Optiver OA Interview Record｜Programhelp assist students with the whole process + real questions.

Optiver, as one of the top market makers in Europe, has always been known for its high-paced and logical interviews for technical positions. Recently, we at Programhelp have received a number of requests for Optiver's coaching from our students, some of whom have successfully landed Quant/Tech positions. Today, we're going to break it down: What is the whole interview process? What are the key preparation directions for each round? What are the types of questions + suggestions for landing the job?

Round 1: OA Online Assessment (math problems + reaction trivia game)

Optiver's OA is not like other companies, it's not pure LeetCode, but a set of trivia game + 3 calculation-based questions. The game will test you on number matching, graphic memorization, reaction speed, etc. It's very much a test of your concentration. Most of the math questions are probability + DP combination questions, such as "how many times a random event occurs, what is the expected value", the reasoning logic should be clear, and the formula should not be messed up.

We have had feedback from students that the time is very tight, especially for the last two questions, so make sure to rationalize the order to ensure that the easy ones in front of you get a solid score. If you are not familiar with this type of question, we recommend doing training in advance, or letting us help you to restore the style of the questions.

Round 2: Tech Tech Breakout (Trader Cooperative Challenge)

This round was very special, as we worked with a Trader to complete three rounds of a "logic game". The first two rounds are static, such as card combinations and dice probability calculations, which are basically high school math, but you have to be able to explain your logic.

In the third round, time limits and information interference will be added, for example, the interviewer will interrupt you when you are solving a question and change the question set to see if you can still maintain clear thinking under pressure. Although the questions are very interesting, the core of the test is your decision-making ability + communication skills, and Trader wants teammates who can keep up with the pace.

Round 3: HR interview (communication + culture match)

HR interviews are often thought of as "going through the motions," but here at Optiver it's also an assessment session, especially your knowledge of the company culture and the position. hr will ask you about your relocate acceptance, preferences for pace of work, and how you've adapted to a fast-paced, high-feedback work environment.

One of our trainees clearly stated that she would like to go to Chicago and gave examples of her decision-making experience in a university program, and HR gave positive feedback on the spot. the key point is clear attitude + natural examples.

Round 4: QR Math Logic Side (Deduction Skills Challenge)

The fourth round was more academic, hosted by a technical member of the QR team, and asked questions on number theory, combinations, conditional probability, and intellectual reasoning. This round is less about code and more about your basic math skills and problem solving strategies.

As an example, a question will ask: "two bags respectively have a number of red and white balls, each time from a different bag to take the ball, to find the probability of meeting a certain condition". If you have a solid foundation, this type of question is actually very clear set, but if you usually do not practice, it is easy to calculate incomplete or not enough time.

We will organize high-frequency questions and answer templates in advance to help students avoid getting stuck.

Round 5: Take-home Assignment (option model realization)

The final round is a small project that requires you to complete an implementation of a Black-Scholes model and write a short version of an option pricing system in Python within a week. You are not looking for a fancy UI for this part, but clear logic and proper data structure are crucial.

A VO will also be arranged after the implementation so that you can explain your implementation path, algorithmic thinking, and model understanding to QR's engineers. If you can clearly explain the core formula of the BS model and how to optimize the computational efficiency, it will be easy to get a high score.

We will help students to sort out the model structure, optimize the readability of the code, and conduct multiple rounds of explanation and rehearsal to ensure that no mistakes are made during the defense session.

Optiver OA Question Reduction

Optiver OA - Numbers Station

1. Problem Description

A friend asks you to help decipher messages from a local numbers station. The station broadcasts coded messages with the following characteristics.

• Each voice sample has a sequence ID (number) followed by a character or a hyphen (-).
• The sequence ID helps order the messages.
• A complete message is a continuous set of characters surrounded by two hyphens (-).
• If a message is never completed (missing sequence IDs), it's ignored.
• Once a full message is completed, any later - completed messages with a lower sequence ID are not useful and shouldn't be output . Only the latest (highest sequence ID) message should be output if multiple are completed at the same time.
• A full broadcast can have multiple complete messages, and each should be output.

2. Function Description

Implement the ProcessSample function that takes.

• A sequence number for the sample.
• The character for the sample.
• Whenever a full message is completed, call the OnMessageComplete function with the complete message.

3. Constraints

0 < sequence id < 2^64 - 1
number of messages ≥ 1

4. Input Format

For each line, the first string is the sequence number associated with the sample, and the second character is the character related to the sequence number .

5. Sample Cases

Sample Case 0

Sample Input

1 -
2 h
3 e
4 l
5 l
6 o
7 -
8 b

Sample Output

Hello.

Sample Case 1

Sample Input

1 -
2 b
3 y
5 -
6 h
7 i
8 -
4 e

Sample Output

hi

Sample Case 2

Sample Input

1 -
2 h
3 e
4 l
5 l
6 o
7 -
8 b
9 y
10 e
11 -

Sample Output

hello.
bye

6. Code Framework (Python - partial)

class MessageDecoder.
    def __init__(self).
        self.samples = []
        self.messages = []
        # You may need additional data structures to manage sequence IDs and message building

    def ProcessSample(self, sequence_number, character):: # Implement logic to process each sequence ID and message building.
        # Implement logic to process each sample, build messages, and call OnMessageComplete
        pass

    def OnMessageComplete(self, message): # This function should be called when a sample is being processed.
        # This function should be called when a message is complete
        print(message)

High-frequency questions + summary of techniques (adapted for OA)

To help you get a clearer grasp of the key points, we've compiled some Optiver OA high-frequency question types and response strategies:

• Mini-games: reaction time, attention switching, number tracking
  Suggest BrainCog, Human Benchmark to practice basic reactions!
• Math problems: probabilistic expectations (dice/cards/arrangements), combinatorial problems, dynamic programming (paths/backpacks/probabilistic superposition)
  Proficiency in state compression / dynamic optimization techniques, don't be too slow on the problems!
• Computational/numerical simulation: accuracy, rounding errors, matrix state changes
  Focus on boundary judgment, abnormal input handling

Programhelp Helps You Sprint for Optiver Offer

Optiver's written test and interview process is really unusual, especially the mix of trivia games, math derivation, logic challenges, which can be a bit uncomfortable for many students at first. programhelp team has helped many students successfully get offers from top quantitative/technology companies such as Optiver, HRT, Jane Street, etc. We can help you with different interview rounds, and we can offer you some advice on how to get the most out of the interview process. different interview rounds, we can provide:

• OA traceless on-line ghostwriting: Traceless operation through remote control to ensure security.
• Mathematical question reasoning and combing: probability/DP/expectation type of questions one-on-one explanation, to open up the idea of doing questions
• Take-home project technical support: modeling ideas, code implementation structure, defense ideas, full process assistance
• VO Interview Assist: Logical disassembly, language paraphrase, technical explanation expression simulation, so that you can say, speak clearly

If you're also preparing for an OA, technical interview, or take-home assignment at Optiver, feel free to private message us for a one-on-one packet and personalized coaching advice.

azn7u2@gmail.com

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