Hedge Fund interview questions

[Epiphany]

Quote from qazmax:

If there are around 8,000 stocks with 4 letter symbols and 3,000 with 3 letter symbols, and 600 with 2 letter symbols.

How many stocks do you estimate there are with 1 letter symbols?

Quote from 5yrtrader:

I think the most important response to this question is your thought process at arriving at the answer, or why you believe this, not the answer itself

Exactly.

In Asia they use numbers for their ticker symbols instead of letters.

So 120 stocks is feasible.

For example:

A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3...etc

 

[cmk]

Quote from qazmax:

If there are around 8,000 stocks with 4 letter symbols and 3,000 with 3 letter symbols, and 600 with 2 letter symbols.

How many stocks do you estimate there are with 1 letter symbols?

All of them

 

[WilliamV]

Quote from qazmax:

If there are around 8,000 stocks with 4 letter symbols and 3,000 with 3 letter symbols, and 600 with 2 letter symbols.

How many stocks do you estimate there are with 1 letter symbols?

I'd would say at most 26. Do I get a cigar?

 

[snooptrader]

Quote from qazmax:


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Give 3 reasons a man-hole cover is round.

*************************************************

Only one - because the man-hole is round.

 

[Aaron]

Quote from snooptrader:

Only one - because the man-hole is round.

Nice! You're hired!

Years ago I was asked in an interview for a floor trader position to estimate the number of windows on the Sears Tower outside the window. And to estimate the number of dentists in Russia. Like 5yrtrader said, they were just looking to see my thought process in arriving at an answer. I really have no idea how many patients a dentist typically has, but I made a stab at it.

I got the job but took a different offer from Monroe Trout instead.

Aaron Schindler
Schindler Trading

 

[Everest]

Quote from PuffyGums:

Judging from the ratios it should be around 120.

what's it like being one of the muppets ?

 

[trendo]

Quote from Epiphany:

Exactly.

In Asia they use numbers for their ticker symbols instead of letters.

So 120 stocks is feasible.

For example:

A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3...etc

I don't mean to split hairs, but the original question didn't ask anything about feasibility, nor did it ask anything about alpha-numeric symbols.

 

[dafugginman]

i bombed a question at Goldman Sachs in a very late stage interview (maybe 6th or 7th interview) for a position on the floor of the NYSE.:eek:

how many right angles on the clock during the day? i'm a retard. my answer. 'are you serious.' it was my first big interview out of school. then when i realized he was dead serious i panicked and couldn't think. i performed poorly in 1 or 2 of the other interviews, so prolly not the only reason. oh well, things worked out better anyway.

 

[spyglass]

I would say the answer is 48. There are 2 right angles on a clock for each hour of the day times 24 hours.

 

[jsimmons]

Quote from dafugginman:

i bombed a question at Goldman Sachs in a very late stage interview (maybe 6th or 7th interview) for a position on the floor of the NYSE.:eek:

how many right angles on the clock during the day? i'm a retard. my answer. 'are you serious.' it was my first big interview out of school. then when i realized he was dead serious i panicked and couldn't think. i performed poorly in 1 or 2 of the other interviews, so prolly not the only reason. oh well, things worked out better anyway.

Give it a whirl....
http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=1159&part=index&refpage=similarproblems