Quantitative · Stable
Statistics and probability
Why does Statistics and probability matter in quant?
Statistics and probability are the common core of every quantitative role, and the component that filters most candidates out. Interviews test applied reasoning under time pressure rather than textbook recall.
Every track - research, trading, engineering - carries a probability component in its interview loop. Engineers underprepare for this more than any other area.
Demand right now, measured
High confidencen=196Live vacancies asking for it
196
Share of quant roles
33.2%
Core quant vacancies mentioning it
Quant signal
5.42×
Versus other roles at the same firms
Firms asking
19
Across 16 cities
This skill: 196 vacancy mentions across 19 employers. Each vacancy is verified first-party and classified by a published rule set you can inspect.
Which roles ask for it
Percentage of that role's live vacancies mentioning Statistics and probability.
- Quant Researcher58% (92)
- Quant Trader16% (18)
- Software Engineer5% (17)
- Machine Learning Engineer19% (9)
- Data Engineer24% (8)
- Quant Developer14% (4)
- Quant Analyst36% (4)
- Systematic Portfolio Manager33% (4)
Roles requiring it
Where demand concentrates
Strategies it serves
- Market making · Continuous
- Statistical arbitrage · Intraday to weeks
- Systematic macro · Weeks to months
Backgrounds this comes from
- Mathematics and physics degrees
- Statistics doctorates
- Competitive mathematics
Other skills
Live opportunities
Roles that use Statistics and probability
Open vacancies we track at quant firms, grouped by role and city. Adverts are anonymised.
Hiring for these roles? Brief the desk on a hire or check your fit for a role.
Research desk
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Ask what a firm really pays, how a desk hires, or where your profile sits. One reply from the research desk, in confidence, no obligation.
Last updated September 2026 · KnowQuant 2026.1
Methodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuantIndex 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.