PRACTICE GUIDE MAKO
Mako Aptitude Test Practice
Outcry’s Mako aptitude test practice section has 37 questions in 15 minutes. These numbers describe the linked mock; the source check below distinguishes published details from practice settings.
Outcry runs 37 questions in 15 minutes, then 28 in 30 minutes. Those counts, clocks and marking are practice settings.
Outcry is not affiliated with Mako and has no access to their assessment content. This guide describes an assessment format that candidates report publicly; the questions here are generated by Outcry and are not Mako’s own.
What it screens
A derivatives market maker founded in London, trading options and futures across global exchanges.
- ✓Two-digit multiplication and division without writing anything down
- ✓Fraction and decimal conversion at a glance
- ✓Percentage moves in both directions (a 20% drop needs +25% to recover)
- ✓Knowing when to skip: negative marking punishes guessing
Where it sits at Mako
Mako’s cited graduate engineering application-process block lists aptitude and problem-solving tests. It does not confirm the trading mock’s exact format or separately numbered trading rounds.
Practice stage: Assessment practice · aptitude + problem solving. Outcry runs 37 questions in 15 minutes, then 28 in 30 minutes. Those counts, clocks and marking are practice settings.
The format
These are the settings used by Outcry’s Mako practice sitting. They are not automatically the employer’s published format; see the linked assessment’s source check.
| Questions | 37 |
|---|---|
| Time | 15 minutes |
| Per question | 24 seconds |
| Negative marking | No |
| Answer style | Typed numeric answer, no calculator |
| Where it sits | Assessment practice · aptitude + problem solving |
What it tests, with a worked example
Every example below is generated by Outcry, drawn from the same question generators the timed drills run. None of them is Mako’s.
Two-digit multiplication
Products you are expected to reach by splitting rather than by long multiplication.
Example 1
16 × 24
Answer 384
(20−4)(20+4) = 20² − 4² = 400 − 16 = 384.
Example 2
45 × 55
Answer 2475
(50−5)(50+5) = 50² − 5² = 2500 − 25 = 2475.
Example 3
6/7 × 14
Answer 12
14 ÷ 7 = 2, then × 6 = 12.
Fast division
Exact quotients where the divisor is chosen to make a shortcut available.
Example 1
125% of 32
Answer 40
Swap it: 125% of 32 = 32% of 125 = 40.
Example 2
44²
Answer 1936
Anchor on 40: 44² = 40² + 2 × 40 × 4 + 16 = 1600 + 320 + 16 = 1936.
Example 3
1/3 of 18
Answer 6
18 ÷ 3 = 6, then × 1 = 6. Divide before you multiply and the numbers stay small.
Percentages both ways
A percentage of a number, and the move needed to undo one - a 20% fall needs a 25% rise.
Example
Four runners finished with no ties. Ben finished ahead of Ana. Ana finished ahead of Eli. Eli finished ahead of Femi. Who finished second?
- Ana
- Eli
- Ben
- Femi
Answer Ana
Chaining the three statements gives Ben then Ana then Eli then Femi, so second place is Ana.
Fractions and decimals
Converting between the two on sight, and reducing without pencil work.
Example 1
25% of 25% of 400
Answer 25
Multiply the fractions first: 25% × 25% = 6.25%, and 6.25% of 400 = 25.
Example 2
352 ÷ 11
Answer 32
11 × 32 = 352, so the quotient is 32.
Example 3
25% of 50% of 400
Answer 50
Multiply the fractions first: 25% × 50% = 12.5%, and 12.5% of 400 = 50.
Mixed operations under a clock
Several steps in one item, where the order you take them decides whether it fits in the time.
Example 1
73.46 + 7.08 = ?
Answer 80.54
73.46 + 7.08 = 80.54.
Example 2
After a 50% rise a price is 90. What was it before?
Answer 60
Divide, do not subtract: 90/1.5 = 60.
Example 3
337 × 5 = ?
Answer 1685
× 5 is × 10 ÷ 2: 3,370/2 = 1,685.
Squares and near-squares
Products a step either side of a square, where the difference-of-squares identity is faster than multiplying.
Example 1
9 6 6 6 9 6 3 8 8 1 2 7
How many entries match the entry 1 place before them?
Answer 3
The matches land at positions 3, 4, 9 - 3 in all.
Example 2
A 58 × 99 B 42 × 56 C 85 × 46 D 53 × 81
Which of these products is the largest?
- C
- D
- A
- B
Answer A
A = 5,742, B = 2,352, C = 3,910, D = 4,293, so A is the largest. Rounding each pair to the nearest ten separates them without multiplying anything out exactly.
Example 3
46 58 16 30 19
Halve every even number. Triple every odd number and add 1. What do the results add to?
Answer 133
46→23, 58→29, 16→8, 30→15, 19→58, which adds to 133.
What a good score looks like
Use this mock’s score and worked review to identify skills to practise. No Outcry score guarantees a pass or a hiring outcome; a current employer threshold for this practice paper has not been verified.
How to train for it
- 01Drill the arithmetic cold, untimed, until you stop making careless errors. Speed on top of shaky accuracy is worth negative marks on a paper that subtracts.
- 02Add the clock and hold the accuracy. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one the screen measures.
- 03Learn a handful of identities rather than more speed: difference of squares, multiplying by 11, halving and doubling. They convert a hard item into an easy one.
TRAIN IT HERE
The drills that match each section
Arithmetic Drill
2.5 timed minutes of exactly this question mix, with a ghost of your best past run to race.
Duck Duck Dash
Endless mental-math runner - one mistake ends the run, and the questions climb through ten difficulty tiers.
Sequence Sprint
Pattern recognition under the same per-question time pressure.
SIT THE FULL BATTERY
All the sections back to back on one clock, marked the way the real screen marks them, with a by-skill breakdown at the end. Included with any pass.
Also reported at Mako
Common questions
- Is this Mako’s official aptitude test test?
- No. Outcry generates its own questions. Mako’s cited graduate engineering application-process block lists aptitude and problem-solving tests. It does not confirm the trading mock’s exact format or separately numbered trading rounds. Outcry runs 37 questions in 15 minutes, then 28 in 30 minutes. Those counts, clocks and marking are practice settings.
- How long is this aptitude test practice section?
- 37 questions in 15 minutes in the Outcry mock. These are practice settings unless the source check explicitly confirms them.
- How is the practice marked?
- Correct answers earn 1 mark unless the question states another weight. Wrong answers lose 0; unanswered items lose 0, including timeouts. These rules apply to this mock.
- Where can I check the employer’s process?
- See the public source check on the linked assessment. Your role-specific invitation governs the actual format, permitted tools and scoring.