Citadel and Citadel Securities online assessments by track
Format guide There is no single Citadel test. Candidates report cognitive screens, probability papers, and live interviews, depending on the entity (Citadel or Citadel Securities) and the track (trading, research, or engineering). This page separates those reports and links to related practice.
Three separate reported formats
| Citadel cognitive screen | Widely reported as ~50 mixed questions (logic, arithmetic, English) in ~12 minutes, the same length and time limit as Wonderlic-style tests. About 14 seconds per item. No published pass mark. |
|---|---|
| Citadel Securities trading | Prep sites describe a shorter, probability-heavy assessment (roughly 10 to 15 questions in ~30 minutes), not a speed-arithmetic test. |
| Citadel Securities QR (official) | Citadel Securities' quantitative-research interview page describes a 45 to 60 minute remote first round covering programming and problem-solving. No automated 12-minute test. |
If your invite names a vendor or a time limit, go by the invite. This table summarises public reports and does not override it.
Related practice on this site
CTC-style mixed OA
50 questions in 15 minutes across numerical, spatial, verbal, and logic. The nearest skill match to a short cognitive screen, but not Citadel's test: different firm, 15 minutes instead of 12, and no English-knowledge items.
Related skill · not CitadelProbability & EV
Dice, cards, and expected value under a clock, the content Citadel Securities trading reports describe.
Daily drillBrain teasers
Bayes, false-positive, and related interview puzzles. Cover the answer and talk through the table.
Interview roundPrep guide
How Citadel's processes compare with Optiver, IMC, and Jane Street.
OrientationRelated practice
The full list is on the free tests page.
Questions
What is the Citadel online assessment?
There is no single paper. Citadel (the hedge fund) and Citadel Securities (the market maker) are separate businesses, and quant trading, quant research, and software engineering each have different screens. Some prep sites describe a 50-question, 12-minute cognitive test (logic, arithmetic, English) for certain Citadel roles. That timing matches the Wonderlic family, not 80-in-8. Citadel Securities trading write-ups more often describe a shorter, probability-heavy set. Citadel Securities' official quantitative-research pages describe a 45 to 60 minute remote interview rather than an automated OA.
Is it 50 questions in 12 minutes?
That figure is widely repeated for a Citadel cognitive screen and matches a known vendor format (Wonderlic or similar: 50 items, 12 minutes). Treat it as a candidate report, not a confirmed spec for every current role. We do not offer a Wonderlic-style test under Citadel's name.
What about Citadel Securities trading?
Public prep tools describe a mix of probability, brain teasers, and math: roughly 10 to 15 questions in about 30 minutes, sometimes with a calculator. That is a different exam from a 12-minute cognitive screen. For a Citadel Securities trading invite, practise probability and EV rather than 6-second arithmetic.
Does Citadel use 80-in-8?
Not in public descriptions of Citadel or Citadel Securities screens. 80-in-8 belongs to the Optiver and Akuna family. Fast arithmetic still helps in interviews.
Is TradeMind affiliated with Citadel?
No. This page is an independent summary of publicly described processes, which vary by track. It is not Citadel's assessment.
TradeMind is an independent training tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Citadel, Citadel Securities, or any other firm mentioned. This page summarises publicly available descriptions of hiring assessments for practice orientation only. Formats vary by entity, role, and year. We do not reproduce vendor cognitive tests or real exam items.