Skip to main content

TL;DR

The Greeks: Delta, Gamma, and Theta Intuition: A canonical quantitative trading interview question at intermediate difficulty. Commonly asked at Optiver, SIG, IMC, Citadel Securities, Akuna Capital, Jane Street.

By Valenke Exam Prep Team·Last updated 2026-06-01
intermediateGame Theory & Strategy

The Greeks: Delta, Gamma, and Theta Intuition

Asked at: Optiver, SIG, IMC, Citadel Securities, Akuna Capital, Jane Street

Problem
You own a European call option on a stock at S=100S = 100 with strike K=100K = 100, 30 days to expiry, σ=20%\sigma = 20\%, and r=5%r = 5\%. (a) The delta is Δ=0.54\Delta = 0.54. Explain what this means. If the stock goes to 101, approximately what happens to the call price? (b) The gamma is Γ=0.035\Gamma = 0.035. If the stock moves to 105, what is the new approximate delta? Why does this matter for hedging? (c) The theta is Θ=0.05\Theta = -0.05 (per day). You hold the option over a weekend (3 days, no trading). How much value do you lose? How does gamma relate to theta?

Ready to practice for the Valenke Finance Exam?

Adaptive practice powered by Item Response Theory targets your weak areas. Start with 3 free sessions.

Start free practice →