Quant interview prep guides

Trading Game State Tracking Interview

Trading game state tracking interview guide for maintaining inventory, cash, fair value, information, and risk across rounds.

Candidates practicing multi-step trading games.

State is the current game snapshot

State includes inventory, cash, fair value estimate, known information, risk limits, and any active quote or timing rule.

Update after every event

A trade, clue, or rule change should trigger a state update before the next decision.

Concrete example

After a customer buys two units from your ask, your state changes: cash increases, inventory decreases or becomes short, and the trade may inform fair value.

Use short summaries

Say the state out loud when useful: short two units, fair value 50, last trade was buyer-initiated, risk still within limit.

State drives policy

The next quote should follow from the current state, not from the quote you gave before the state changed.

Common mistakes

Candidates often remember the last price but not the position or information that came with it.

Practice the pattern

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