Frankly, I think all these brainteaser interview questions are overrated. If I were an interviewer, I would not put a lot of emphasis on them. There are more important qualities that make a trader than intelligence. Of course, you gotta be smart but intelligence is not priority numero uno on my list. You could be a guy from MENSA but not trade well. Ironic huh? Dunno why society thinks intelligence = success and wealth.
People with IQs of 200 are far and few between and I know for a fact that they do not make up a large portion of the trading industry. It sounds like you are just thoughtlessly throwing random numbers out there. Do you have anything to back any of this up? Please give me an example of what an average Harvard student could do in his head that separates them from us simple state school folks to the point where you need to inflate their grades even more then they are already inflated.
Harvard guy or an Ivy guy for that matter thinks differently. Heck, I would bet that he shits and wipes his ass differently also. No joke again. Enough said. Sorry, no time for a longer and a better answer. Your mentality and attitude is not ready for trading. That said, don't let me or anyone stop you from pursuing your career as a trader. By all means, go for it. Good luck.
Trading is all mathematical to me. It's emotionless. It's logic, probability, and statistics. It's a game that's constantly adjusting and you have to adjust. I think you always have to explore and change your methods when you have a good reason. The number one priority is to control risk so you don't go broke. The number two priority is to maximize profits. Are firms looking for something else? This is what I want to do and I want to do it like a champ. And you state, "Your mentality and attitude is not ready for trading". So does that Ivy League thought process that you so highly speak of involve making assumptions and pretending they are fact?
Why are y'all so hard on the kid? If his credentials are less than stellar than that just means he's going to have to work harder than everyone else.
I've had people attack me in threads only to PM me and say...look I know I was being tough, but this is a tough world and then actually give me solid advice. I don't really understand it. I'm not interested in whose the toughest guy on these forums. I just want to learn as much as I can so I can make correct decisions. I've been on these forums a short period, but I have gotten great insight, logical advice, advice filled with logical fallacies, information with evidence, and unsupported statements that look 100% made up. So it seems to be a mixed bag on these boards. I try to take each post independently.