Frequently Asked Questions
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for below, contact us and we’ll be in touch.
Do I need to be a university student to participate?
Yes. This competition is only open to students who are currently enrolled in any course at a university in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Mainland China, the UK, EU (including countries part of the Schengen Area) or the USA.
How do I register for Ready Trader Go?
Registrations have closed. See the competition timeline for more information about the important dates and times in your region.
Can I compete in multiple teams?
No. Each competitor can only be registered for one team.
Can I enter if I’ve already worked at a trading company?
No. This competition is designed for those new to the world of algorithmic trading. To keep it fair anyone who works at, has worked at, or has accepted an offer from, Optiver or any of its direct competitors may not compete in Ready Trader Go.
If you have a query about your eligibility, feel free to contact us and we can discuss. For full details see our Terms and Conditions.
What programming languages are supported?
You can write your auto-trader in Python 3.11 or C++17 as it will be run on Linux using either Python version 3.11 or compiled with G++ version 10.2.1.
How can I access my team’s Git repository?
At the start of the competition you’ll be sent the details of your GIT repository. You’ll need a GIT client to access it. There are several graphical user interfaces available and many IDEs have built-in support for GIT. You’ll then need to configure your GIT client to use the credentials provided by Optiver to authenticate you, instructions for this are normally available in the help section of your GIT client.
How do I submit my team’s autotrader?
You will submit your auto-trader by uploading it to a GIT repository that we create for you. Details about your GIT repository will be sent to you when the competition starts. To submit your auto-trader you’ll need to do two things: first, commit your auto-trader to your clone of the master branch of the GIT repository and second push your changes to the master branch to the GIT repository we created for you. For more information about GIT, please see https://git-scm.com.
If you’ve written your auto-trader in Python, you should submit one file, and one file only, called “autotrader.py”. If you’ve written your auto-trader in C++ you should submit exactly two files, called “autotrader.h” and “autotrader.cc”. Note that the filenames consist of lowercase letters and dots only. Any other files will be ignored. Do not place the files in a folder.
We encourage you to submit your auto-trader early and you may update your auto-trader as often as you like. The most recent file(s) in the master branch of your repository at the submission deadline for each tournament will constitute your entry to that tournament.