Akuna Capital The Virtual Onsite is fast-paced and the overall experience is on the high intensity side. For SDEs, the process is usually divided into two parts: technical + behavioral. The technical side focuses on algorithms and system design, but questions will be asked in the context of financial trading-related scenarios; the behavioral side is more like checking whether you are suitable for their fast-paced, high-stress work environment.
My round of VO was scheduled in a morning, and the breaks between the three interviews were very short, almost immediately after the end of the next one, which was a great test of mental adjustment and physical strength.
Interview process sharing
The first one is an algorithm question, two questions with a time limit of 45 minutes, the interviewer gave the questions directly in the shared IDE and wrote them while talking. The first question was a modified version of Interval Merging, but with weighted computational logic; the second question was Order Matching Simulation, to simulate the process of trade order aggregation, which obviously brings a little bit of financial business background. The interviewer gave very few hints, but responded very quickly, and if you were on the right track, he would immediately ask you to continue in-depth.
The second one is system design. The scenario given by the interviewer was "design a real-time trading data push system", which required consideration of latency, data consistency and scalability. I first drew a data flow diagram, from the exchange → data access layer → cache → client push, explaining the role of each layer and possible technical options. The interviewer would ask follow-up questions, such as "what if the market surges 10 times" and "how to ensure that the client data is synchronized", and this part of the interview really exercises on-the-spot thinking.
The third was a behavioral interview, which focused on talking about project experience and how you work under pressure. They paid a lot of attention to the way you communicate when working in a team and how you react when you encounter unexpected problems. I cited a case of a sudden exception in the production environment in a previous project, and told how I quickly located the problem, contacted the relevant people, and launched a temporary solution in a short period of time. The interviewer was very interested in this example.
My feelings
Akuna's VO is not just a technical test, it is also a test of how you react in a high-pressure, fast decision-making environment. The interview is fast-paced and the questions have a business context, so if you only prepared pure algorithmic questions, you might be a bit uncomfortable. My suggestion is that besides brushing up on the questions, you should also think more about how to combine algorithms and business.
FAQ
Q: Will the interview questions be very finance-oriented?
A: It won't be particularly deep financial knowledge, but many of the questions will carry transaction scenarios that require an understanding of business logic.
Q: Were the interviewers friendly?
A: Overall professional, but fast paced and don't spend a lot of time making small talk.
Q: What languages do I need to prepare?
A: Python and C++ are both fine, the point is to write fast and with fewer bugs.
with respect to PROGRAMHELP
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