Quant interview prep guides

Market Making Speed vs Accuracy Interview

Market making speed vs accuracy interview guide for quoting quickly without losing fair-value, spread, inventory, and update discipline.

Candidates who freeze or rush in trading-game rounds.

Fast quotes still need structure

Speed matters in live games, but the quote still needs fair value, spread, and a reason. A fast unsupported number is fragile.

Use a small checklist

Before quoting, check midpoint, spread, inventory, and any new information. This takes seconds once practiced.

Concrete example

A quick answer can be: fair value 50, quoting 48 at 52, wider because the estimate is noisy and I am currently flat.

Approximate deliberately

Round when it saves time, but state that you are approximating and keep the direction of the adjustment correct.

Recover cleanly

If you make an arithmetic mistake, correct it and update the quote. Recovery is better than defending a broken number.

Common mistakes

Candidates either freeze trying to be exact or rush into quotes without a value estimate. Practice should target both failure modes.

Practice the pattern

Use the LeetQuidity curriculum and calibration to turn this topic into a focused practice plan.