QUANT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Interview Preparation Overview

Preparing for a quantitative research interview is a bit tricky. It is an interview designed to help the interviewer understand how you brainstorm and answer, or it may also include specific references, including financial terms, mathematical models, and economic theory. The hiring manager will assess these skills through logical problems and brain teasers.

If you are worried about acing the interview, look no further. This article covers some major perspectives and will provide almost all the insight required for a successful quantitative interview.

What does a quant interview look like?

Appearing for a quantitative analyst interview is no piece of cake but requires high analytical skills. Initially, the interviewer may ask you to complete a 30-minute online assessment with a company representative. The most common tools a company uses for online assessment are Hireevue and Pymetrics

Nowadays, firms use AI tools to assess the speed and accuracy level of your skills and your knowledge in the field before going through your resume. 

Then an interviewee goes through a 45-60 minute interpersonal interview which can be virtual or physical. In an in-person interview, you will be handed a pen and paper for your calculations. You will be provided with a virtual board or Google Docs in virtual interviews. 

In these cases, you must stay mindful and not get hung up on the terms you are not acquainted with. Instead, confidently communicate what you are processing in your mind. In this interview phase, the interviewer will assess your in-depth knowledge of the concepts related to the industry and will evaluate how you manage your time.

How should you prepare for a quantitative interview?

Each company has its interview protocol. Here are some basic steps to prepare for a quant interview that comes common with every organization. 

• Keep yourself updated with changing trends and business issues in markets. 
• Enhance your financial vocabulary. 
• To work with quantitative data easily, master the art of mental math. 
• Connect with a person who has a detailed understanding of quant roles. 
• Attend sessions with the employers to learn about the firm’s interview processes. 
• Understand the firm’s working philosophy. 
• Prepare yourself to devote several weeks to becoming acquainted with the financial terms and become familiar with the different types of quantitative interview questions. 

Basic Personality/Standard Interview Questions

By asking basic personality questions, the hiring manager wants to evaluate your confidence, your real personality, and why your experience makes you fit for the job. The hiring manager may ask question about what you have already mentioned in the interview.

Here are some basic questions you must prepare 

• Tell me about yourself. 
• Are you a risk-seeking personality? Give an example
• What are your weaknesses and strengths? 
• What makes you fit for this job? 
• Which book have you gone through to prepare for quant, and how has it proven helpful? 
• Name one ideal personality which influenced you most to get into this industry. 

Brainteasers/Quantitative Interview Questions

Quantitative interview questions always come with trickiness and require instant brainstorming to answer them. Here are the most asked brainteasers in quant interview

• If you look at the clock and it shows 12.15, what is the angle between the minute hand and the hour hand? 

• A bus travels a distance of 60 miles at an average speed of 30 MPH. How fast would the bus travel to the 60-mile distance average of 60 MPH?

• How many dairy milk chocolates were sold in the US last year? 

• Tell me about the total numbers between 1 and 100 when added together.

What traits are firms seeking in quant candidates?

For analytical roles, organizations seek candidates with high computational skills and strong logical reasoning-solving abilities. Because these organizations operate fast, and staff can have financial impacts, interviewers seek to assess an individual with critical thinking skills, creativity, and the ability to work under high pressure. 

Books to read for Acing a Quantitative Analyst Interview

Various books are available on quant interview preparation, which will help you prepare for the interview and guide you to ace the interview. Some of them include 

• Heard on The Street: Quantitative Questions from Wall Street Job Interviews- Timothy Falcon Crack
• Quant Job Interview Questions And Answers- Mark S. Joshi, Nick Denson, Andrew Downes
• A Practical Guide To Quantitative Finance Interviews- Xinfeng Zhou
• Cracking the Finance Quant Interview: 75 Interview Questions and Solutions (2020) by Jean Peyre