Tower Research's Interview Process (2026)

Blog / Tower Research's Interview Process (2026)
Tower Research Interview Process
The Tower Research Capital software engineer interview process is technically demanding and moves quickly, typically wrapping up within three to five weeks from application to offer. Most candidates go through an online assessment, one or two phone screens, and a multi-round Super Day, though the exact format can vary by team.
  • Online Assessment (OA): A timed HackerRank assessment, usually around 90 to 135 minutes, covering medium-to-hard DSA coding questions alongside multiple choice questions on core CS topics like operating systems, networking, and DBMS.
  • Technical Phone Screen(s): One or two 60-minute live coding calls where interviewers typically start with a standard algorithmic problem and then modify it mid-solve to test how you adapt under pressure.
  • Super Day (Onsite): A series of usually four to six back-to-back rounds, often representing two or three different trading teams. Expect a mix of low-level design, high-level system design, language internals, and more algorithmic coding, with each team bringing its own priorities and tech stack.
  • HR / Culture Fit: A shorter closing conversation, typically around 20 to 30 minutes, covering logistics, team fit, and a few behavioral questions.
To prepare effectively, focus your study plan across these key areas that Tower's interviews consistently test:
  • Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Algorithmic coding questions with mid-solve twists, covering graphs, trees, linked lists, and dynamic programming.
  • High-Level Design (System Design): Distributed system design with a focus on latency, throughput, and failure modes in a live trading environment.
  • Low-Level Design (OOD): Hands-on implementation problems like file systems and trading simulators, plus deep dives into language internals.
  • CS Fundamentals: Core computer science topics including operating systems, networking, and database theory tested in the OA and Super Day.
1. Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)Graph and tree problems appear frequently across the OA and phone screens. Past candidates have reported seeing Max Area of Island with a custom grid modification, Alien Dictionary, and Shortest Bridge, so graphs should be a priority in your prep.Linked list and array problems also show up regularly. Specific examples include Reverse Linked List II, Median of Two Sorted Arrays, and Convert Binary Search Tree to Sorted Doubly Linked List.The most important thing to practice is adapting your solution on the fly. Interviewers will often add a constraint halfway through, like "now do it with limited memory" or "what if the input is streaming," so rehearse explaining your trade-offs out loud as you code.For structured preparation, work through our top 100 DSA questions and make sure to cover graphs and dynamic programming in depth, as these are the most commonly tested categories at Tower.
2. High-Level Design (System Design)Tower's system design rounds are grounded in production reality, not abstract theory. Interviewers want to know why you chose a particular data structure or schema and how it holds up under a specific failure mode in a live trading system, so frame every design decision around real trade-offs.Latency is almost always the primary constraint to discuss, but Tower engineers expect you to acknowledge what you are giving up in return, whether that is consistency, throughput, or fault tolerance. A good reference for practicing this thinking is the Stock Exchange (NASDAQ, NYSE) system design problem, which maps directly to Tower's domain.Build comfort with High-Level Design concepts and use our System Design AI Whiteboard to rehearse drawing and talking through architectures end to end.
3. Low-Level Design (OOD)Low-level design at Tower often goes beyond class diagrams into actual implementation. Candidates have reported building working file systems and trading simulators during the Super Day, so expect hands-on coding, not just whiteboarding. Practice problems like Design In-Memory File System and Order Book - Matching Engine are directly relevant.Language internals are tested with surprising precision. For C++, know smart pointers and memory leak investigation. For Python, be ready to explain decorators and memory management. For Java, expect questions on synchronized methods and constructor overloading. A wrong or vague answer on a "small" question like these is a red flag to Tower interviewers.Explore Low-Level Design practice to build fluency with object-oriented design patterns and implementation-level thinking.
4. CS FundamentalsCore CS topics are tested from the very first stage. The OA includes multiple choice questions on operating systems, networking, and DBMS, and these topics reappear in depth during the Super Day. Brush up on operating systems concepts including the Banker's algorithm for deadlock detection and process management.Networking questions focus on practical trade-offs, such as TCP versus UDP, TCP congestion control, and when to use WebSockets over HTTP. Review networking fundamentals so you can answer these precisely rather than in general terms.On the database side, expect questions on SQL injection prevention, normalization, and schema design for high-throughput services. A solid foundation in SQL theory will cover you for the OA and any Super Day rounds that probe your DBMS knowledge.
ConclusionTower's process rewards engineers who think clearly under pressure, know their fundamentals cold, and can defend every design decision with a concrete trade-off. Start with the areas where you are weakest, drill the specific question types that appear repeatedly, and practice talking through your reasoning out loud. Follow the Tower Research Interview Roadmap for a structured, stage-by-stage preparation plan built around exactly what this process tests.

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