Finance · 20 min read · ~35 min study · advanced
Top Prop Trading Firms 2026
From Jane Street and Citadel Securities to systematic funds — salary data, interview difficulty, fit.
Top Prop Trading Firms: Complete Guide & Rankings 2026
A comprehensive guide to the best proprietary trading firms in 2026 - from quantitative market makers like Jane Street and Citadel Securities to systematic funds, with salary data, interview difficulty, and what each firm looks for.
What Are Prop Trading Firms?
Proprietary trading firms - commonly called "prop firms" or "prop shops" - trade financial instruments using the firm's own capital rather than managing money on behalf of clients. This is the defining distinction: they keep the profits (and absorb the losses) themselves.
The prop trading industry sits at the intersection of quantitative research, technology, and financial markets. These firms hire mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers to build models that identify and exploit market inefficiencies. If you're interested in the broader world of quantitative finance, our guide to becoming a quant covers the full career landscape.
Prop firms range from small teams of 20 people focused on a single asset class, to global operations with thousands of employees trading across every major exchange in the world. What they share is a culture of intellectual rigour, a willingness to invest heavily in technology, and compensation structures that reward performance.
How Prop Firms Differ from Hedge Funds and Banks
The differences come down to whose money is being traded and how revenue is generated.
Prop trading firms trade the firm's own capital. Revenue comes entirely from trading profits. There are no management fees, no client relationships to maintain, and no fundraising. This makes them operationally simpler but entirely dependent on their edge in the market. For a deeper comparison, see our quant hedge fund guide.
Hedge funds raise capital from external investors (pension funds, endowments, wealthy individuals) and charge management fees (typically 1-2% of AUM) plus performance fees (typically 20% of profits). This creates a more stable revenue base but introduces regulatory requirements around investor reporting and compliance.
Investment banks operate trading desks as part of a much larger institution. Since the Volcker Rule (2013 in the US), banks have been restricted in how much proprietary risk they can take. Most bank trading is now client-facilitated - market making and execution for clients rather than speculative bets.
| Prop Trading Firm | Hedge Fund | Investment Bank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital source | Own capital | External investors | Bank's balance sheet |
| Revenue model | Trading profits | Fees + performance | Commissions + spread |
| Regulation | Lighter | Moderate (SEC/SEC) | Heavy |
| Client obligations | None | Investor reporting | Client-facing |
| Typical headcount | 50-2,000 | 50-1,500 | 10,000+ |
Top Prop Trading Firms by Category
Quantitative Market Makers
Market-making firms provide liquidity to exchanges by continuously quoting buy and sell prices. They profit from the bid-ask spread while managing inventory risk. These firms tend to have the most sophisticated technology infrastructure and the lowest latency.
Jane Street (New York, Hong Kong) - Around 2,500 employees. Arguably the most prestigious prop firm in the world. Known for trading ETFs, bonds, options, and equities across global markets. Jane Street's interview process is notoriously difficult, with multiple rounds of probability puzzles, mental maths, and trading games. The firm has a uniquely collaborative culture and uses OCaml as its primary programming language. Interview difficulty: 5/5
Citadel Securities (New York, Chicago) - Around 4,000 employees. The market-making arm of Ken Griffin's empire (separate from Citadel the hedge fund). One of the largest market makers globally, handling roughly 25% of all US equity volume. Known for massive technology investment and competitive compensation. Interview difficulty: 5/5
Optiver (Amsterdam, Chicago, Sydney, New York) - Around 1,800 employees. Dutch market-making firm with a strong presence in options and derivatives. Known for its rigorous quantitative culture and one of the best training programs in the industry. Optiver's New York office has grown significantly. Interview difficulty: 4/5
IMC Trading (Amsterdam, Chicago, Sydney) - Around 1,200 employees. Another Amsterdam-headquartered market maker with a strong focus on options and technology. IMC has a slightly lower profile than Optiver but is equally competitive on compensation. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Flow Traders (Amsterdam, New York, Singapore, New York) - Around 600 employees. Specializes in ETP (exchange-traded products) market making. Publicly listed on Euronext Amsterdam, which gives unusual transparency into financials. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Virtu Financial (New York, Dublin, New York) - Around 1,000 employees. Publicly traded market maker known for high-frequency and electronic market making across equities, fixed income, currencies, and commodities. Famous for having only one losing trading day in six years. Interview difficulty: 3/5
Systematic Trading Firms
These firms use quantitative models to take directional positions in the market. Unlike market makers, they aren't providing liquidity - they're making bets on price movements based on statistical analysis and research.
Two Sigma (New York) - Around 2,200 employees. One of the largest and most technology-driven systematic firms. Uses machine learning, distributed computing, and massive datasets to find trading signals. The culture is closer to a tech company than a traditional finance firm. Interview difficulty: 5/5
D.E. Shaw (New York) - Around 2,500 employees. Founded by computer scientist David Shaw, this firm pioneered quantitative trading in the 1980s. Runs systematic strategies alongside discretionary and hybrid approaches. Known for hiring exceptional talent from STEM fields. Jeff Bezos worked here before founding Amazon. Interview difficulty: 5/5
Renaissance Technologies (East Setauket, New York) - Around 300 employees. The most successful quant fund in history. Jim Simons' Medallion Fund returned approximately 66% annually before fees from 1988-2018. Renaissance hires almost exclusively from maths, physics, and computer science - rarely from finance. The Medallion Fund is closed to outside investors. Interview difficulty: 5/5
AQR Capital Management (Greenwich, Connecticut; New York) - Around 1,000 employees. Founded by Cliff Asness, AQR applies systematic, research-driven strategies across asset classes. Strong academic research culture and a significant New York presence. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Man Group (New York) - Around 1,500 employees. The world's largest publicly traded hedge fund manager. Man AHL, the systematic trading division, has been running quantitative strategies since the 1980s. A strong option for those wanting to work in New York. Interview difficulty: 3/5
Multi-Strategy Firms
Multi-strategy firms run multiple independent trading teams (called "pods") across different strategies and asset classes. They provide capital, risk management, and infrastructure to each pod.
Citadel (Chicago, New York) - Around 2,800 employees. Not to be confused with Citadel Securities, this is Ken Griffin's hedge fund. One of the most successful multi-strategy firms, running quantitative, fundamental equity, fixed income, commodities, and credit strategies. Known for an intense culture and exceptional compensation. Interview difficulty: 5/5
Millennium Management (New York) - Around 5,500 employees. Runs over 300 independent trading teams globally. Millennium provides capital and risk oversight while giving teams significant autonomy. The pod model means the firm can quickly scale winning strategies and cut losing ones. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Point72 (Stamford, Connecticut; New York) - Around 2,700 employees. Steve Cohen's firm (formerly SAC Capital). Runs systematic, discretionary, and macro strategies. Point72's Cubist division focuses specifically on systematic quantitative trading. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Balyasny Asset Management (Chicago, New York) - Around 2,000 employees. Multi-strategy firm that has expanded aggressively, particularly in New York. Runs fundamental equity, macro, and quantitative strategies across global markets. Interview difficulty: 4/5
HFT Specialists
High-frequency trading firms operate at microsecond timescales. Speed is everything - from co-located servers at exchange data centers to custom networking hardware. For more on the technology behind these firms, see our algorithmic trading guide.
Jump Trading (Chicago, New York, Singapore) - Around 1,000 employees. One of the most secretive firms in the industry. Jump invests heavily in custom hardware, microwave networks, and FPGA-based trading systems. Known for aggressive technology investment. Interview difficulty: 5/5
Tower Research Capital (New York, Singapore) - Around 800 employees. Highly quantitative HFT firm trading equities, futures, and options globally. Strong C++ and systems programming culture. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Hudson River Trading (New York) - Around 600 employees. Technology-driven quantitative firm with a reputation for strong engineering culture. HRT treats trading as a computer science and maths problem. Known for a collegial, academic atmosphere. Interview difficulty: 5/5
XTX Markets (New York) - Around 200 employees. One of the largest electronic market makers in FX and fixed income. Founded by former GSA Capital employees. XTX has a lean team and is headquartered in New York, making it a top destination for US-based quants. Interview difficulty: 4/5
Prop Trading Firms Comparison Table
| Firm | HQ | Approx Employees | Primary Focus | Interview Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Street | New York | 2,500 | ETFs, options, bonds | 5/5 |
| Citadel Securities | New York | 4,000 | Equities, options | 5/5 |
| Optiver | Amsterdam | 1,800 | Options, derivatives | 4/5 |
| IMC Trading | Amsterdam | 1,200 | Options, ETFs | 4/5 |
| Flow Traders | Amsterdam | 600 | ETPs | 4/5 |
| Virtu Financial | New York | 1,000 | Equities, FX, commodities | 3/5 |
| Two Sigma | New York | 2,200 | Multi-asset systematic | 5/5 |
| D.E. Shaw | New York | 2,500 | Multi-asset systematic | 5/5 |
| Renaissance Technologies | New York | 300 | Multi-asset systematic | 5/5 |
| AQR | Greenwich, CT | 1,000 | Multi-asset systematic | 4/5 |
| Man Group | New York | 1,500 | Multi-asset systematic | 3/5 |
| Citadel | Chicago | 2,800 | Multi-strategy | 5/5 |
| Millennium | New York | 5,500 | Multi-strategy | 4/5 |
| Point72 | Stamford, CT | 2,700 | Multi-strategy | 4/5 |
| Balyasny | Chicago | 2,000 | Multi-strategy | 4/5 |
| Jump Trading | Chicago | 1,000 | HFT, multi-asset | 5/5 |
| Tower Research | New York | 800 | HFT, equities, futures | 4/5 |
| Hudson River Trading | New York | 600 | HFT, equities | 5/5 |
| XTX Markets | New York | 200 | FX, fixed income | 4/5 |
Salary Ranges at Prop Trading Firms
Compensation at prop firms is significantly higher than at banks, particularly at senior levels. Most firms pay a base salary plus a performance bonus that can be several multiples of base. For detailed compensation data, see our quant finance salary guide.
Graduate / Entry Level (0-2 years)
| Role | New York (USD) | New York (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Trader | $200,000-120,000 base + $500,000-100,000 bonus | $150,000-200,000 total |
| Quantitative Researcher | $175,000-110,000 base + $450,000-80,000 bonus | $150,000-200,000 total |
| Software Engineer | $150,000-100,000 base + $350,000-70,000 bonus | $140,000-190,000 total |
Mid-Level (3-7 years)
| Role | New York (USD) | New York (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Trader | $120,000-250,000 base + $300,000-500,000 bonus | $300,000-800,000 total |
| Quantitative Researcher | $100,000-200,000 base + $100,000-400,000 bonus | $250,000-700,000 total |
| Software Engineer | $100,000-180,000 base + $100,000-300,000 bonus | $250,000-600,000 total |
Senior (8+ years)
Total compensation at senior levels varies enormously. At top firms, senior quantitative traders and researchers can earn $100,000-2,000,000+ in New York and $1,000,000-5,000,000+ in New York. Partner-level or portfolio manager compensation can reach eight figures in exceptional years.
The top market-making firms (Jane Street, Citadel Securities, Optiver) and multi-strategy funds (Citadel, Millennium) consistently offer the highest total compensation packages.
What Prop Trading Firms Look For
Prop firms hire differently from banks. There is no target school list, no "diversity of background" initiative for its own sake - they want raw intellectual horsepower combined with practical problem-solving ability.
Academic Background
The strongest candidates typically have:
- Mathematics or statistics degrees - particularly from strong programs (Stanford Part III, MIT, Princeton, MIT, ETH Zurich)
- Physics or engineering - especially theoretical or computational physics
- Computer science - with strong algorithmic and systems knowledge
- Economics/finance degrees - less common at the most quantitative firms, but valued at multi-strategy shops
A PhD is helpful but not required at most firms. Jane Street, Optiver, and HRT hire many candidates straight from undergraduate. Renaissance and D.E. Shaw lean more heavily toward PhDs.
Competition Experience
This is where prop firms differ most from other employers. Many firms - particularly market makers - actively recruit from:
- Maths olympiad participants (IMO, national competitions)
- Programming contest winners (ICPC, Codeforces, competitive programming)
- Poker and bridge players - useful as signals for probabilistic thinking and risk management
Jane Street, Optiver, and SIG are especially known for valuing competitive maths and puzzle-solving ability.
Technical Skills
The specific technical requirements depend on the role, but commonly include:
- Programming - Python, C++, and sometimes OCaml (Jane Street) or Rust. See our guide on algorithmic trading for more on the technology stack.
- Probability and statistics - well beyond textbook level. You'll be tested on combinatorics, stochastic processes, Bayesian reasoning, and estimation problems.
- Mental maths - particularly at market-making firms. Many interviews include timed arithmetic tests.
- Systems thinking - understanding of computer architecture, networking, and performance optimization.
For a thorough breakdown of what to study, check our quant interview questions guide.
How to Get Hired at a Prop Trading Firm
Getting hired is competitive. The acceptance rate at top firms like Jane Street and Citadel Securities is estimated at under 2% - lower than most Ivy League universities.
The Typical Process
- Online application - submit CV/resume through the firm's website. Some firms also accept referrals through campus events.
- Online assessment - typically a timed maths/logic test. Some firms use HackerRank or similar platforms for coding tests.
- First-round interviews - usually 1-2 remote interviews covering probability, mental maths, brain teasers, and/or coding.
- Superday / final round - an in-person day of 4-6 interviews. Expect trading simulations, pair programming, case studies, and more technical questions.
- Offer - typically within 1-2 weeks of the final round.
What Makes Applications Stand Out
- Demonstrable quantitative ability - competition results, research publications, strong grades in mathematical courses
- Side projects - trading bots, data analysis projects, open-source contributions
- Relevant internships - even one summer at a prop firm massively increases your chances for full-time roles
- Networking - attending firm events, campus presentations, and hackathons sponsored by trading firms
Timing
Most firms recruit on a yearly cycle. Summer internship applications for the following year typically open in July-September. Graduate applications open around the same time. Apply early - many firms review on a rolling basis and fill positions before the stated deadline.
US vs International Prop Trading: Key Differences
The US dominates the prop trading world in sheer number of firms and total capital deployed. International hubs (London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney) host strong franchises but most US firms run global trading 24/5 from NYC, Chicago, or San Francisco.
Where the US Leads
The majority of top prop firms are headquartered in NYC or Chicago. The US has the deepest equity markets, the most exchange-traded products, and a regulatory environment that has historically been accommodating to proprietary trading. Total comp at NYC and Chicago shops sits 20-40% above what international subsidiaries pay for equivalent roles, partly due to larger bonus pools and partly due to competitive dynamics in the US talent market.
Where International Hubs Excel
- London dominates FX (roughly 38% of global turnover) and has a strong rates / fixed-income market — XTX Markets is the UK's largest prop firm by FX volume.
- Amsterdam is the European options market-making capital — Optiver, IMC, and Flow Traders are headquartered there but all keep meaningful US offices in Chicago and NYC.
- Singapore and Hong Kong are the APAC hubs for US firms with global reach (Citadel Securities, Jane Street, Optiver, Tower).
US firms benefit from:
- Time-zone and venue depth — overlap with global trading hours, plus the deepest single-currency capital market.
- Talent pool — strong STEM graduates from US universities (MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, CMU, Caltech, Chicago).
- Regulatory clarity — the SEC and CFTC provide a well-understood, mature regulatory framework.
Tax and Compensation Considerations
US federal income tax tops out at 37% (plus state income tax that varies from 0% in TX/FL/TN/WA to 13.3% in CA). NYC residents face an additional ~3.876% city tax, but the US lacks Europe's broader social-charges layer. After-tax take-home in Austin or Miami can be materially better than NYC for senior earners.
For a complete breakdown of US-specific quant compensation, see our quant finance salary guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a PhD to work at a prop trading firm?
No. Many of the top prop firms - especially market makers like Jane Street, Optiver, and Citadel Securities - hire directly from undergraduate programs. A PhD can help for research-heavy roles at firms like Renaissance Technologies or Two Sigma, but it's the quality of your thinking that matters more than the specific credential. Strong maths olympiad results or competitive programming achievements can be just as valuable as a doctorate.
How much do prop traders earn in their first year?
First-year total compensation at top firms ranges from $100,000-200,000 in New York and $150,000-250,000 in New York. This includes base salary plus a signing bonus and first-year performance bonus. The exact figure depends on the firm, the role (trader vs. researcher vs. engineer), and individual performance. Compensation scales rapidly - it's common for top performers to double their total pay within 2-3 years.
What's the difference between a prop trading firm and a quant hedge fund?
The core difference is capital source. Prop firms trade their own money, while hedge funds manage external investor capital. In practice, this means hedge funds have management fees as a stable revenue source, face regulatory requirements around investor reporting, and typically have longer time horizons. Prop firms - particularly market makers - can be more agile and technology-focused because they don't answer to investors. Some firms blur the line: Citadel runs both a prop trading operation (Citadel Securities) and a hedge fund (Citadel LLC). Our quant hedge fund guide covers this distinction in detail.
Are prop trading firms regulated?
Yes, but generally less heavily than banks or hedge funds. In the US, most prop firms are izeauthorised by the SEC. In the US, they're registered with the SEC and/or CFTC depending on what they trade. Market-making firms face additional obligations around providing fair and orderly markets. The lighter regulatory burden compared to banks is one reason prop firms can move faster and invest more in technology.
Which prop trading firms are best for someone starting their career?
For graduates, the best firms are those with structured training programs. Optiver, Jane Street, and SIG (Susquehanna International Group) are known for investing heavily in new hire training. Citadel Securities and Two Sigma also have strong graduate programs. In New York specifically, Optiver, XTX Markets, and Man Group's AHL division offer excellent entry points. The "best" firm depends on whether you want to trade (market makers), research (systematic firms), or build systems (all of the above). Our guide to becoming a quant can help you work out which path suits you.
Can you start a prop trading firm with your own money?
Technically yes, but the barriers are high. Modern prop trading requires significant technology infrastructure - co-located servers, exchange memberships, market data feeds, and risk management systems. The capital requirements for meaningful market making run into tens of millions. That said, smaller firms do exist. Some start as proprietary trading desks within family offices or as two-person operations focused on niche markets. The retail "prop firm" model (where traders pay for funded accounts) is an entirely different business and shouldn't be confused with the institutional prop firms discussed in this guide.
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What You Will Learn
- Explain what are prop trading firms.
- Build how prop firms differ from hedge funds and banks.
- Calibrate top prop trading firms by category.
- Compute prop trading firms comparison table.
- Design salary ranges at prop trading firms.
- Implement what prop trading firms look for.
Prerequisites
- Derivatives intuition — see Derivatives intuition.
- Options Greeks — see Options Greeks.
- Comfort reading code and basic statistical notation.
- Curiosity about how the topic shows up in a US trading firm.
Mental Model
Markets are auctions for risk. Every product, model, and strategy in this section is a way of pricing or transferring some piece of risk between counterparties — and US markets give you the deepest, most regulated, most algorithmic version of that auction in the world. For Top Prop Trading Firms 2026, frame the topic as the piece that from Jane Street and Citadel Securities to systematic funds — salary data, interview difficulty, fit — and ask what would break if you removed it from the workflow.
Why This Matters in US Markets
US markets are the deepest, most algorithmic, most regulated capital markets in the world. The SEC, CFTC, FINRA, and Federal Reserve govern equities, options, futures, treasuries, and OTC derivatives. The big buy-side (Bridgewater, AQR, Citadel, Two Sigma, Renaissance) and the major sell-side (GS, MS, JPM, Citi, BofA) hire heavily against the material in this section.
In US markets, Top Prop Trading Firms 2026 tends to surface during onboarding, code review, and the first incident a junior quant gets pulled into. Questions on this material recur in interviews at Citadel, Two Sigma, Jane Street, HRT, Jump, DRW, IMC, Optiver, and the major bulge-bracket banks.
Common Mistakes
- Quoting risk-free rates without saying which curve (T-bill, OIS, fed funds futures).
- Treating implied volatility as a forecast instead of a market-clearing quantity.
- Using realized correlation as a hedge ratio without accounting for regime change.
- Treating Top Prop Trading Firms 2026 as a one-off topic rather than the foundation it becomes once you ship code.
- Skipping the US-market context — copying European or Asian conventions and getting bitten by US tick sizes, settlement, or regulator expectations.
- Optimizing for elegance instead of auditability; trading regulators care about reproducibility, not cleverness.
- Confusing model output with reality — the tape is the source of truth, the model is a hypothesis.
Practice Questions
- Compute the delta of an at-the-money call on SPY with one month to expiry under Black-Scholes (σ=18%, r=5%).
- Why does the implied volatility surface for SPX exhibit a skew rather than a flat smile?
- Define the Sharpe ratio and explain why it is annualized.
- Why does delta-hedging a sold straddle on SPY produce P&L proportional to realized minus implied variance?
- What does a 100 bps move in the 10-year Treasury yield typically do to a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate?
Answers and Explanations
- Δ = N(d1) where d1 = (ln(S/K) + (r + σ²/2)T) / (σ√T). With S=K, T=1/12, σ=0.18, r=0.05: d1 ≈ (0 + (0.05 + 0.0162)·0.0833) / (0.18·0.2887) ≈ 0.106; N(0.106) ≈ 0.542. Delta ≈ 0.54.
- Because investors pay a premium for downside protection (left tail) and equity returns are negatively correlated with volatility; out-of-the-money puts therefore trade rich relative to OTM calls.
- Sharpe = (excess return) / (volatility). Annualization (multiply by √252 for daily returns) puts strategies of different frequencies on comparable footing — a key requirement for comparing US asset managers.
- Because the hedger captures gamma·dS² over time; integrating gives Σ gamma·(dS)², and theta paid over the life is set by implied variance. Net P&L tracks σ_realized² − σ_implied² scaled by gamma exposure.
- Roughly 75-100 bps move the same direction; mortgages are priced off the 10y plus a spread that includes prepayment risk and originator margin, which both move with rates.
Glossary
- Delta — first derivative of option price with respect to underlying.
- Gamma — second derivative; rate of change of delta.
- Vega — sensitivity of option price to implied volatility.
- Theta — time decay; daily P&L from holding the option as expiry approaches.
- Implied volatility — the σ that, when plugged into Black-Scholes, recovers the market price.
- Skew — variation of implied volatility across strikes.
- Spread — the difference between two prices; a yield curve, an option spread, or a cross-instrument arb.
- Sharpe ratio — annualized excess return divided by annualized volatility; the standard performance metric in US asset management.
Further Study Path
- Understanding Financial Markets — Equity, fixed income, FX, derivatives — how markets actually work and where quants fit in.
- Time Value of Money — Present value, future value, discounting, NPV — the concept that underpins all of finance.
- Bonds and Fixed Income — Pricing, yield to maturity, duration, convexity — the fixed-income concepts behind interest-rate modeling.
- Python for Quant Finance: Fundamentals — Variables, functions, data structures, classes, and error handling — the core Python every quant role expects.
- Advanced Python for Financial Applications — Decorators, generators, and context managers — the patterns that separate beginner Python from production quant code.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Explain what are prop trading firms.
- Apply how prop firms differ from hedge funds and banks.
- Recognize top prop trading firms by category.
- Describe prop trading firms comparison table.
- Walk through salary ranges at prop trading firms.
- Identify what prop trading firms look for.
- Articulate how to get hired at a prop trading firm.
- Trace firms as it applies to top prop trading firms 2026.
- Map rankings as it applies to top prop trading firms 2026.
- Pinpoint how top prop trading firms 2026 surfaces at Citadel, Two Sigma, Jane Street, or HRT.
- Explain the US regulatory framing — SEC, CFTC, FINRA — relevant to top prop trading firms 2026.
- Apply a single-paragraph elevator pitch for top prop trading firms 2026 suitable for an interviewer.
- Recognize one common production failure mode of the techniques in top prop trading firms 2026.
- Describe when top prop trading firms 2026 is the wrong tool and what to use instead.
- Walk through how top prop trading firms 2026 interacts with the order management and risk gates in a US trading stack.
- Identify a back-of-the-envelope sanity check that proves your implementation of top prop trading firms 2026 is roughly right.
- Articulate which US firms publicly hire against the skills covered in top prop trading firms 2026.
- Trace a follow-up topic from this knowledge base that deepens top prop trading firms 2026.
- Map how top prop trading firms 2026 would appear on a phone screen or onsite interview at a US quant shop.
- Pinpoint the day-one mistake a junior would make on top prop trading firms 2026 and the senior's fix.