Software Engineer New Grad Interview Experience - Chicago, Illinois
March 24, 2026
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks.
Recruiter reached out, then a 2-3 hour OA. After that was a 1 hour technical interview to design a queue using a circular buffer. Final round was 2 1 hour technicals.
- One was leetcode that was medium difficulty but more coding/ design based than leetcode normally is.
- Second was a system design interview that was exchange related and pretty chill.
Heard they hire to fire (50%!) so glad I didn't get it.
Questions
Design a circular buffer queue implementation.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Optiver Software Engineer New Grad role in Chicago, Illinois.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Optiver's interview process for their Software Engineer New Grad roles in Chicago, Illinois is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive100%
Neutral0%
Negative0%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Optiver's Software Engineer New Grad interview process in Chicago, Illinois.
Optiver Work Experiences
1.0
Good Learning, Grueling Exam
Software Engineer New Grad • Current Employee
December 18, 2023
Pros: Good experiences, and I can know what level of knowledge they are expecting.
Cons: The exam is so long, and one needs to be fast to play those games.
4.0
Good Pay, Intense Work
Software Engineer(Internship) • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
July 23, 2024
Pros: Good pay, amenities, and interesting work.
Cons: A little intense at times, can be a bit stressful.
4.0
Good culture and people
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Chicago, Illinois, United States
March 24, 2020
Pros: All the usual tech company perks (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee).
Reasonable hours for finance in general.
Good compensation, with a transparent performance-based bonus system.
Cons: Hours could still be better. 8-5:30 PM is pretty much the minimum expected for software devs, and it only gets worse.
Compared to some other tech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty bad.
Compared to other fintech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty good/on par.
- 1.0Good Learning, Grueling ExamSoftware Engineer New Grad • Current EmployeeDecember 18, 2023Pros: Good experiences, and I can know what level of knowledge they are expecting.Cons: The exam is so long, and one needs to be fast to play those games.
- 4.0Good Pay, Intense WorkSoftware Engineer(Internship) • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesJuly 23, 2024Pros: Good pay, amenities, and interesting work.Cons: A little intense at times, can be a bit stressful.
- 4.0Good culture and peopleSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeChicago, Illinois, United StatesMarch 24, 2020Pros: All the usual tech company perks (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee). Reasonable hours for finance in general. Good compensation, with a transparent performance-based bonus system.Cons: Hours could still be better. 8-5:30 PM is pretty much the minimum expected for software devs, and it only gets worse. Compared to some other tech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty bad. Compared to other fintech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty good/on par.
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