Jane Street–styleTraderTradingQuestion #462

You begin with $100. You flip a fair coin. For each heads, you gain $1. For each tails, your current amount of money is inverted (i.e., after the first tails, if you previously had $x, your new amount is $1/x). What is the expected value of your money after 7 flips? (Hint: use recursion)

Build Your Approach

State the assumptions, try a simple case, then work toward a general solution. Check the result and explain how it changes if an assumption changes.

Try the free diagnostic with worked solutions →

Get Free Interview Prep Resources

Practice the Reasoning Behind the Answer

Bring your target roles and interview timeline to a free quant consult. Discuss your preparation priorities and how Quant Blueprint’s lessons, practice and mock interviews can help.

Book a Free Quant Consult

Your goals · your preparation · your next steps