Statistics Interview Questions
Statistics questions cover estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, and distributions - the inferential toolkit quant research and trading interviews rely on.
Expect estimation (maximum likelihood, method of moments), hypothesis testing, the central limit theorem, and linear regression, plus the sampling behaviour of estimators - the inferential toolkit quant research and trading interviews rely on.
Beyond formulas, interviewers want to see that you understand what an estimator is doing: bias versus variance, what a p-value really means, and when a model's assumptions break.
110 statistics questions · 69 free to practise now.
- A one-sided percentile cutoffEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- A tail of a sum of normalsEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- A two-sigma tail probabilityEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Average after dropping a subgroupEasyStatisticsView →
- Backing out the correlation from portfolio riskEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Chebyshev on a concrete intervalEasyStatisticsView →
- Chi-square test for a varianceEasyStatisticsView →
- Coin count past two sigmaEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Correlation from a summed varianceEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Correlation of X with X plus YEasyStatisticsView →
- Correlation of two event indicatorsEasyProbabilityStatisticsView →
- Correlation under rescalingEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Covariance of a chi-square and a ratioEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- How many new hires to lift the averageEasyStatisticsView →
- Interquartile range of an exponentialEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Largest possible covarianceEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Matching a uniform and an exponentialEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Paid a dollar or the drawEasyExpected ValueStatisticsView →
- Pooling two independent estimatesEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Posterior from a likelihood ratioEasyConditional Probability & ExpectationStatisticsView →
- R-squared from the sums of squaresEasyStatisticsView →
- R-squared when you duplicate every pointEasyStatisticsView →
- Regressing with zero covarianceEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Sample SD with Bessel's correctionEasyStatisticsView →
- Second moment from varianceEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Sharpe of two combined uncorrelated strategiesEasyStatisticsFinance & DerivativesView →
- Shrinking the standard errorEasyStatisticsView →
- Skewness of a Laplace variableEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Spread of a coin-flip payoffEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Spread of a two-card sumEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Standard deviation of a correlated sumEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Sum of the OLS coefficientsEasyStatisticsView →
- Variance of a reciprocal uniformEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance of a union indicatorEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance of a weighted dice combinationEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Where the maximum landsEasyRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- A difference of three normalsMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Average salary, kept privateMediumBrainteasersStatisticsView →
- Bayes: did it rain?MediumConditional Probability & ExpectationStatisticsView →
- Best linear blend of two estimatesMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Correlation of two face-countsMediumProbabilityStatisticsView →
- Covariance from a triangular densityMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Covariance of sum and differenceMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Disease test (Bayes)MediumConditional Probability & ExpectationStatisticsView →
- E[X | X > 0] for a standard normalMediumStatisticsCalculusView →
- Fair outcome from a biased coinMediumProbabilityStatisticsView →
- Maximum variance on an intervalMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Median of a list and its squaresMediumCombinatoricsStatisticsView →
- Minimum-variance weightsMediumStatisticsFinance & DerivativesView →
- OLS slope from four pointsMediumStatisticsView →
- Order statistics of two uniformsMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Sharpe ratio in a marble gameMediumExpected ValueStatisticsView →
- Spectrum of a symmetric matrixMediumStatisticsLinear AlgebraView →
- Sum and difference of perfectly correlated variablesMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Swapping the regression variablesMediumStatisticsView →
- The German tank problemMediumExpected ValueStatisticsView →
- Uncorrelated but dependentMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance of a coin-gated payoffMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance of hearts in eight cardsMediumCombinatoricsStatisticsView →
- Variance of the larger of two diceMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Waiting to see both facesMediumRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Why divide by n−1?MediumStatisticsView →
- Width of a market under uncertaintyMediumMarket Making & Betting GamesStatisticsView →
- Covariance of X with Y squaredHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Smallest possible MGF valueHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Spread of a lognormal raised to the fourthHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Spread of a multinomial count gapHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance of the exponential of a gammaHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- Variance under random parametersHardRandom VariablesStatisticsView →
- A CLT tail probabilityMediumStatistics Premium
- Back out the market premium, then price a stockMediumStatisticsFinance & Derivatives Premium
- Backing out a correlationMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Confidence interval with the right pivotMediumStatistics Premium
- Correlation of overlapping sumsMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Diversified VaR of two positionsMediumStatisticsFinance & Derivatives Premium
- Empirical rule between two scoresMediumStatistics Premium
- Fourth moment of a shifted normalMediumProbabilityRandom Variables Premium
- Gap between two uniformsMediumExpected ValueStatistics Premium
- How many trials to poll a proportionMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Law of total varianceMediumConditional Probability & ExpectationExpected Value Premium
- MLE at a boundaryMediumStatisticsCalculus Premium
- Markov with a floorMediumStatistics Premium
- Minimum-variance portfolio weightMediumStatisticsFinance & Derivatives Premium
- Optimally pooling two estimatorsMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Positive semidefinitenessMediumStatisticsLinear Algebra Premium
- Reading an R²MediumStatistics Premium
- Regression to the meanMediumBrainteasersStatistics Premium
- Screening a rare diseaseMediumConditional Probability & ExpectationStatistics Premium
- Sizing an index-futures hedge in contractsMediumStatisticsFinance & Derivatives Premium
- Sum of squared standard normalsMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- The probability integral transformMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Two-sided p-value of a mean testMediumStatistics Premium
- Variance explained by a regressionMediumStatisticsLinear Algebra Premium
- Variance of a squared normalMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Variance of a two-regime returnMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Variance of coins-per-die headsMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Variance-minimizing hedgeMediumProbabilityStatistics Premium
- Volatility smile meaningMediumStatisticsFinance & Derivatives Premium
- What 'unbiased' meansMediumStatistics Premium
- What a p-value isMediumStatistics Premium
- When a biased estimator winsMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Which desk books the larger dayMediumRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Which machine made the defect?MediumConditional Probability & ExpectationStatistics Premium
- Why covariance matrices are PSDMediumStatisticsLinear Algebra Premium
- k-th order statisticMediumExpected ValueStatistics Premium
- Correlation of min and maxHardProbabilityRandom Variables Premium
- Median of a streamHardStatisticsProgramming & DSA Premium
- Order statistics are BetaHardRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Ratio of two normalsHardRandom VariablesStatistics Premium
- Reservoir samplingHardStatisticsProgramming & DSA Premium
Related guides
Master statistics for quant interviews
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Frequently asked questions
- What statistics topics appear in quant interviews?
- Estimation (maximum likelihood, method of moments), bias and variance, hypothesis testing and p-values, the central limit theorem, and linear regression. Research roles probe these more deeply than trading roles.
- How is statistics tested differently for research versus trading roles?
- Quant-research interviews go deep on estimators, regression, and assumptions; trading interviews keep it lighter, focusing on intuition about sampling, variance, and what data can and can't tell you.
- What's a commonly misunderstood statistics concept in interviews?
- The meaning of a p-value and the bias–variance trade-off. Being able to explain these in plain language is a reliable way to stand out.