PDT Partners Interview Process & Prep

PDT Partners (Peter Muller's Process Driven Trading) is a research-deep systematic fund. Engineers face clean C++/algorithms (smart pointers, merge-k, stacks) and a take-home; researchers get probability, statistics, and modeling. No game.

Quant ResearcherSoftware Engineer

The PDT Partners interview funnel

1. Recruiter / Screen

Phone - background + fit

An intro conversation about background and interest, sometimes with a quick technical warm-up.

2. Take-Home / Coding

Take-home + algorithms

A coding take-home plus clean algorithm/data-structure problems (merge k sorted streams, reference-counted smart pointer, lazy-propagation stack).

3. Probability & Statistics

45-60 min - video

Probability, expectation, statistics, and combinatorics -- estimator reasoning and Bayesian updates.

4. Regression, ML & Time-Series

45-60 min - research

Regression pitfalls, machine learning, linear algebra, and time-series with a research flavor.

5. Onsite - Hardest Rounds

Final rounds - the toughest reported problems

The hardest reported PDT Partners problems across every topic. (Hard-rated only; earlier rounds cover easy/medium, so nothing repeats.)

PDT Partners interview — FAQ

What is the PDT Partners interview process?

PDT Partners (Peter Muller's Process Driven Trading) is a research-deep systematic fund. Engineers face clean C++/algorithms (smart pointers, merge-k, stacks) and a take-home; researchers get probability, statistics, and modeling. No game. The loop runs 5 stages: Recruiter / Screen, Take-Home / Coding, Probability & Statistics, Regression, ML & Time-Series, Onsite - Hardest Rounds.

How many rounds does PDT Partners have?

5 stages in total, starting with the Recruiter / Screen and ending with the Onsite - Hardest Rounds.

How do I prepare for the PDT Partners interview?

Work the stage notes above, then drill the PDT Partners interview-questions set and the PDT Partners online-assessment practice — each problem has a full worked solution.