GS Superday

I had a similar experience during the phone screen. I was confused and thought I did horrible; and then they called me in for super day. So who knows. Interview was shorter than expected (not the full 6 hours as stated) and people say the longer it is the better you're doing.. so I don't know what to expect. I have another ringer coming up (either next week or the week after) for another department at GS so who knows. Hopefully I deal with guys who aren't complete tools.

I know how to code and develop trading software. Not figuring out how to answer the question in the way they want the answer. Kinda unrealistic imo
 
Quote from smallStops:

Looks to me they were looking to your problem solving approach in a practical way.

For instance b1) apparently you could have sum up all the numbers and compared it to the sum of the first 100 numbers , a substraction would give you the number taken out.

Best you take some time off, and then when emotions are down, you take the time to reflect on their questions, etc... who knows if you can apply again. :)
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I didn't apply. Head hunter reached out to me because GS short-listed my resume from their database


Also, I did answer that way, but then he asked what about if it was 2 numbers. And I didn't have the answer off the top of my head. I remember briefly seeing that question a few years ago.. I knew where to find the answer :x
 
funny story trading in NG was interviewing some guy; I swear this guy was a meteorologist or something....and my desk was right across from the conference rooms they were interviewing this poor soul; it must have been 13 plus people and 5 plus hours later they were still grilling this guy - it was a joke - the bigger the firm - these interview processes can get way out of hand - any more than 5 people is a massive waste of time.

The irony is how much time and resources a firm will put into selecting and training a chap, and cut ties in a heartbeat.

Most HR people are complete morons: No offense but the best and brightest are not working in HR at any company. I have heard one GS HR rep speak, she was an AA lady, absolutely dumb as a rock!
 
Quote from Eyez:



bt #1: have a random list of numbers, 1 to 100 in random order, I take 1 number out, how would you find the number I took out.

bt #2: How much would you be willing to pay to play a game where you when you roll the dice you get paid w/e number you picked.

- I said $3.5 because it's the expected value
- then asks me what I mean by expected value.
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I would "weigh" the numbers before and after. The difference in the weight is your answer. "Weigh" just means sum before and after. If there could be more than one number taken out, the problem would be more interesting.

The sum of the weighted average of the expectancy of each face coming up, divided by the number of faces, minus the cost of entering the game, traveling to it, and whatever my utility is to sit there and waste my time for my expected gain in repeated trials.
 
Quote from Eyez:

That's the part I am confused about. I didn't even get a technical test/anything that would test my coding aptitude. I had unrelated brainteasers during the technical portion. And I was very honest and said "You know, I don't remember all the details off the top of my head, but I know where to look to find the answer."

And they started dissecting that statement and asked me "well how do you know what the best practices of programming are if you don't remember all the details" and started to basically dismiss my knowledge/ability to code from that statement and how I answered the brainteasers. -- while at the same time never asking me any question about programming. Whats up with that? had the nerve to say to me "you should play around with java/c++ and do side projects on your own time" -- while never asking me any questions about OOP.

I've been programming on a consulting basis for HFs, prop, family office and large independents over the last 5+ years. From simple time-series based TA systems to scalable ULLDMA MM mass-quoting software. And here are two dudes, one looking like hes right out of college and another fresh off the boat from india telling me I don't know how to code.



bt #1: have a random list of numbers, 1 to 100 in random order, I take 1 number out, how would you find the number I took out.

bt #2: How much would you be willing to pay to play a game where you when you roll the dice you get paid w/e number you picked.

- I said $3.5 because it's the expected value
- then asks me what I mean by expected value.
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Best practices for programming is a moving target, depending on the model of programming you subscribe to. Good answers are things like documentation, pair programming, patterns, unit testing, design to problem and specification, portability, code reuse, source control, maintainability, optimization, lifecycle. algorithm big(O), etc etc.

Each one of those "best practices" goals comes down to two one thing, reducing the number of defects in code that needs to run optimally, and the ability to understand the code yourself and anyone else on a team that has to maintain the code base. Correctness and Readability.

As far as the comment about "playing with java/c++", understanding that programming is a never ending art form and science, my answer would have been that I would be lucky to help those that know less than I do, and would hope that I could learn from those that know more than me. If I went to work on systems I already know I could do, I would not be challenged and programming would become a job instead of the pure pleasure it is to me to get better every day.
 
Quote from nitro:

Best practices for programming is a moving target, depending on the model of programming you subscribe to. Good answers are things like documentation, pair programming, patterns, unit testing, design to problem and specification, portability, code reuse, source control, maintainability, optimization, lifecycle. algorithm big(O), etc etc.

Each one of those "best practices" goals comes down to two one thing, reducing the number of defects in code that needs to run optimally, and the ability to understand the code yourself and anyone else on a team that has to maintain the code base. Correctness and Readability.

As far as the comment about "playing with java/c++", understanding that programming is a never ending art form and science, my answer would have been that I would be lucky to help those that know less than I do, and would hope that I could learn from those that know more than me. If I went to work on systems I already know I could do, I would not be challenged and programming would become a job instead of the pure pleasure it is to me to get better every day.
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All I'm saying is that they discounted my entire ability to code because of the statement I made; "You know, I don't remember all the details off the top of my head, but I know where to look to find the answer."-- While never asking me any questions regarding comp sci/java/c++.
 
They care most about your analytical abilities, and - depending on the role - the ability to think on your feet. That is why they didn't ask specific coding/language questions.

The depth of, and thought that went into your answers, and your description of how you solve the problem is more important to them, as textbook C++/Java coders are a dime a dozen these days and it is very difficult to recruit good people. It's just plain hard to know who can cut the mustard and who can't.

Not saying their approach is the best though. We give our guys a computer and a task and expect them to have it completed by a certain time. Then we "chat".
 
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