The Chicago Trading Company Trading / Market-Making Game interview is stage 5 of 6 in the Chicago Trading Company interview process, after the Probability / Options Concept Interview. Format: Interactive · with a trader. As an options / ETF market maker, CTC's later rounds are reported to include a trading-game and mental-math component: quoting two-sided markets, sizing bets by edge, and rapid arithmetic under pressure.
Preparing for this round? Open the Chicago Trading Company Trading / Market-Making Game in the interview funnel. A free account saves your progress.
What the Trading / Market-Making Game tests
Specifics vary by cycle and role: treat this stage as candidate-reported / typical-for-the-firm rather than a fixed format.
- Mock trading is the centrepiece of the Chicago superday: you trade against other candidates and interviewers.
How to prepare for the Trading / Market-Making Game
- Drill mental math cold. Fast multiplication, division, and percentage estimation without a calculator is table stakes for a market-making game.
- Stay composed and verbalize. The trader is grading how you reason and hold up under pressure more than any single number.
Further reading: Market-making game interview guide · Mental math for trading interviews · Fermi estimation questions · How quant superdays work · Behavioral questions at trading firms.
Common mistakes
- Quote a fair value with a disciplined spread. Size by edge, manage inventory as fills come in, and never bet so big one bad beat wrecks you.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Chicago Trading Company Trading / Market-Making Game interview?
It is stage 5 of 6 in the Chicago Trading Company interview process, after the Probability / Options Concept Interview. Format: Interactive · with a trader. As an options / ETF market maker, CTC's later rounds are reported to include a trading-game and mental-math component: quoting two-sided markets, sizing bets by edge, and rapid arithmetic under pressure. Specifics vary by cycle and role: treat this stage as candidate-reported / typical-for-the-firm rather than a fixed format.
How should I prepare for the Chicago Trading Company Trading / Market-Making Game interview?
Drill mental math cold. Fast multiplication, division, and percentage estimation without a calculator is table stakes for a market-making game. Stay composed and verbalize. The trader is grading how you reason and hold up under pressure more than any single number.
What comes after the Trading / Market-Making Game?
The Final (stage 6 of 6). Format: Onsite · multiple conversations.
Practice the Chicago Trading Company Trading / Market-Making Game round
Open the round in the Chicago Trading Company funnel: the round notes, prep, and every other stage of the process.