Akuna Capital hires Quant Trader, Software Engineer and Quant Researcher. Candidates report 5 interview stages. Below: what each round tests and how to prepare, the timeline, pay and a 4-week prep plan, drawn from candidate reports and Akuna Capital's own recruiting pages.
Akuna Capital interview: quick answer
- Stages5
- Online assessmentTimed - math + coding
- Final roundOnsite: Final rounds - the toughest reported problems
- Pay (candidate-reported)Quant Trader, New grad: $175k - $375k total comp
- RolesQuant Trader, Software Engineer, Quant Researcher
Preparing for Akuna Capital? Work the rounds in order in the free Akuna Capital interview funnel, or start with the free online-assessment sample (no signup).
The Akuna Capital interview process at a glance
| # | Round | Format and length | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Online Assessment | Timed - math + coding | OA guidePractice |
| 2 | Recorded Video Game Round | Recorded video interview - timed letter-wager game | GuidePractice |
| 3 | Probability & Mental Math | 45-60 min - video | GuidePractice |
| 4 | Brain-Teasers & Game Theory | 45-60 min - video | GuidePractice |
| 5 | Onsite Hardest Rounds | Final rounds - the toughest reported problems | Practice |
Stages are listed in the order candidates report them. Formats come from candidate reports and change between cycles, offices and teams; not every candidate sees every stage.
Every Akuna Capital round: what it tests and how to prepare
1Online Assessment
A timed online assessment covering quantitative/probability questions and (for engineering) coding. Speed and accuracy both matter.
Question types: mostly coding, especially data structures, system and class design, streaming algorithms and sorting and searching. Latest candidate report for this round: Jul 2026.
How to prepare
- Move fast and stay accurate -- the OA is timed.
- Mental math + probability -- expectation, quick combinatorics.
- For SWE: clean, correct code.
Akuna Capital online assessment guide →Practice this round (12 questions) →
2Recorded Video Game Round
Akuna's round 3 for traders: a recorded video interview on one fast game, with a 20-90 second countdown per question.
In a 13-row letter matrix, a random winner row sets each letter's value (its row minus the winner's row); price or pick signed letter wagers. Boards are staggered, disguised, holed or mostly hidden; some quiz memory of past boards and picks. Simulator below: two warm-ups first, then the real 23-question run, reshuffled per attempt.
- About 23 timed questions in 25 minutes: wager on rows of letters by comparing each row with the average, and remember boards that reappear.
How to prepare
- Say the rule out loud -- a letter's EV is its row minus the board's mean row; the best wager is plus the deepest letter, minus the shallowest.
- Re-anchor on staggered boards -- find the top-most and bottom-most occupied rows before touching the options.
- Bank the boards as you go -- memory callbacks will ask about earlier row pairs, the winner you were shown, and even the wager YOU picked.
3Probability & Mental Math
The core quant rounds: probability, expectation, combinatorics, and fast mental math, with follow-ups. Dice, coins, and card EV classics are common.
- This material comes up in one live call with a trader, about 45 minutes: probability, brainteasers, quoting markets on dice or cards, and basic options.
Question types: mostly expectation, probability and combinatorics, especially discrete probability, conditional probability, expected value and independence. Latest candidate report for this round: Jul 2026.
How to prepare
- Estimate first, then formalize.
- Drill EV and combinatorics -- dice, coins, cards, fair value.
- Keep the mental math fast throughout.
Full Probability & Mental Math guide →Practice this round (30 questions) →
5Onsite: Hardest Rounds
The hardest reported Akuna problems across every topic -- the ones most likely to separate candidates at the final stage.
Question types: mostly coding and probability, especially first-passage and stopping times and random walk. Latest candidate report for this round: Jul 2026.
How to prepare
- Expect the hardest variants -- multi-step probability, tricky EV, harder combinatorics.
- Trading instinct still matters -- tie the math back to a decision.
- Stay composed -- these are meant to be tough.
Practice the Akuna Capital rounds in order
Each round in the Akuna Capital funnel has its own practice set, with worked solutions and progress tracking. A free account saves your progress across rounds.
A 4-week Akuna Capital prep plan
Built from the order of Akuna Capital's rounds and the topics in each round's practice set. Compress it if your first interview is sooner.
| When | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Foundations | Review coding, probability and expectation, the topics that dominate Akuna Capital's practice sets. Start with Quant coding course and Probability course. Work the easy and medium questions in the Akuna Capital question set. |
| Week 2 | Early rounds: Online Assessment, Recorded Video Game Round, Probability & Mental Math and Brain-Teasers & Game Theory | Practice coding, expectation and probability under time pressure, and take the free OA sample (format notes in the OA guide). Add a daily mental-math drill. Talk every answer through out loud; interviewers score the reasoning. |
| Week 3 | Later rounds: Onsite | Move to coding and probability. Read how quant superdays work. |
| Week 4 | Rehearse the full loop | Run each practice round in order, redo the questions you missed, and prepare two project stories plus a specific answer to "why Akuna Capital?" (see behavioral questions at trading firms). |
Akuna Capital pay
| Role | Level | Total comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quant Trader | New grad | $175k - $375k | Base + sign-on + performance bonus. |
| Software Engineer | New grad | $160k - $280k | Strong engineering comp. |
Total compensation means base salary plus bonus and any sign-on, as candidates self-report it. Job postings usually show base salary only, so posted figures and outside salary pages often look lower. Rough ranges, NOT offers. Prop-trading comp is bonus-heavy. Source: Candidate self-reports (levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and candidate forums) -- not employer-verified. Last updated May 30, 2026.
Akuna Capital teams and what their interviews test
Akuna hires Quant Traders, Software Engineers, and Quant Researchers. Trading leans hard on the live market-making game and mental math; engineering adds coding and systems; research adds probability and pricing. All share a fast quantitative bar.
| Tracks | What it does | What its interviews test |
|---|---|---|
| Quant Trader Trader | Make markets in options. | Live market-making game, mental math, probability, expectation, and game theory. |
| Software Engineer Software Engineer | Trading systems and infrastructure. | Coding and algorithms, plus probability and a market-making feel. |
| Quant Researcher Quant Researcher | Pricing and signal research. | Probability, statistics, and options pricing. |
About Akuna Capital
| Firm type | Proprietary trading firm / options market maker |
|---|---|
| Trading style | Trading instinct + mental math + engineering · Options market making |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, IL |
| Other offices | false |
| Capital | Proprietary (private) |
| Employees | ~480 |
| Reported performance | ~$300-500M/yr (est.) |
| Coding OA (2027 cycle) | HackerRank, Python, 3 questions in 120 minutes |
| Recorded game round | VidCruiter letter-row betting game, about 23 questions in 25 minutes |
Founded 2011 in Chicago
Akuna Capital is a proprietary options market maker headquartered in Chicago, with a young, trading-floor culture and a strong technology team.
Culture
An options-focused market maker with a young, trading-floor energy. The interview famously tests live market-making instinct and fast mental math, not just textbook probability.
What the interviews feel like
Starts with an online assessment, then a signature live trading / market-making game plus probability, expectation, and brain-teaser rounds. Fast, interactive, and trading-focused; engineers also face coding.
Practice for Akuna Capital on QuantVault
Practice
Courses
Games and drills
Further reading
- How quant superdays work
- Behavioral questions at trading firms
- Mental math for trading interviews
- Market-making game interview guide
- The quant interview process, explained
Similar firms to compare
Firms with a similar business and interview style. Many candidates interview at several of them in the same cycle.
Sources and how this guide is built
- Updated October 20, 2026; firm data last reviewed May 30, 2026; pay last updated May 30, 2026.
- Round detail draws on 83 questions candidates report from Akuna Capital interviews (the most recent report across all rounds is from Jul 2026). A separate curated Akuna Capital question set of 44 problems collects the most useful practice for this firm.
- Akuna Capital's own pages: Options 101 · Early careers · Internships.
- Public candidate reports and outside interview guides are cross-checked against each other. Where they disagree the page says "reports differ"; details from a single source are marked as candidate reports.
- No actual interview questions are reproduced on this page. The questions, with worked solutions, are in the practice rounds.
Akuna Capital interview FAQ
How many rounds are in the Akuna Capital interview?
Candidates report 5 stages: Online Assessment, Recorded Video Game Round, Probability & Mental Math, Brain-Teasers & Game Theory, Onsite. The exact number varies by cycle and team.
Is there an online assessment at Akuna Capital?
Candidates report one: Timed - math + coding. A timed online assessment covering quantitative/probability questions and (for engineering) coding. Speed and accuracy both matter.
What happens in the Akuna Capital final round?
Onsite (Final rounds - the toughest reported problems). The hardest reported Akuna problems across every topic -- the ones most likely to separate candidates at the final stage.
How much does Akuna Capital pay?
Candidate-reported total compensation: Quant Trader (New grad) $175k - $375k; Software Engineer (New grad) $160k - $280k. These are self-reported totals including bonus, not offers; job postings usually list base salary only.
How should I prepare for the Akuna Capital interview?
Prepare round by round over about four weeks: foundations first, then the early rounds (Online Assessment, Recorded Video Game Round, Probability & Mental Math), then the later rounds, then a full rehearsal. Each round has its own practice set on QuantVault, and the online assessment has a dedicated guide.
What does Akuna Capital do?
Akuna Capital is a proprietary trading firm / options market maker headquartered in Chicago, IL. Akuna Capital is a proprietary options market maker headquartered in Chicago, with a young, trading-floor culture and a strong technology team.
What is the Akuna VidCruiter game?
A recorded betting game of about 23 questions in 25 minutes with a timer on each question. You wager on rows of letters, so compute each row's expected value against the average and keep track of boards that come back later.
Does Akuna hire for FPGA roles?
Yes. An FPGA track is reported alongside trading, research and software roles.
Do Akuna trader candidates have to code?
Reports differ. Recent candidates report a HackerRank coding test, while one outside guide says there is no programming at interview for traders.
What is the first trader test?
Reports differ, possibly because the format changed between cycles. QuantVault candidates in 2025 and 2026 report a short 30-question HackerRank probability test. Earlier reports describe an 80-questions-in-8-minutes arithmetic sprint plus a sequences test, and another guide describes a 60-minute maths and probability test. Prepare for all three.
Start preparing for Akuna Capital
Open the interactive Akuna Capital interview funnel: every stage with its practice set, from the first screen to the final round. Create a free account to save your progress.