Optiver

• Best graduate compensation in AU — significantly above market ($120k–$180k+ for grads)
• Intellectually stimulating work — real-time systems, quantitative research, trading algorithms
• Learn from world-class quantitative researchers and engineers
• Small team — high ownership and responsibility from day one
• Direct meritocracy — performance is measurable and rewarded

• Toxic culture reports — high-stress, ruthless performance management
• Homogeneous workforce — limited diversity in practice
• Very limited WFH — essentially no remote work
• Long hours normalised — 50–60hr weeks common
• Culture described as "unwelcoming" for those outside dominant demographic
• Very high pressure environment — burnout is a real risk

"Mental arithmetic speed test: rapid-fire questions like 17 × 23, 144 ÷ 12, 15% of 480. You have seconds per question."

💡 Optiver tests raw numerical fluency — not calculator-assisted thinking. Practice mental maths daily for weeks before the assessment.

"Probability: If you roll two fair six-sided dice, what is the probability that the sum is greater than 9?"

💡 Answer: 6/36 = 1/6. Combinations that sum to 10+: (4,6),(5,5),(5,6),(6,4),(6,5),(6,6). Optiver tests probability from first principles.

"Estimation: How many golf balls fit inside a Boeing 747?"

💡 Fermi estimation — they want to see structured reasoning, not a correct answer. Break it down: fuselage volume (~800 m³) → cabin space → ball volume → packing efficiency.

"Design a data structure for a trading order book that can process 1 million price updates per second with O(1) best bid/ask lookup."

💡 Tests low-latency systems thinking. Expected answer involves a sorted map/skip list or price-bucketed array with careful memory layout.

"Why Optiver specifically — and why quantitative trading? What draws you to market making over other engineering or finance roles?"

💡 They want genuine intellectual curiosity about markets, not "because it pays well". Research how market makers profit from the bid-ask spread.

"A coin is flipped until two consecutive heads appear. What is the expected number of flips?"

💡 Classic probability puzzle — answer is 6. Set up recurrence: E = 2 + (1/2)E + (1/4)×0... Optiver uses this style to test probabilistic reasoning under pressure.