PRACTICE GUIDE SIG
SIG Mental Math Practice Test
Susquehanna (SIG) does not publish the shape of its mental math screen, and candidates describe it as 60 to 80 questions in 8 to 10 minutes, roughly about 6 to 10 seconds per question, answered by typing the number, with no calculator.
Those are ranges across firms running this format rather than Susquehanna (SIG)'s own figures, so treat them as the shape to train against and check the instruction screen on the day for the marking rule.
Outcry is not affiliated with Susquehanna (SIG) 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 Susquehanna (SIG)’s own.
What it screens
A global quantitative trading firm famous for teaching decision-making through poker.
- ✓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 Susquehanna (SIG)
A global quantitative trading firm famous for teaching decision-making through poker. What that means for the screen is that the questions tend to be drawn from the work rather than from a textbook, so the format below is the shape to train against rather than a syllabus.
Candidates also report 4 other screens at Susquehanna (SIG), covered separately on this site. Where a firm runs several, they usually sit in one round rather than spread across the process, so the pacing of the whole set matters more than any single section.
The format
Susquehanna (SIG) does not publish this screen's shape, and it varies between firms, so these are the ranges candidates report rather than exact figures.
| Questions | 60 to 80 |
|---|---|
| Time | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Per question | about 6 to 10 seconds |
| Negative marking | Varies by firm and year |
| Answer style | Typed numeric answer, no calculator |
| Where it sits | First round, before any interview |
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 Susquehanna (SIG)’s.
Two-digit multiplication
Products you are expected to reach by splitting rather than by long multiplication.
Example 1
12 × 4 − 15
Answer 33
12 × 4 = 48; 48 − 15 = 33.
Example 2
5/12 × 156
Answer 65
156 ÷ 12 = 13, then × 5 = 65.
Example 3
16 × 24
Answer 384
(20−4)(20+4) = 20² − 4² = 400 − 16 = 384.
Percentages both ways
A percentage of a number, and the move needed to undo one - a 20% fall needs a 25% rise.
Example
Which word is closest in meaning to TRANSIENT?
- edible
- rectangular
- hourly
- short-lived
Answer short-lived
TRANSIENT and short-lived both mean not lasting. Nothing else offered is close: rectangular means shaped like a rectangle, edible means safe to eat, hourly means happening every hour.
Fractions and decimals
Converting between the two on sight, and reducing without pencil work.
Example 1
40% of 50% of 800
Answer 160
Multiply the fractions first: 40% × 50% = 20%, and 20% of 800 = 160.
Example 2
76 × 45
Answer 3420
Halve one side and double the other: 76 × 45 = 38 × 90 = 3420.
Example 3
0.25 × 24
Answer 6
0.25 is 1 quarters. 24 ÷ 4 = 6, so 1 × 6 = 6.
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
3^5 = ?
Answer 243
3^5 = 243, so 3^5 = 243.
Example 2
14/16 as a decimal, three decimal places?
Answer 0.875
1/16 = 0.063, so 14/16 = 0.875.
Example 3
2/11 of 440 = ?
Answer 80
440 ÷ 11 = 40, times 2 = 80.
Knowing when to skip
On a negatively marked paper an item you cannot see a route through is worth leaving.
Additive chains
Long sums and differences where grouping to round numbers beats working left to right.
Example 1
489 × 99 = ?
Answer 48411
× 99 is × 100 minus one: 48,900 - 489 = 48,411.
Example 2
35% of 240 = ?
Answer 84
1% of 240 is 2.4, so 35% is 84.
Example 3
7% of 220 = ?
Answer 15.4
1% of 220 is 2.2, so 7% is 15.4.
What a good score looks like
Candidates most often report a pass mark around 70 per cent of the questions attempted correctly, with the strongest scores well above that. Nothing here is a published figure: firms move these by role, region and year, and most never state them at all.
How to train for it
- 01Add the clock and hold the accuracy. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one the screen measures.
- 02Sit a full timed screen end to end, so the pacing decisions happen under the same pressure as the real thing.
- 03Work the operation you avoid. Almost everyone has one - long division, or fractions, or subtraction with a borrow - and it is where the dropped marks cluster.
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 Susquehanna (SIG)
Common questions
- Is the SIG mental math test multiple choice?
- Reported as typed numeric answer, no calculator. Formats move, so treat this as the shape rather than a guarantee.
- How long is the SIG mental math test?
- Candidates report 60 to 80 questions in 8 to 10 minutes, roughly about 6 to 10 seconds per question.
- Is there negative marking on the SIG mental math test?
- It varies by firm and by year. Where a paper does mark negatively, skipping beats guessing; where it does not, answer everything. Check the instruction screen before you start - it is always stated there.
- How do I practise for it free?
- Every drill linked on this page is free to play, with no account, inside a daily run cap. Questions are generated fresh each run, so there is nothing to memorise between attempts.