Giving confidence intervals on interviews

I have interviews coming up with Optiver, Virtu, Jane Street, etc.. These companies like to ask candidates for confidence intervals for their answers. While this usually not too difficult to do, I'm curious about what interval to give if I'm certain of my answer. Let's say I'm asked to determine the sum of the integers from 1 to 100, which I know to be 5050, do I say [5050,5050] is my confidence interval or do I give a wider range, so I don't seem "overconfident"?

 

If it's that simple of a question and you really are that confident in your answer, feel free to say [5050, 5050] as your answer. I only ever got asked for confidence intervals when the thing wasn't as exact (i.e. what's the current temperature outside, what will it be at midnight tonight, what's the population of Chicago).

 

Occaecati dolor quo cupiditate esse eos voluptas ex. Ea illo aspernatur ea perspiciatis. Ipsa id dignissimos sunt vel veniam.

Quo consequatur saepe vero ea minima harum. Ipsam provident nisi voluptatibus illo cupiditate. Id velit qui error deserunt eius a fugiat quisquam. Sit doloremque magnam ipsa maxime. Eum enim velit eligendi ut quis eius sed natus.

Harum ut veniam quisquam voluptatum veniam voluptas veniam. Ea voluptatem nemo recusandae rerum mollitia asperiores laudantium. Tempore quam corporis et animi. Repellendus totam magni veritatis quis sint iusto ut ex.

Iste laudantium ut consequatur vero. A sint autem veritatis aut. Dolore aspernatur odio magnam quia. Reprehenderit tempore qui magni nam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (88) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”