ATQ!
“ATQ” stands for “Answer The Question!” Let us suppose that I am the interviewer and that I have little patience. I am busy. Damn busy! I have a deadline for my boss on a project that is due tonight (he is in an earlier time zone). I just walked away from a stack of work on my desk, and the computer simulation I desperately need to see the results of just so that I can talk to you. Spending 30 minutes with you means I get hoome at 10:30PM instead of 8:00PM, because I have to finish my project, and I will miss the last direct train. I earn $250,000, $500,000, $1M, or more per annum. I got my job and kept it because I am efficient and I understand time management. I want to hire a good person, but if you waste my time then I will crucify you; perhaps not to your face, but to my colleagues, both at this firm, and at competing firms thinking of interviewing you.
-Excerpt from Heard on The Street: Quantitative Questions from Wall Street Job Interviews (Timothy Falcon Crack), a standard quantitative interview prep book for finance job interviews.