What to Expect at a Maven Securities Interview
Maven Securities runs a four-stage process over roughly four to eight weeks: an online numerical and probability assessment, a first-round phone or video interview, an assessment day with a trading game and further technical rounds, and a final round covering fit and firm-specific knowledge. Expect heavy emphasis on mental maths and probability throughout, in keeping with Maven's identity as an options and derivatives market maker.
This guide covers what actually happens at each stage, the question types candidates report most often, and how to prepare for the trader, quant researcher and software engineer tracks. For background on the firm itself, its history and culture, see the Maven Securities firm page, and for how Maven compares to the other big London market makers, see our London prop trading firms guide.
Maven Securities at a Glance
Maven Securities was founded in London in 2011 and has grown into one of the leading options and derivatives market makers in Europe and Asia-Pacific, with additional offices in Hong Kong and Sydney. Unlike Optiver and IMC Trading, which are headquartered in Amsterdam with large London offices, Maven is genuinely a London-native firm, which shapes its culture toward something candidates consistently describe as flatter and more entrepreneurial than some of its larger, more bureaucratic competitors.
The firm runs discretionary, systematic and pure market-making strategies side by side rather than specialising narrowly in one, and it is known for a strong structured training programme for new traders. Maven hires primarily for three tracks: Quantitative Trader, Quantitative Researcher and Software Engineer, with all three sitting close to the trading floor rather than in a separate technology silo.
The Process, Stage by Stage
Stage 1: Online Assessment
Applications are followed by a timed online test, typically 45 to 60 minutes, combining mental arithmetic under time pressure with probability and logical reasoning questions. Software engineering candidates additionally receive a short coding assessment, usually one or two algorithmic problems on a platform such as HackerRank. Maven's numerical test is widely reported as demanding but slightly shorter than Optiver's, since it blends arithmetic with probability rather than testing pure speed arithmetic in isolation.
Stage 2: First-Round Interview
A 30 to 45 minute video or phone call with a trader, researcher or engineer from the team you have applied to. Expect a mix of motivational questions (why market making, why Maven specifically) and a handful of probability or mental maths questions to confirm the online assessment result. Engineering candidates typically face a short live coding exercise at this stage instead.
Stage 3: Assessment Day
Maven's assessment day runs for most of a day, either in London or virtually, and includes several components: a further, harder mental maths and probability round, a market-making or trading simulation where you quote two-way prices and respond as the interviewer trades against you, a technical interview specific to your track, and typically a group exercise or case discussion to assess how you communicate under pressure alongside peers.
Stage 4: Final Round and Offer
The final round is usually one or two conversations with senior traders or the hiring manager, focused on cultural fit and how you think about risk rather than fresh technical content. Decisions typically arrive within one to two weeks of the final round, and Maven is generally regarded as moving faster than some of the larger market makers once a candidate reaches this stage.
Question Themes You'll Actually See
Mental Maths and Probability
Every track faces some version of the timed arithmetic test, though traders see the most of it throughout the process. Expect two and three-digit multiplication, percentage calculations, and quick division under a tight clock, alongside conditional probability and expected value problems. Candidates report the bar being calibrated for near-perfect accuracy at speed rather than for solving unusually hard problems slowly.
Market-Making and Trading Games
The trading simulation on assessment day is the centrepiece of the trader track. You are typically given an uncertain payoff, such as the value of a synthetic asset or the sum of several dice rolls, and asked to quote a bid and ask. The interviewer then trades against you, and what matters most is whether you update your price sensibly as trades reveal information, not whether you land on the "correct" fair value immediately.
Options and Derivatives Theory
Because Maven specialises in options and derivatives market making, later-stage interviews for trader and research candidates often include questions on how the Greeks behave, how implied volatility relates to expected price movement, and basic intuition around skew. You are not expected to derive Black-Scholes from scratch, but you should be comfortable discussing why an option's delta or vega changes as the underlying moves.
Coding (Software Engineer Track)
Engineering candidates face standard algorithmic coding covering arrays, hash maps and graph problems, plus questions on how you would design components of a trading system, such as an order book or a market data handler, with attention to correctness under concurrent updates.
Two Sample Questions
Market-making a synthetic payoff. I roll two fair six-sided dice and will pay you the product of the two results in pounds. Make me a two-way market.
Approach: E[product] = E[X] times E[Y] for independent dice = 3.5 times 3.5 = 12.25. A reasonable opening market is 11 at 13.5, wide enough to protect against adverse selection before you have any information about which side the interviewer wants to trade. If they buy repeatedly at your offer, shift your fair value estimate upward and narrow the spread as you gain confidence.
Conditional probability. A box contains three coins: one fair, one that always lands heads, and one that always lands tails. You pick a coin at random and flip it twice, getting heads both times. What is the probability you picked the fair coin?
Approach: Apply Bayes' theorem. P(fair) = 1/3, P(HH given fair) = 1/4, P(HH given always-heads) = 1, P(HH given always-tails) = 0. P(fair given HH) = (1/3 times 1/4) divided by (1/3 times 1/4 + 1/3 times 1 + 1/3 times 0) = (1/12) divided by (5/12) = 1/5, or 20%.
How the Three Tracks Differ
| Dimension | Quantitative Trader | Quantitative Researcher | Software Engineer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online assessment | Mental maths and probability | Probability, statistics, some coding | Algorithmic coding |
| Assessment day focus | Trading simulation, market-making games | Statistical case discussion | Systems and coding rounds |
| Options theory depth | Moderate to high | Moderate | Low |
| Typical background | Maths, physics, engineering | Maths, statistics, physics, often a master's | Computer science, strong Python or C++ |
| Brainteaser frequency | High | Moderate | Low |
Candidates without a finance background should not be put off the software engineer track in particular, since the bar there is focused on engineering fundamentals rather than market knowledge. For a sense of how Maven's process compares with the other big London market makers, our London prop trading firms guide and Optiver interview guide are useful companion reading.
A Four-Week Preparation Plan
Week 1: Mental arithmetic. Daily practice with a speed arithmetic tool, working toward high accuracy on two and three-digit multiplication, percentages and division within a tight time limit.
Week 2: Probability and Bayes' theorem. Drill conditional probability problems daily and revisit expected value calculations until they are close to automatic. Our probability for quant finance guide covers the underlying theory in more depth.
Week 3: Options intuition and market-making practice. Read the basics of how the Greeks behave and practise quoting two-way markets on simple payoffs with a study partner, adjusting your price as they trade against you.
Week 4: Mock assessment day. Run a full mock day covering mental maths, a trading game and a technical interview back to back, since the fatigue of a long assessment day is itself part of what Maven is testing.
What Maven Looks For Beyond Technical Skill
Composure while trading against a live counterparty. The market-making game is designed to see whether you can hold a clear head while your prices are being tested, not whether you land on the mathematically perfect quote immediately.
Willingness to update. Interviewers watch closely for whether you adjust your price sensibly when new information arrives, or whether you anchor stubbornly on your first estimate regardless of what happens next.
A genuinely entrepreneurial mindset. Given Maven's flatter structure relative to some larger competitors, the firm favours candidates who can describe taking ownership of a problem rather than simply executing instructions.
Compensation & recruiting notes
Maven runs a well-defined graduate programme in London that is more standardised than most of its private-firm peers, though content still varies between the trader, researcher and engineer tracks and between the London, Hong Kong and Sydney offices. This guide is drawn from candidate reports, recruiter commentary and public sources; nothing here guarantees any specific interview format, question or outcome, particularly for later hiring cycles where trading simulation formats have shifted before.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many interview rounds does Maven Securities have?
Typically four stages: an online numerical and probability assessment, a first-round phone or video interview, a full assessment day with a trading simulation and technical rounds, and a final round focused on fit. The whole process usually takes four to eight weeks from application to offer.
Is the Maven Securities maths test as hard as Optiver's?
Candidates generally describe Maven's test as demanding but somewhat less purely speed-focused than Optiver's, since it blends mental arithmetic with probability and logical reasoning rather than testing raw arithmetic speed in isolation. Both firms expect very high accuracy under time pressure.
Do I need a finance background to interview at Maven Securities?
No. Maven hires from mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science, and many successful traders have no formal finance education. What matters most is quantitative reasoning speed, comfort with probability, and composure in the trading simulation.
What is the Maven Securities trading game like?
You are typically given an uncertain payoff, such as a synthetic asset value or the outcome of dice rolls, and asked to quote a two-way price. The interviewer then trades against you, and the assessment focuses on whether you adjust your price sensibly as information arrives rather than on hitting the theoretically perfect fair value from the outset.
How does Maven Securities compare to Optiver and IMC Trading?
All three are options and derivatives market makers with broadly similar interview content, but Maven is genuinely headquartered in London rather than running a satellite office of an Amsterdam firm, which contributes to a culture candidates describe as flatter and more entrepreneurial. See our IMC Trading interview guide for how that firm's process compares in detail.
What roles does Maven Securities hire for?
Maven's three main technical tracks are Quantitative Trader, Quantitative Researcher and Software Engineer, all based primarily out of London with smaller teams in Hong Kong and Sydney. For a wider view of London-based market makers and prop trading firms hiring similar roles, see our prop trading firms guide.
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