IMC Trading interview, from the assessment to the matching engine.

IMC describes a five-step process and says assessments vary by role. Its recruiters list the order: an online assessment, a behavioural interview, a first technical interview, then a final assessment day of technical and behavioural stations. The detail per track below adds candidate reports from 2025 and 2026, marked as reported.

Every IMC process starts with an online assessment, and IMC says assessments vary by role. Candidates confirm it: the format differs between engineers and traders, and has changed from year to year.

• Software engineers: two coding problems: Reported as 2 medium to hard problems in 120 minutes on HackerRank, in Java or C++ only. Practise graph search, prefix sums and binary search in the language you will use, and write code that handles edge cases the hidden tests will check.
• Traders: aptitude, logic and mental maths: 2026 candidates report an SHL test followed by a short, proctored HackerRank of logic and maths questions, about 12 to 15 minutes, with fractions, percentages and ratios. Earlier candidates describe four BrainsFirst games. Practise speed arithmetic without a calculator.
• The waiting: Several 2026 candidates report hearing nothing for weeks after the assessment. Keep applying elsewhere; IMC's ads allow one application per role per season, so a silence does not let you reapply sooner.
• Prosperity, another way in: IMC's Prosperity trading challenge had 22,600 players in 2025, and IMC says several top performers went on to internships and graduate roles.

Calibrd cannot rehearse the timed tests. It can prepare you for the interviews and the explanations that follow them.

IMC's prep guides say what it looks for, and both stress that interviewers are not trying to trick you.

• Solid computer science: data structures, algorithms, memory and concurrency
• Modern C++ or Java, written cleanly under time pressure
• Clear reasoning about probability and expected value, out loud
• Calm decisions under uncertainty, the core of market making
• Strong academics: IMC's APAC recruiters ask for at least a Distinction average

Candidates report these questions and themes from 2025 and 2026 IMC processes in Amsterdam, Chicago and Asia.

Base salaries posted in IMC's US job ads on 4 October 2026. Every full-time role is also eligible for a discretionary bonus, which at trading firms is often a large part of pay.

1. Engineers: practise the assessment in Java or C++, the only languages the graduate ads allow.
2. Build a small order book with price-time priority, partial fills and cancels before the final round.
3. Revise memory, caches and concurrency; IMC's tech prep guide lists them by name.
4. Traders: read IMC's trading prep guide on market making and practise quoting and adjusting out loud.
5. Practise mental maths daily: fractions, percentages and ratios, against a timer.
6. Apply to the role you want most: one application per role per season.

This guide covers IMC's software engineer, trader and quant researcher hiring, for graduates, interns and experienced hires, across its Amsterdam, Chicago and Asia offices. For management and leadership roles the loop is similar but the bar shifts to people, delivery and strategy, so pair it with the leadership interview prep hub. The bar for your exact role comes from the role-by-role guides, and the prep that actually transfers is spoken, so run a mock interview before the real one.

Also interviewing at Goldman Sachs, Optiver or Stripe? Their guides follow the same format, from the first screen to the offer.

• 01IMC, who we arefounded in 1989 on the Amsterdam options floor, 2,070 employees, ten offices.
• 02IMC, 2025 annual reportnet trading revenue up 40% to $3,120 million.
• 03IMC, recruitment processthe five steps, assessments varying by role, feedback within a couple of days, and the graduate schools.
• 04IMC, how to prepare for an interview at IMCthe order of the stages and the Distinction average.
• 05IMC, technology interview prep guide (August 2025)the topics and recommended books.
• 06IMC, trading interview prep guide (August 2025)market-making games and the 95 to 105 example.
• 07IMC open roles168 roles on 4 October 2026 by office, the posted US base salaries, the Java or C++ rule and one application per role per year.
• 08Reddit, IMC final round (July 2025)the matching engine round in IntelliJ on IMC's machines.
• 09Reddit, IMC first round (May 2025)the assessment, one-way interview and an hour with two engineers.
• 10Reddit, IMC Amsterdam engineering rounds (October 2025)OS internals, hash maps and the risk of no offer after passing the final.
• 11Reddit, IMC intern final (March 2026)all test cases passed and no offer.
• 12Reddit, IMC trader assessment (August 2026)the SHL test and the short HackerRank.
• 13Reddit, IMC trader first round (September 2026)probability, expected value, game theory and mental maths.
• 14Reddit, waiting after the IMC assessment (September 2026)no reply weeks after the assessment.
• 15IMC, Prosperity 422,600 players in 2025 and hires from the challenge.

Interview processes change. This reflects widely-reported and sourced conditions as of 2026 — confirm specifics with your recruiter, and treat it as a map rather than a guarantee.