The Chicago Trading Company Interview Process

Chicago Trading Company runs a structured aptitude test before its trader interviews, and the mental math bar eliminates most candidates early.

Chicago Trading Company moves candidates through a timed aptitude test covering mental math and probability, one or two interviews with traders on options and market-making concepts, and a final superday that includes a live or simulated trading exercise. Founded in 1995, Chicago Trading Company trades options and futures as a market maker across major derivatives exchanges, and its process is built to find candidates who can price risk quickly and defend that pricing under questioning.

Chicago Trading Company makes markets in listed options and futures across equity, index, and other derivatives products, quoting continuously on exchange order books. The firm's edge comes from pricing large option chains accurately and managing the aggregate Greeks of its positions as underlying prices and implied volatility move through the day.

CTC also trades some fixed income and other derivatives products, giving experienced traders room to move across desks, though the options market-making business remains the firm's most visible activity and the one its recruiting is best known for.

The process commonly opens with an online application followed by a timed aptitude test covering mental arithmetic and probability, delivered under conditions similar to other Chicago options market makers. Candidates who pass are typically invited to a first interview with a trader, covering options fundamentals and basic market-making logic.

A superday, usually held at the firm's Chicago office, strings together several interviews in one day, including a market-making or trading simulation exercise, a deeper options theory discussion, and a conversation focused on judgment and fit with senior traders. CTC's well-known internship program often serves as the entry point for full-time offers, so many candidates first go through a shorter summer-specific version of this same sequence.