J.P. Morgan Quantitative Researcher Interview Experience — Two Screens and Long Decision Waits

The author describes two quantitative-research applications at J.P. Morgan, involving a credit team and a market/treasury risk team. Each reached one technical interview with a hiring manager. The author reports waiting several months both for interviews and for eventual rejections.

The interviews required complete code written in the applicant’s own notes rather than a shared coding environment. During the first screen, questions also probed a prior employer’s strategy, including daily signal construction and prediction. The author felt uncomfortable when follow-up questions continued after they expressed reluctance to disclose more. That session included an array problem involving two pointers and left a negative impression. Communication in the second interview was described as more straightforward, and the coding task involved binary search. The author advises applicants to prepare for the unusual coding format and a potentially lengthy process.