Optiver

The interview process

1. 1

   Application

   Official

   Apply through the online form on the role page with an English CV; applications by email are not accepted. You can only be considered for one campus role (one office and one role preference) at a time. No finance background is needed. After an unsuccessful application for a similar role at any office there is an 8-month cooling-off period before you can reapply. Optiver Europe said (FAQ dated 11 June 2026) it expected 2027 campus applications to open around the end of August 2026; this is a forecast, not a confirmed posting date. Eligibility guide for the 2026/27 season: graduating Oct 2023-Oct 2027 suits graduate roles or Career Kickstarter; graduating Nov 2027-Oct 2028 and in your penultimate year suits internships.

2. 2

   Application review

   Official

   Optiver aims to contact all Europe candidates within 7 working days (longer in busy periods) and the US team aims to update you within a week of applying. If your application proceeds you are sent online assessments and, by submitting, you confirm you can take them within 7 days.

3. 3

   Online assessments

   Official

   The process starts with online assessments. Calculators are not allowed (Sydney FAQ). You can only attempt the assessments once every 8 months across all offices and roles, and earlier scores carry over for similar roles. Resets and retakes are not offered once an attempt has started. Technical roles (software, FPGA) use a HackerRank coding assessment instead.

4. 4

   Online assessment modules (trading and research)

   Reported

   Candidates report timed modules covering mental arithmetic, number sequences (NumberLogic), probability (Beat the Odds) and short cognitive games (Zap-N). Reports for 2026/27 add Likelihood-list, Intervals and Orderbooks modules. The classic 80-questions-in-8-minutes arithmetic test is no longer confirmed. Optiver does not publish the modules; treat as unofficial.

5. 5

   Behavioural interview

   Official

   A first interview with a recruiter covers motivation and fit. Optiver suggests telling your recruiter about competing offers or deadlines here. For the Sydney quantitative trading route the stated flow is Application, Online assessment, Behavioural interview, Final interview day; quantitative research adds a technical assignment before the final interview.

6. 6

   Technical interviews and final round

   Official

   US campus process: online assessment, then behavioural and technical interviews, then a final virtual interview with the hiring team; no technical preparation is needed for the final interview and no finance knowledge is required. Candidates report probability and expected-value questions, market-making games and, on final day, trading games with other candidates and more senior interviewers. Round counts vary by role and office.

7. 7

   Early programmes (FutureFocus and Career Kickstarter)

   Official

   Both use Application, Online assessment, then behavioural and/or technical interviews. Programmes are five days in person (Amsterdam for Europe), with travel and accommodation covered; you must already hold the visa or travel authorisation to attend. Strong performers can receive a fast-tracked internship offer (FutureFocus) or a full-time graduate offer (Career Kickstarter). Applicants must be studying at a university in the region the programme is hosted for.

8. 8

   Decision

   Official

   The US team aims to reply within one week of the final interview; tell your recruiter early if you hold an exploding offer. Feedback on applications and assessments is generally not given. Graduates start with a 12-week Global Optiver Academy in Amsterdam.