Optiver Online Assessment and Interview Process

Optiver's hiring process has four broad stages: an online assessment, a behavioural interview with a recruiter, technical interviews or a technical assignment depending on the role, and a final round. The online assessment comes first, and you get one attempt every 8 months.

Everything below comes from Optiver's own recruiting FAQs and interview guides, linked as we go. Optiver runs separate processes by region and role, so we say which office each detail comes from. Where Optiver doesn't say something, we say so.

The Optiver hiring process at a glance

What is the Optiver interview process?

Optiver's US campus Q&A puts it simply: the process "starts with an online assessment followed by behavioral and technical interviews", and ends with a virtual interview with the hiring team. Its internships page adds that you connect with a recruiter early on, and that you'll meet team members, including senior leaders.

The steps vary by role. Optiver's Sydney campus FAQ lists them for each track:

Other offices may differ, and the Sydney programmes are for candidates in Australia and New Zealand only. Optiver's advice on anything you read about its process is to ask your recruiter.

What happens when you apply to Optiver?

You apply through the role listing on Optiver's careers page. Optiver's Europe recruitment FAQ says it doesn't accept applications, CVs or cover letters by email, and that it aims to contact every candidate within 7 working days. Its US Q&A says it tries to give an update within a week.

• Mark Optiver as a safe sender. Confirmation emails can land in spam.
• Pick one campus role. In the US, you're considered for one campus role at a time.
• No finance background is needed. Optiver says many new hires knew nothing about trading before joining.
• Updating your CV? Optiver Europe asks you to raise changes with your recruiter in your first interview.

What is the Optiver online assessment?

The online assessment is the first test after you apply, taken on the Optiver Assessment Portal. Optiver doesn't publish what the trading and research assessments contain, how long they take or how they're scored. What it does say:

• One attempt every 8 months. Across all offices and roles, according to its Sydney FAQ. If you've taken the same assessment components for a similar role in that time, your earlier scores carry over and you won't get a new invitation.
• No retakes. Optiver Europe says it can't offer resets or retakes within 8 months once you've started an attempt, even after technical problems.
• No calculators. The Sydney FAQ says calculators aren't permitted.
• Software and FPGA use HackerRank. Sydney's Software HackerRank assessment can be done in C++, Java or Python. The FPGA HackerRank assessment covers digital circuit design, FPGAs and some hardware code comprehension, with snippets in VHDL and Verilog.
• Choose your language. The US Q&A says online assessments show the languages they support.
• Complete it within the deadline. If you can't, Optiver's Sydney team asks you to email them before it passes.

On preparation, Optiver's US Q&A says the process tests problem solving, logic and reasoning "in different formats". You don't need trading knowledge, but it suggests practising "mental math and strategy games". It also says being good at mental maths is "necessary but insufficient" for trading: you also need to make quick decisions and stay calm under pressure, and those are assessed throughout.

For the coding assessment, our guide to HackerRank tests explains how the platform works.

Before you start the assessment

• Use a stable connection and a suitable device. Optiver Europe suggests syncing your device clock, turning off any VPN and trying another device if you can't log in.
• Do it when you're fresh. One attempt has to last you 8 months.
• If you're interviewing elsewhere, Optiver Europe recommends finishing its assessments as soon as possible.

What happens in the Optiver behavioural interview?

This is your first interview, with a member of Optiver's recruitment team. Optiver Europe describes it as the place to raise competing deadlines, CV updates and internship timing. Optiver's interview tips for software engineers say it wants to understand "what drives you", how you work in a team and how you approach challenges.

Optiver's advice: reflect on past projects, internships and team activities, use the STAR method, practise out loud and be authentic. It says it wants the real you, without a rehearsed script. It also encourages you to ask about life at Optiver.

What happens in the Optiver technical interview?

For software roles, Optiver says it doesn't rely on standard Leetcode puzzles or brainteasers. Its technical interviews are discussions that feel like solving a problem with a colleague. Its software engineering guide says to prepare:

• A major object-oriented language (C++, Java or Python), with its standard libraries, collections and algorithms.
• Data structures, including time and space complexity and how they work in memory.
• Fundamentals: computer architecture, networking, concurrency and memory management.
• Explaining your design choices. Expect "Why did you make this design decision?" Ask clarifying questions about load, latency and edge cases first.

For FPGA technical interviews you code in Verilog or VHDL. For software you can use whichever language you're most comfortable with. Research and market risk candidates in Sydney do a technical assignment instead of a technical interview; Optiver doesn't publish what it contains.

What happens in the Optiver final round?

The final round is with the team you'd join. In Sydney, the software final day is two technical interviews and one behavioural; FPGA is one of each. Optiver's US Q&A says all US campus final rounds are virtual, that final interviews don't need technical preparation, and that Optiver sends resources beforehand. Optiver says its staff typically dress casually, and encourages you to wear whatever is most comfortable.

What happens after the Optiver interviews?

Optiver says it tries to get back to you within a week of interviewing. If you have a competing offer deadline, tell your recruiter; Optiver says it will try to accommodate it. It doesn't give specific feedback to each candidate because of application volumes.

If you're unsuccessful, Optiver Europe has an 8-month waiting period before you can apply for a similar role again. Optiver's US campus Q&A says you can reapply for the same role once the next recruitment season begins.

What does Optiver look for?

Optiver's US Q&A describes its people as "team players" who are constantly looking to improve, curious about other perspectives and active in discussions. Its internships page lists four traits:

For trading, add quick decision-making and staying calm under pressure.

Common Optiver interview questions and how to answer them

Optiver doesn't publish its interview questions. The questions below are types to prepare for, built from the topics and qualities Optiver lists.

1. Why Optiver?

Be specific about the work: market making, the technology, or the training programme. Optiver's software guide says research makes the interview more useful for both sides, so mention something you've read on its site and connect it to your role.

2. Why trading, research or engineering?

Optiver asks you to reflect on your motivations. Give a concrete reason: a project, a course or a problem you enjoyed. No finance background is required, so focus on the problems that interest you.

3. Tell me about a time you worked in a team towards a shared goal.

Optiver says collaboration comes first. Use STAR, name your own contribution and show how you used other people's ideas.

4. Tell me about a time you had to decide quickly with incomplete information.

Optiver says traders need to decide quickly and stay calm under pressure. Pick an example from sport, games, work or study. Say what you knew, what you didn't, what you chose and what you'd change.

5. Tell me about a mistake you made and what you changed.

Optiver values continuous improvement. Own the mistake, keep the story short and spend most of your answer on what you did differently afterwards.

6. Describe something you taught yourself.

"Drive to learn" is one of Optiver's four traits. Describe how you learned it: where you started, how you checked your understanding and what you built.

7. How would you approach this problem? (Probability or reasoning)

Optiver says its process tests problem solving, logic and reasoning. Set out your assumptions, work step by step and say your reasoning aloud. If you get stuck, say what you'd try next.

8. Walk me through how you'd design this system.

For software roles, ask clarifying questions about load, latency and edge cases first. Draw a quick labelled diagram, as Optiver's guide suggests, and explain each choice.

9. Why did you choose this data structure?

Optiver says performance matters, so be ready to compare options by time and space complexity and explain how the structure works under the hood.

10. The interviewer points out a problem with your design. What now?

Optiver says to engage with the hint and explain how you'd reconsider. Treat it as a discussion with a colleague.

11. Tell me about a time you questioned the usual way of doing something.

Optiver lists an entrepreneurial mindset, where "questioning the norm" is encouraged. Describe the norm, why you challenged it, what you proposed and the result.

12. What questions do you have for us?

Optiver encourages questions about life at the firm. Ask about training, how traders and engineers work together, or what a new joiner works on first.

How to prepare for the Optiver online assessment and interviews

1. Read the FAQ for your office. Optiver publishes separate ones for Europe, the US and Sydney, and the details differ.
2. Practise mental maths without a calculator, plus strategy games, as Optiver suggests. Keep it timed.
3. For software, practise coding on HackerRank in C++, Java or Python, then review data structures and fundamentals.
4. Take the assessment once you're ready, on a reliable device and connection. You won't get another attempt for 8 months.
5. Prepare four or five STAR stories on teamwork, learning, mistakes and pressure. Practise them in a mock interview.
6. Read the tips document if Optiver sends one with your confirmation email; its Sydney team points candidates to it.
7. Tell your recruiter about other deadlines early.

Practising realistic work tasks

Optiver's interviews test how you reason through real problems, and that improves with practice on realistic tasks. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. It isn't affiliated with Optiver and doesn't use Optiver's assessments or interview questions.

FAQs

Can I retake the Optiver online assessment?

Not within 8 months. Optiver says it can't reset or retake an assessment once an attempt has started, and that you can take its assessments once every 8 months. Earlier scores are reused if you apply for a similar role in that time.

Can I use a calculator in the Optiver assessment?

No. Optiver's Sydney campus FAQ says calculators aren't permitted.

Does Optiver use HackerRank?

Yes, for software and FPGA roles. Optiver's Sydney FAQ names a Software HackerRank assessment (C++, Java or Python) and an FPGA HackerRank assessment.

Do I need finance knowledge for Optiver?

No. Optiver says no financial experience is needed, and that you don't need trading knowledge to do well in its interviews.

How long does it take to hear back from Optiver?

Optiver aims to reply within a week of applying (7 working days in Europe) and within a week after an interview. It doesn't publish an end-to-end timeline.

Are Optiver final rounds in person?

Optiver's US campus final rounds are all virtual, according to its September 2025 Q&A. Other offices don't say, so ask your recruiter.

How soon can I reapply to Optiver?

Optiver Europe has an 8-month waiting period after an unsuccessful application for a similar role. For US campus roles, you can reapply for the same role in the next recruitment season.

Sources

Optiver's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:

• optiver.com: Applying to Optiver Europe: Recruitment FAQ (11 June 2026)
• optiver.com: Optiver US campus recruiting Q&A (22 September 2025)
• optiver.com: Optiver Sydney Campus recruiting FAQs (5 January 2026)
• optiver.com: Optiver interview tips for Software Engineers (21 March 2025)
• optiver.com: Internships