I applied online. I interviewed at Morgan Stanley (Los Angeles, CA) in Jan 2013
Interview
Round one screening multiple choice written test with questions regarding mathematics (probability, statistics, linear algebra), finance (general terms), financial math (stochastic processes, bond duration calculation, option pricing - binary trees, etc.), and general programming (either c++ or java). The test was pretty difficult with little to no knowledge beforehand of what was going to be included.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Many pricing problems, which probably could have been solved with basic knowledge of bond duration or option pricing formulas
I applied in-person. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at Morgan Stanley
Interview
I had 17 interviews with 17 different people. Five were over the phone, 12 were in person over the course of two days. Every single person I talked to left a positive impression on me - some asked difficult questions but were willing to help you out if you show you are heading in the right direction. Many resume-focused questions. Also, they asked a lot about the current market. One interviewer asked me to model and estimate the most recent time that no one was born in a day. Another took out a stopwatch and asked several math and finance questions rapid fire.
There was an exam - 60-80 questions in finance, math, mathematical finance, and programming. The test was very difficult but they don't seem to use it too much in the decision making process. You have an hour to complete it and its graded like the SATs - you get points for correct answers, points off for incorrect answers, and nothing for questions left blank.
They really value communication skills and fit. I was told this over and over again after my interviews.
Finally, they are typically very receptive to questions about the position, about the market, and about the company in general during the interview process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
You have a sequence of integers from 1-10 and can choose four such that no two are adjacent to each other. In other words, 1 3 5 7 and 2 4 7 9 works but 1 2 5 7 doesn't work. How many combinations are there?