quant skills ( VAR, greek analysis?)

Discussion in 'Professional Trading' started by congoboy, Jan 4, 2008.

  1. - Why are manhole covers round? (an easy one to start the interview with)

    - How many grains of sand on the beach?

    Both have been used in quant interviews - I kid you not! The importance is on the thought process - especially for the second one.

    Most quants these days prepare for the brainteasers. The ones that came in expecting BSM and Sobolev space questions (PDE sheah) got quite a shock.
     
    #41     Feb 1, 2008
  2. I know the 1st, but not the 2nd. How big is the beach? :D
     
    #42     Feb 1, 2008
  3. You won't be given dimensions, or anything. You have to demonstrate to the interviewers how you'd go about finding this out and obtaining the various estimates (area, depth, particle density, etc). There is no one correct answer, in fact by the end of it all a numerical answer is not necessarily expected.

    Like I said, it is designed to test your thought process. The textbook guys always have problems with this one.
     
    #43     Feb 1, 2008
  4. TSSOX

    TSSOX

    google and find a ton of questions like the previous ones, here:

    Basic C++ :
    • When would you use a pointer/reference?
    • What is the most difficult program you have had to write?
    - Write a program to produce the Fibonacci series?
    - You are gambling on the roll of a fair six sided dice, in this game if you role a 1 you get $1, if you role a 2 you get $2 if you role a 3 you get $3 and so on. What is the expected return after 100 roles of the dice.
    - How many convergence modes are there?
    good luck
     
    #44     Feb 1, 2008
  5. TSSOX

    TSSOX

    2
     
    #45     Feb 1, 2008
  6. TSSOX

    TSSOX

    answer in 10 minutes:

    Replace the # sign with any correct mathematical functions, so that all statements are accurate.
    can change the "#" for anything U like!

    1 # 1 # 1 = 6
    2 # 2 # 2 = 6
    3 # 3 # 3 = 6
    4 # 4 # 4 = 6
    5 # 5 # 5 = 6
    6 # 6 # 6 = 6
    7 # 7 # 7 = 6
    8 # 8 # 8 = 6
    9 # 9 # 9 = 6
     
    #46     Feb 1, 2008
  7. Jimmy3

    Jimmy3

    Sorry but I don't get that. How did you come up with 2 ? :confused:
     
    #47     Feb 1, 2008
  8. TSSOX

    TSSOX

    this is what I found.
     
    • 1q.jpg
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    #48     Feb 2, 2008
  9. viv_zoom

    viv_zoom

    goin by ur equation too the answer should be 4 and not 2
     
    #49     Feb 4, 2008
  10. Jimmy3

    Jimmy3

    How this equation should be solved :confused:
     
    #50     Feb 4, 2008