How to Get a Job at Optiver

Optiver is a global proprietary trading firm specializing in options market making. Founded in 1986 in Amsterdam, the firm has grown into one of the world's largest and most respected market makers, trading on exchanges across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Optiver trades a vast range of financial instruments including equity options, index options, ETFs, futures, bonds, and foreign exchange — providing liquidity and helping ensure that markets function efficiently.

At its core, Optiver's business is about pricing and risk management. The firm continuously quotes bid and ask prices for thousands of options contracts simultaneously, profiting from the spread while carefully managing the risk inherent in each position. This requires sophisticated mathematical models for options pricing, high-speed technology infrastructure that can process market data and execute trades in microseconds, and traders who can make rapid decisions under uncertainty.

Optiver's technology is a major competitive advantage. The firm builds its trading systems in-house using C++ and Python, with a strong emphasis on low-latency performance. Optiver invests heavily in hardware optimization, network engineering, and FPGA-based systems to minimize the time between receiving market data and executing a trade. With over 1,600 employees across offices in Amsterdam, Chicago, Sydney, London, Shanghai, and Austin, Optiver combines the resources of a large firm with the entrepreneurial culture of a trading house. The firm remains privately held and profit-sharing is a key part of its compensation structure, aligning employee incentives with firm performance.

Optiver's culture is defined by its Dutch roots: direct, meritocratic, and team-oriented. The firm is known for its flat hierarchy and open communication style — employees at all levels are encouraged to speak up, challenge ideas, and contribute to decisions. This directness extends to feedback: you'll know exactly where you stand, and the firm expects you to handle constructive criticism gracefully and use it to improve.

The work environment at Optiver is fast-paced and intellectually demanding, but the firm also places a strong emphasis on work-life balance relative to other trading firms. Optiver's offices are designed to be collaborative spaces, and the firm invests in employee well-being through comprehensive benefits, social events, sports teams, and a generous profit-sharing program. The Amsterdam headquarters is particularly known for its vibrant social culture, with regular team outings, office parties, and community events.

One of the defining features of Optiver's culture is its emphasis on mental math and quick thinking. The firm's famous "80 in 8" test — where candidates must solve 80 arithmetic problems in 8 minutes — reflects a genuine cultural value: speed and accuracy in quantitative reasoning are prized above almost everything else. On the trading floor, this translates to an environment where traders are expected to make rapid pricing decisions, manage risk dynamically, and communicate clearly under pressure. New hires go through an intensive training program that covers options theory, trading strategies, and the firm's systems, with experienced traders serving as mentors. Optiver's collaborative culture means you'll be working closely with your team every day, and the firm values people who can both compete and cooperate.

Optiver looks for candidates who combine exceptional mental agility with a competitive, team-oriented personality. The ideal candidate can process information rapidly, make decisions under pressure, and communicate clearly — all at the same time. This reflects the reality of the trading floor, where traders must price options, manage risk, and coordinate with colleagues in real time.

For quantitative trading roles, Optiver values strong mathematical foundations, particularly in probability, statistics, and options pricing theory. Candidates with backgrounds in mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, or economics tend to do well. Competition experience (math olympiads, programming contests, competitive gaming at a high level) is a positive signal because it demonstrates the ability to perform under pressure and think quickly.

Beyond raw intelligence, Optiver places a high premium on personality and cultural fit. The firm wants people who are genuinely competitive but not at the expense of teamwork. You should be energized by fast-paced environments, comfortable with risk, and resilient in the face of losses or mistakes. Optiver explicitly looks for candidates who are fun to work with — people who bring energy to the office, engage in team activities, and contribute to the firm's social culture. During interviews, they assess whether you can stay calm and focused under pressure, take feedback without becoming defensive, and maintain a positive attitude when problems get difficult. Intellectual curiosity and a genuine interest in how markets work are essential — Optiver wants people who are drawn to trading because they find it fascinating, not just lucrative.

Optiver's interview process is known throughout the industry for its distinctive emphasis on mental math and real-time problem-solving. The process typically consists of 4 to 5 rounds and takes 3 to 6 weeks from application to offer. Each round is designed to test a specific set of skills, with the bar set high at every stage.

The general structure is as follows:

• Online math test (1 round): The process begins with Optiver's famous online mental math assessment. This is a timed test where you must solve arithmetic problems rapidly and accurately. It serves as the first filter — candidates who don't meet the speed and accuracy threshold are not advanced, regardless of their other qualifications.
• The "80 in 8" test (1 round): If you pass the initial online assessment, you'll be invited to take the legendary 80-in-8 test, either on-site or via a proctored online platform. In this test, you must correctly solve 80 arithmetic problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division of multi-digit numbers) in just 8 minutes. This is 6 seconds per question, and a passing score typically requires 60+ correct answers. This test is a core part of Optiver's identity and reflects the firm's belief that fast, accurate arithmetic is foundational to trading.
• Phone / video interview (1 round): A 45-60 minute conversation covering probability, options pricing, and market-making scenarios. The interviewer will assess your quantitative reasoning, problem-solving speed, and communication skills.
• On-site interviews (1-2 rounds): The on-site typically lasts a half or full day and includes multiple interviews covering probability, trading simulations, behavioral assessment, and sometimes a second round of mental math. You may participate in a mock trading exercise where you make pricing decisions in a simulated market.

Throughout the process, Optiver evaluates not just your answers but your speed, composure, and adaptability. The ability to stay calm and focused under time pressure is critical — this is the daily reality of an Optiver trader.

Here is a detailed breakdown of what you'll encounter in each stage of the Optiver interview process:

Mental Math Tests: Optiver's math tests are the most iconic part of its hiring process, and they are as challenging as their reputation suggests. The online assessment covers basic arithmetic at high speed, but the 80-in-8 test ramps up the difficulty with larger numbers and tighter time pressure. You'll face problems like 37 × 24, 891 ÷ 9, 456 + 378, and similar calculations that must be solved without a calculator in roughly 6 seconds each. The key to passing is extensive daily practice — most successful candidates have spent weeks or months drilling arithmetic before taking the test. Use tools like Zetamac, Optiver's own practice test (available on their website), and flashcard-based drilling to build your speed.

Probability and Options Pricing: In phone and on-site rounds, expect questions that test your understanding of probability theory and its application to options pricing. You might be asked to price a simple option given certain assumptions, compute the expected payoff of a derivative contract, or reason about how changes in volatility or interest rates affect option values. Familiarity with the Black-Scholes model, put-call parity, the Greeks (delta, gamma, theta, vega), and basic stochastic calculus will serve you well — though you should also be able to reason about options intuitively without relying on formulas.

Market-Making Simulations: Optiver frequently uses trading simulations in their interviews. You'll be placed in a scenario where you must quote bid and ask prices for a security (often an option or an ETF), and the interviewer will simulate market events — new information, large orders, price movements — that require you to adjust your quotes in real time. The key skills being tested are speed of decision-making, risk awareness, and the ability to update beliefs with new information. You'll need to balance the desire to trade (and earn the spread) against the risk of holding a large position in a volatile market. Practice these scenarios with a study partner to build comfort.

Behavioral and Fit Assessment: Optiver places significant weight on personality and cultural fit. Interviewers will assess whether you're someone they'd want to sit next to on a trading floor for 10 hours a day. Be prepared for questions about how you handle pressure, how you react to losing, and whether you enjoy competitive environments. The firm values energy, positivity, and team orientation. Share examples of competitive activities you've participated in — sports, gaming, debate, competitions — and demonstrate that you can be intensely competitive while remaining a good teammate. Showing genuine enthusiasm for trading and markets (not just the compensation) goes a long way at Optiver.

The mental math tests are the first and most critical hurdle in Optiver's interview process. If you don't pass them, nothing else matters — you won't advance to subsequent rounds. The good news is that mental math speed is a trainable skill, and with consistent practice, most quantitatively-oriented candidates can reach the required level.

Begin your preparation at least 6-8 weeks before applying. Start with Zetamac (zetamac.com), the most popular arithmetic drilling tool among trading firm applicants. Set the timer to 2 minutes and practice all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) with numbers up to 3 digits. Track your score daily and aim for steady improvement. A competitive score is 50+ correct in 2 minutes; top candidates score 70+.

For the 80-in-8 specifically, you need to sustain speed and accuracy over a longer period. Practice doing sets of 80 problems in 8 minutes to build endurance. Use Optiver's own practice test (available on their careers page) to familiarize yourself with the exact format and difficulty level. Learn arithmetic shortcuts: multiplying by 11 (38 × 11 = 418), squaring numbers ending in 5 (35² = 1225), and breaking complex multiplications into simpler parts (27 × 16 = 27 × 8 × 2 = 432). These techniques can save 1-2 seconds per problem, which adds up significantly over 80 questions.

Practice daily without exception. Even 15 minutes per day will produce significant improvement over several weeks. Consider tracking your scores in a spreadsheet to visualize your progress and identify which operations are weakest. Many successful candidates report that arithmetic speed improves rapidly for the first few weeks and then plateaus — if you hit a plateau, focus on your weakest operation types and work on reducing error rates rather than raw speed.

Since Optiver is primarily an options market maker, a strong understanding of options pricing theory is essential for both the interview process and success on the job. You don't need to be a financial engineer, but you must be comfortable with the core concepts that drive options valuation and risk management.

Start with a clear, accessible introduction to options like "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives" by John Hull (often called the "Bible" of derivatives). Focus on the chapters covering option mechanics, binomial trees, the Black-Scholes-Merton model, and the Greeks. Make sure you can explain put-call parity (C - P = S - K·e^(-rT)) and derive it from first principles — this is one of the most commonly asked interview questions at options trading firms.

Beyond the formulas, develop intuitive understanding of how options behave. You should be able to answer questions like: "If volatility increases, what happens to the price of an at-the-money call?" or "Why is gamma highest for at-the-money options near expiration?" without needing to consult a textbook. Practice thinking about options in terms of payoff diagrams, probability distributions, and risk/reward tradeoffs. Understanding the Greeks not as abstract derivatives but as practical risk measures — how much money you make or lose when the underlying moves, when time passes, or when volatility shifts — is crucial for the trading simulations you'll face in on-site interviews.

Supplement your textbook learning with practice problems from "Heard on the Street" and online resources focused on options interview questions. Work through problems where you need to price simple options, construct hedging strategies, and analyze the risk profile of multi-leg positions. This applied practice will prepare you for the real-time decision-making that Optiver's interviews demand.

Optiver's market-making simulations are a unique part of the interview process that you can't prepare for through textbook study alone. These exercises test your ability to make rapid pricing decisions, manage risk dynamically, and respond to new information — all skills that are central to Optiver's daily trading operations.

Start by understanding the basic mechanics of market making. As a market maker, you continuously quote a bid price (what you'll buy at) and an ask price (what you'll sell at). Your goal is to earn the bid-ask spread while managing the risk of holding inventory. Key concepts to internalize: adverse selection (the risk that your counterparty knows more than you), inventory risk (holding a large position exposes you to price movements), and information updating (adjusting your quotes when you receive new information about the asset's value).

Practice these simulations with a study partner. One person plays the market maker, quoting bid and ask prices for a hypothetical stock or option. The other person acts as the market, randomly providing information updates ("the stock just beat earnings estimates" or "a large seller just entered the market") and executing trades. After each round, discuss what went well and what could be improved. Focus on three things: (1) how quickly you adjust your quotes in response to new information, (2) how well you manage your inventory (avoid getting too long or too short), and (3) how clearly you communicate your reasoning.

You can also practice solo by working through market-making scenarios on paper. Set up a simple model: a stock with a "true value" drawn from a known distribution, and practice quoting spreads and updating your estimate as you observe trades. Track your P&L over many rounds to see whether your strategy is profitable. This kind of deliberate practice builds the intuition and speed that Optiver's interviewers are looking for.

Unlike some trading firms that focus almost exclusively on technical skills, Optiver places significant weight on personality, energy, and cultural fit. The behavioral component of the interview is not just a formality — it's a genuine evaluation of whether you'd be a good addition to the trading floor, and candidates are regularly rejected for poor cultural fit even if their technical skills are strong.

Prepare stories that demonstrate the traits Optiver values most: competitiveness (do you have a drive to win?), resilience (how do you handle setbacks and losses?), teamwork (can you compete fiercely while being a great colleague?), and intellectual curiosity (are you genuinely fascinated by markets and trading?). Draw from experiences in sports, competitive gaming, academic competitions, group projects, or previous jobs. Use the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers concisely.

Be prepared for questions specific to trading culture: "Tell me about a time you took a risk," "How do you handle losing?" "What's the biggest mistake you've made and what did you learn?" "Why trading instead of tech or consulting?" Have thoughtful, authentic answers ready — Optiver's interviewers are experienced traders who can easily distinguish genuine responses from rehearsed ones. Show that you've thought seriously about what a career in trading involves, including the stress, the wins, and the losses.

Finally, bring energy and enthusiasm to every interview. Optiver's culture is social and lively, and the firm hires people who bring positive energy to the office. Smile, make eye contact, ask engaging questions, and show that you're excited about the opportunity. Interviewers often use the "airport test" — would I want to be stuck in an airport with this person for 5 hours? Being technically brilliant but dull or difficult to talk to is not enough at Optiver. Show them that you're someone who makes the office a better place to work.

If you want structured, expert-level preparation for Optiver's unique process, Quant Blueprint's coaching program pairs you with mentors from Tier 1 trading firms who understand the 80-in-8, options pricing interviews, and the behavioral assessment inside and out. Our 10-person team of quant traders and researchers will run you through realistic market-making simulations and give you the targeted feedback that self-study simply cannot replicate — the kind of preparation that makes the difference at a firm as selective as Optiver.