/data design, architecture, trade-offs, failure modes, and rollout in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerSystem DesignTechnical Screen
• Design a topic-based news subscription systemHard

  This question evaluates system design skills for building a topic-based news subscription service, focusing on streaming ingestion, relevance filtering, sliding-window rate limiting, de-duplication, ordered delivery, and data structure choices for in-memory operation.

  OptiverSoftware EngineerSystem DesignOnline Assessment