Optiver Interview Prep
How to prepare for Optiver style trading interviews, including mental math, probability, market making games, and speed under pressure.
Candidates preparing for Optiver and similar market maker interviews.
What to expect
Optiver preparation should emphasize speed with control: mental math, probability, market making, and trading games. The bar is not only getting numbers quickly, but staying accurate when the tempo rises.
Concrete example
A trading game may ask you to quote a value repeatedly after new information. Your quote should reflect the estimate, uncertainty, and inventory. If your spread never changes, you probably are not using the game feedback.
How to practice
Use a rotation: mental math, probability, market making game, review. Keep the review short and specific. Track whether errors come from arithmetic, model setup, or quote discipline.
Timed practice balance
Timed sets are useful only if review catches the failure mode. Separate misses caused by speed pressure from misses caused by weak probability models or quote logic.
Common mistakes
Candidates chase speed before accuracy. Another mistake is doing mental math drills in isolation and then failing to apply the numbers inside a trading decision.
Practice the pattern
Use the LeetQuidity curriculum and calibration to turn this topic into a focused practice plan.