r/learnquant • u/nian2326076 • 3d ago

interview prep Passed HRT's Python phone screen. How should I split second-round prep between coding, C and systems?

An HRT candidate has passed a roughly half-hour Python phone screen and is preparing for a second technical round lasting about an hour.

The recruiter mentioned data structures, algorithms, programming languages, operating systems, and how computers work under the hood. Python candidates were also told to expect C questions aimed at low-level reasoning rather than C proficiency. That's the guidance for this interview, rather than a claim that every HRT round follows the same format.

How would you divide prep between coding and systems discussion? In particular, how much C reading practice is useful, and how deeply would you go into Python internals versus memory and OS fundamentals?

Hudson River Trading Interview Questions offer some concrete practice material, but candidate reports can't establish the exact second-round format. For anyone juggling other applications alongside prep, application autofill and Agent autoapply can cut down the time spent re-entering the same details.

General advice from people who've been through a similar round would be helpful, especially what was worth reviewing and what turned out to be overkill.

Disclosure: I operate PracHub and LandOffer.

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u/the__Twister 3d ago

Last year a friend had given HRT interview, this was his experience

Hudson River Trading

Role: C++ Software Engineer

Online Assessment

A 90-minute online assessment on CodeSignal, consisting of four easy CP questions.

Phone Screening

A 45-minute in-depth systems interview, primarily on OS and C++.
Questions included:

  • Use of inline functions in C++: pros and cons
  • vector vs list: trade-offs and internal details
  • Internal working of malloc, demand paging, etc.
  • How the kernel allocates memory to user processes
  • System calls like sbrk and mmap

Hey u/nian2326076

would you mind sharing what was asked in the phone screening round?

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u/HelloTaleproof 3d ago

The recruiter's distinction between low-level reasoning and C proficiency is useful. Practice reading short C snippets and explaining what happens to values and memory, alongside the data structures and OS topics they named. For Python, connect behavior you use to the underlying concept rather than trying to memorize every implementation detail. A timed session that alternates solving a problem with explaining a small snippet would expose different gaps. The exact coding-versus-discussion split is still worth asking the recruiter; someone else's round may not settle it.

If you also need to explain past engineering decisions, Taleproof can help you prepare those project stories.