The Jane Street interview process is famously rigorous and math-heavy, designed to test problem-solving skills, clear thinking, and communication under pressure. What They Look For
• Mathematical maturity
• Creative, logical thinking
• Clarity of thought and expression
• Comfort with abstraction
• Ability to learn quickly
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
1. Initial Phone/Zoom Screen
• Mental math: Fast, accurate calculations without a calculator (e.g., expected values, probability puzzles, number manipulation).
• Logic and probability puzzles: Think of problems involving coins, dice, cards, or Bayesian reasoning. It’s less about prior knowledge and more about thinking out loud and asking the right questions.
• Communication: They want to see how clearly and precisely you explain your thought process.
2. Follow-up Technical Interviews
• More in-depth problems: These might be longer or more open-ended than the initial screen. They often involve iterating on a solution as the interviewer adds constraints.
• Game theory, probability, statistics, estimation questions.
• Programming (if applicable): For quant research roles, there might be some Python or OCaml-style thinking, but usually less coding and more algorithmic logic.
The process began with serveral online tests for maths and logic. They gave a personal interview to get to know the candidate better and evaluate fit for the company/role, then held a technical interview covering maths and logic problems.
Fun and filled with unexpected questions. The questions rely on fast thinking and fast calculations, and sometimes intuition because there is no sufficient time for me to work through the whole problem.
We started with a bit of small talk, followed by some probability questions. Ended with some basic algebra questions, Make sure to ask questions if you have any. Good experience, feels like the interviewer was trading.