The Jane Street interview process for software engineers has three steps: an application read by a person (Jane Street aims to answer within about a week), a technical interview over Zoom, and final-round interviews in person at one of its offices. Every interview is a coding problem you solve together with a Jane Street engineer, in any language you know well, and the firm says it judges how you think and communicate more than whether you reach the final solution. There is no online assessment, and software engineering interviews do not include mental math, olympiad questions or logic puzzles.
Problems are open-ended with several reasonable approaches. 2025 intern reports describe small class or data-structure design tasks, such as a key-value store or a stack-based problem, which then grow through follow-ups.
Jane Street interview process
- Application reviewAbout 1 week
- Zoom technical interview30-60 min
- In-person final roundMost of a day
- Decision-
| Round | Duration | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Application review | About 1 week | A person reads every application; they may suggest a different role |
| Zoom technical interview | 30-60 min | One open-ended coding problem worked through with an engineer |
| In-person final round | Most of a day | A series of collaborative coding interviews (four in one 2025 New York intern report) |
| Decision | - | Offer, or a cut partway through the final day |
Jane Street interview questions with answers
Q: Implement a class that stores key-value pairs, then extend it.
Start with the smallest correct version: a hash map behind get, set and delete, with a clear answer for missing keys (return an option type or raise, and say which). Then expect extensions one at a time: a time-to-live per key (store the expiry with the value and check it on read, plus an optional background sweep), versioned reads (keep a sorted list of (timestamp, value) per key and binary search), or transactions (a stack of pending change maps that commit or roll back). In a distributed setting, say what happens when two writers race and which consistency you are promising. Write tests for each extension before moving on.
Q: A stack problem: process a sequence of operations with last-in-first-out rules.
Clarify the operations and what an invalid one means (pop on empty, mismatched bracket). Use your language’s list or vector as the stack, push and pop at the end so each operation is O(1), and handle the empty case explicitly. Common follow-ups are a min-stack (store the running minimum alongside each element), evaluating an expression with two stacks for operators and values, or matching nested structures. Say the complexity and trace one tricky input by hand.
Q: Design a small system as a class and walk through how it changes.
Name the core operations first and write their signatures, then choose the internal state that makes those operations cheap. Keep functions small and pure where you can, which reads well in any language and is close to how Jane Street writes OCaml. When the interviewer adds a requirement, say which part of your design it touches before editing code. If a change forces a rewrite, explain why the earlier choice no longer fits; interviewers care more about that reasoning than about getting the first version perfect.
Q: How do you handle an extension you cannot finish in time?
Say so early and propose a plan: the data structure change, the function you would add and the test that would prove it. Then implement the part most likely to break, such as the edge case or the concurrency rule. Jane Street’s prep advice is to know what you don’t know, and a clear plan with one working piece beats rushed code that fails silently.
Q: Two pointers or sliding window: find the longest subarray meeting a condition.
Keep a window [left, right] and the state needed to test the condition (a sum, a character count). Extend right one step at a time; while the condition fails, move left and update the state. Record the best window after each step. Each index enters and leaves once, so it is O(n). A September 2025 intern listed two pointers and sliding window as useful prep for the first round.
Jane Street SWE intern interview
Jane Street’s software engineering internship interview follows the same steps as full-time hiring. 2025 US reports describe the first round as a single live call with a current software engineer:
- A July 2025 New York intern had one programming problem over about an hour. The interviewer did not run the code but suggested refinements and pointed out issues as they went. The candidate reached a correct solution and still did not get an offer.
- A September 2025 New York intern had a 30-minute first round with one stack problem based on last-in-first-out logic, and suggested preparing two pointers, sliding window and stacks.
- An October 2025 US intern was asked to implement a class that handles key-value pairs in a distributed web system setting.
- An October 2025 New York intern had an introduction and a data-structure class question, then an on-site round.
The final day is in person. A March 2025 New York intern had an hour-long office tour, then four interviews they called very intense; lunch came after the second interview, and candidates who had not passed by then were sent home.
Jane Street SWE intern pay
Levels.fyi entries for Summer 2026 New York software engineering interns show $144.23 an hour ($25,000 a month), corporate housing and a $25,000 sign-on bonus; Summer 2025 entries show $120.19 an hour. These are self-reported. TraderMath notes that Jane Street’s quantitative research internship ad states a $300,000 yearly base paid for the weeks worked.
Jane Street software engineer interview for new grads and experienced hires
The full-time Jane Street SWE interview has the same structure: a Zoom technical interview, then an in-person final round of coding problems. Jane Street says most of its software engineers do not have advanced degrees and none is required, and that prior functional programming experience is not needed. Its overview page says it builds almost all of its software in-house in OCaml, including trading and risk systems.
Jane Street publishes a written walkthrough of a past interview question and a mock interview video on its prep page. They show the format better than any third-party list: one problem that starts small and grows through extensions.
Jane Street interview questions: quick answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is there an online assessment? | Not in Jane Street’s published SWE process. The first step after application review is a live Zoom interview. |
| Which language? | Any language you know well and that suits the problem. You can switch languages while exploring. |
| Is OCaml required? | No, and there are no bonus points for it. |
| Are there puzzles or mental math? | Not for software engineers. Those are used in other roles. |
| Pseudocode allowed? | No. Jane Street asks for real code and comfort with your language’s basic data structures and APIs. |
| How fast is the first reply? | Jane Street aims for about a week after application. A July 2025 intern was contacted to schedule within two weeks. |
| Is the final round in person? | Yes, at one of Jane Street’s offices. |
Jane Street interview questions by type
These come from 2025 Taro reports and Jane Street’s own prep page.
| Type | Reported questions and topics |
|---|---|
| Class / data-structure design | Implement a class that stores key-value pairs (distributed web system setting, October 2025); a “DS class” question (October 2025); a system modeled as a class (July 2025) |
| Classic data structures | A stack problem on last-in-first-out behavior (September 2025, 30 minutes) |
| Open-ended programming | One problem worked through together for about an hour, with refinements suggested by the interviewer (July 2025) |
| Final round | A series of coding problems solved collaboratively; four rounds in one March 2025 New York report |
Who does well in Jane Street interviews
Good fit: You write clean code quickly in one language, talk while you work, and enjoy a problem that keeps changing. You are comfortable saying “I’m not sure, let me check” and taking a hint without getting defensive.
Harder path: You prepared by memorizing LeetCode solutions or practicing silently. A correct answer delivered without explanation did not save the July 2025 intern, and the open-ended problems leave little room for pattern matching.
Jane Street India: IIT internships and the SEBI case
Jane Street does not list an Indian office among its trading floors (New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Amsterdam). Indian candidates mostly reach it through internships at IITs that lead to pre-placement offers abroad. Outlook Business reported in December 2024 that an IIT Madras computer science student who had interned at Jane Street received a Rs 4.3 crore package for a quant trader role in Hong Kong, the highest offer of that placement season.
In July 2025 SEBI accused Jane Street of manipulating Indian index prices and barred it from the market; Jane Street denied wrongdoing, placed $560 million in escrow on July 14, 2025, and SEBI lifted the trading ban on July 21, 2025. Mint reported that IITs were reviewing campus hiring from Jane Street while the case was open. The interview format for India-sourced candidates is the same as above: a live coding interview, then a final round.
What Jane Street interviewers score
Jane Street’s prep page lists four pieces of advice that double as the rubric:
- Be nice. The core question is whether they would want to work with you.
- Be clear. Explain your thinking as you go, and keep the discussion productive.
- Know your language. Write real code fluently, including basic data structures and APIs.
- Know what you don’t know. Say when you are unsure instead of bluffing.
The firm says its problems avoid “aha” tricks and algorithm trivia, so candidates who memorized solutions gain little. The 2025 intern reports back this up: a candidate who reached a correct solution was still turned down, which suggests the conversation along the way carries real weight.
A four-week Jane Street prep plan
- Week 1: Language fluency. Pick your strongest language and write ten small programs using its maps, sets, queues and sorting without looking up APIs. Jane Street asks for real code.
- Week 2: Class design that grows: a key-value store, then add TTL, then versioned reads, then transactions. Do the same for an order book or an LRU cache. Talk out loud the whole time.
- Week 3: Mock interviews with a friend who adds requirements halfway through. Practice saying what part of your design each change touches before you edit.
- Week 4: Watch Jane Street’s mock interview video and work its published sample problem, then do two 60-minute mocks back to back to rehearse the in-person day’s stamina.
Jane Street pay in the US
TraderMath’s September 2026 review of Jane Street’s job ads and US salary filings (July 2025 to June 2026) shows a $300,000 base for new-grad software engineers, traders and researchers in New York, the same figure filed for each of those titles. An experienced software engineer ad also states $300,000. Bonuses are on top and not published.
For interns, Levels.fyi lists Summer 2026 New York software engineering entries at $144.23 an hour ($25,000 a month) with corporate housing and a $25,000 sign-on bonus, up from $120.19 an hour in Summer 2025. These are self-reported.
Frequently asked questions about Jane Street interviews
What is the Jane Street interview process for software engineers?
A person reviews every application, and Jane Street aims to reply within about a week. Every software engineering candidate then has a technical interview over Zoom, followed by final-round interviews in person at one of its offices, which focus on solving a series of coding problems together with the interviewer. There is no online assessment in Jane Street’s published process.
What is the Jane Street SWE intern interview like?
2025 US intern reports describe a first-round call of 30 to 60 minutes with a Jane Street engineer on one coding problem, often a small class or data-structure design such as a key-value store or a stack-based task. Candidates who pass go to an in-person final day; a March 2025 New York intern had four intense rounds, and candidates who did not pass the first two were sent home after lunch.
Do I need to know OCaml for a Jane Street interview?
No. Jane Street’s interview prep page says it does not award bonus points for using a functional language like OCaml and that you should use the language you know best. You must write real code, not pseudocode. The firm does build almost all of its own software in OCaml, so you will learn it after joining.
Does the Jane Street software engineering interview have brain teasers or mental math?
No. Jane Street says its software engineering interviews do not test mental math, math olympiad questions or logic puzzles; those are used for other roles such as trading. SWE interviews are open-ended coding problems with several reasonable approaches, and the interviewer cares more about your process than the final answer.
What are common Jane Street interview questions?
Reported 2025 software engineering questions include implementing a class that stores key-value pairs in a distributed web system setting, a stack problem built on last-in-first-out logic, a data-structure class design task, and a single longer programming problem worked through with the interviewer, who suggested refinements without running the code.
How much does Jane Street pay software engineers?
TraderMath’s September 2026 review of Jane Street’s job ads and US salary filings shows a $300,000 base for new-grad software engineers, traders and researchers in New York, with bonus on top. Levels.fyi entries for Summer 2026 New York software engineering interns show $25,000 a month ($144.23 an hour), corporate housing and a $25,000 sign-on bonus.
Is the Jane Street final round in person?
Yes. Jane Street’s prep page says final-round interviews take place in person at one of its offices. A March 2025 New York intern described an hour-long office tour before the interviews and lunch after the second interview.
Does Jane Street hire from India?
Jane Street has hired IIT students mainly through internships that convert to pre-placement offers for overseas offices. Outlook Business reported in December 2024 that an IIT Madras computer science student who had interned there received a Rs 4.3 crore offer for a quant trader role in Hong Kong. After SEBI’s July 2025 action against Jane Street, Mint reported that IITs were reviewing its campus recruiting.
Sources
- Jane Street: preparing for a software engineering interview
- Jane Street: what we do
- TraderMath: Jane Street salaries from job ads and filings
- Levels.fyi: Jane Street software engineer intern pay
- Taro: SWE intern, New York, March 2025
- Taro: SWE intern, New York, July 2025
- Taro: SWE intern, New York, September 2025
- Taro: SWE intern, New York, October 2025
- Taro: SWE intern, United States, October 2025
- Outlook Business: IIT Madras student’s Rs 4.3 crore Jane Street offer (December 2024)
- Wikipedia: Jane Street Capital (SEBI case dates, headcount)
- Mint (2025): “Jane Street hiring from IITs under review after Sebi ban”