The Chicago Trading Company Initial Technical Screen interview is stage 2 of 6 in the Chicago Trading Company interview process, after the Online Assessment. Format: Video call · with a quant researcher · no OA. QR route, outside the trader funnel.
Preparing for this round? Open the Chicago Trading Company Initial Technical Screen in the interview funnel. A free account saves your progress.
What the Initial Technical Screen tests
One September 2026 report (PhD, quant researcher): invited from the resume and CTC's detailed application form, no online assessment first. Later rounds unreported; assume the probability and statistics round below.
Who takes this round: Quant Researcher candidates. See the full Chicago Trading Company process and who takes each round.
How to prepare for the Initial Technical Screen
- Have two lengths of the same project ready. A five-minute version that lands the question, method and result, and a twenty-minute version you can go deep on when they start pulling threads.
- Expect the follow-ups to be about process, not results. How you chose the model, how you validated it, what you would do with more data, what broke and how you found out.
- Know the statistics under your own work cold. Estimator assumptions, standard errors, multiple testing and out-of-sample checks are where a QR will probe.
- Translate once, briefly. Say how the way you work would carry over to a trading-research question, then let them lead.
Further reading: Behavioral questions at trading firms · How quant superdays work · Market-making game interview guide.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Chicago Trading Company Initial Technical Screen interview?
It is stage 2 of 6 in the Chicago Trading Company interview process, after the Online Assessment. Format: Video call · with a quant researcher · no OA. QR route, outside the trader funnel. One September 2026 report (PhD, quant researcher): invited from the resume and CTC's detailed application form, no online assessment first.
How should I prepare for the Chicago Trading Company Initial Technical Screen interview?
Have two lengths of the same project ready. A five-minute version that lands the question, method and result, and a twenty-minute version you can go deep on when they start pulling threads. Expect the follow-ups to be about process, not results. How you chose the model, how you validated it, what you would do with more data, what broke and how you found out.
What comes after the Initial Technical Screen?
The Core-Values Behavioral Screen (stage 3 of 6). Format: ~30–45 min · recruiter / hiring team.
Practice the Chicago Trading Company Initial Technical Screen round
Open the round in the Chicago Trading Company funnel: the round notes, prep, and every other stage of the process.