Rothesay hires Trading Summer Intern, Asset Origination Summer Intern and Graduate (trading and asset management). Candidates report 3 interview stages. Below: what each round tests and how to prepare, the timeline, roles and a 4-week prep plan, drawn from candidate reports.
Rothesay interview: quick answer
- Stages3
- Online assessment20 min · 25 questions in 2 timed sections · proctored, no pause or retake (candidate-reported, 2027 cycle)
- Final roundAssessment Centre: Back-to-back interviews plus a group exercise (per public candidate reviews)
- RolesTrading Summer Intern, Asset Origination Summer Intern, Graduate (trading and asset management)
Preparing for Rothesay? Work the rounds in order in the free Rothesay interview funnel, or start with the free online-assessment sample (no signup).
The Rothesay interview process at a glance
| # | Round | Format and length | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canditech Online Assessment | 20 min · 25 questions in 2 timed sections · proctored, no pause or retake (candidate-reported, 2027 cycle) | OA guidePractice |
| 2 | Online Interview | About 30 minutes (per public candidate reviews) | GuidePractice |
| 3 | Assessment Centre | Back-to-back interviews plus a group exercise (per public candidate reviews) | GuidePractice |
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 Rothesay round: what it tests and how to prepare
1Canditech Online Assessment
Candidates for the 2027 Trading and Asset Origination internship report a 20-minute Canditech test in two 10-minute sections. Quantitative reasoning (advanced), 10 questions: 5 typed answers and 5 multiple choice; short word problems on percentages and successive changes, ratios, weighted averages, combined work rates, a margin table and simple probability. Critical thinking, 15 questions: A mini Watson-Glaser in five parts of three (inferences on a five-point scale, assumptions, deductions, interpretations, and strong or weak arguments). The test is proctored: switching tabs or windows is reported to the hiring team, copy and paste is detected, and you cannot pause or retake. Our timed replica runs all 25. Warm up with mental math practice.
Question types: mostly brain teasers, finance and probability, especially mental math, independence and linear systems.
How to prepare
- One minute per quant question. Set up each word problem as one equation; most resolve in two lines.
- Typed answers need the exact number. No options to sanity-check against, so re-read what the question asks for (the price, the count, the hours).
- Stay on the tab. Window switches are reported to the hiring team.
Rothesay online assessment guide →Practice this round (10 questions) →
2Online Interview
Public candidate reviews describe a short online interview after the test, about 30 minutes, on motivation, the role and your background. We do not yet hold a verified 2027 report. Prepare with behavioral questions for trading firms.
How to prepare
- Know what Rothesay does. Pension risk transfer, and how the trading and origination teams back the liabilities.
- Pick a team. Be ready to say why trading or asset origination, with one market or deal you follow.
3Assessment Centre
Public candidate reviews describe an in-person assessment centre with several back-to-back interviews, each with two interviewers, plus a group exercise. Interviewers give scenario questions about financial products and ask for your reasoning on how you would underwrite or evaluate them. We do not yet hold a verified 2027 report.
How to prepare
- Explain products from first principles. A bond, an inflation swap, a mortgage: cash flows, risks and who is on the other side.
- Underwriting is risk reasoning. What could go wrong, how likely it is, what protects you and what return compensates for it.
Practice the Rothesay rounds in order
Each round in the Rothesay funnel has its own practice set, with worked solutions and progress tracking. A free account saves your progress across rounds.
A 4-week Rothesay prep plan
Built from the order of Rothesay'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 brain teasers, finance and probability, the topics that dominate Rothesay's practice sets. Start with Probability course and Markets field guide course. Work the easy and medium questions in the Rothesay question set. |
| Week 2 | Early rounds: Canditech Online Assessment and Online Interview | Practice brain teasers, finance 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: Assessment Centre | Move to the harder final-round topics. 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 Rothesay?" (see behavioral questions at trading firms). |
Rothesay teams and what their interviews test
This page follows the 2027 Trading and Asset Origination summer internship in London.
| Tracks | What it does | What its interviews test |
|---|---|---|
| Trading and Asset Origination Trader / originator | Managing the asset book (rates, inflation, cross-currency) and sourcing secured assets. | Canditech OA (quant reasoning + critical thinking), then (per public reports) an online interview and an assessment centre. |
About Rothesay
| Firm type | UK pension insurer (bulk annuities and pension risk transfer) |
|---|---|
| Trading style | Asset management and origination for insurance liabilities · Long-horizon asset-liability management: rates, inflation, credit and secured lending |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | London |
| Other offices | 0 |
| Assets under management | Private |
Culture
Rothesay insures defined benefit pension schemes and invests the assets that back those liabilities. Its trading team works across bonds and derivatives in rates, inflation and cross-currency markets, and its asset origination team sources mortgages, commercial real estate, structured financing and secured lending. Interns join a structured programme that starts with a fundamentals week.
What the interviews feel like
A fast, broad screen first (percentages, ratios and critical thinking against the clock), then interviews that, per public reports, lean on explaining products and the reasoning behind underwriting an asset.
Practice for Rothesay 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 October 9, 2026.
- Round detail draws on candidate interview reports collected by QuantVault.
- 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.
Rothesay interview FAQ
How many rounds are in the Rothesay interview?
Candidates report 3 stages: Canditech Online Assessment, Online Interview, Assessment Centre. The exact number varies by cycle and team.
Is there an online assessment at Rothesay?
Candidates report one: 20 min · 25 questions in 2 timed sections · proctored, no pause or retake (candidate-reported, 2027 cycle). Candidates for the 2027 Trading and Asset Origination internship report a 20-minute Canditech test in two 10-minute sections.
What happens in the Rothesay final round?
Assessment Centre (Back-to-back interviews plus a group exercise (per public candidate reviews)). Public candidate reviews describe an in-person assessment centre with several back-to-back interviews, each with two interviewers, plus a group exercise. Interviewers give scenario questions about financial products and ask for your reasoning on how you would underwrite or evaluate them.
How should I prepare for the Rothesay interview?
Prepare round by round over about four weeks: foundations first, then the early rounds (Canditech Online Assessment, Online Interview, Assessment Centre), 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 Rothesay do?
Rothesay is an UK pension insurer headquartered in London.
Start preparing for Rothesay
Open the interactive Rothesay interview funnel: every stage with its practice set, from the first screen to the final round. Create a free account to save your progress.