// ZETAMAC ALTERNATIVE
The Zetamac Alternative for Quant Interviews
Zetamac is the arithmetic game every trading candidate grinds, and for raw speed it is excellent. But a real screen is not a silent two-minute sprint: it marks wrong answers down, mixes fractions and percentages, and in the later rounds someone is talking while you compute. Outcry trains those parts too.
Zetamac vs Outcry Arcade, side by side
| Feature | Zetamac | Outcry Arcade |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic speed drill | Yes, and it is its core: configurable ranges, two-minute default | Yes: free mental math drill, no account needed |
| Negative marking | No: the score counts correct answers only | Yes: +1 / -1 / 0 on timed sections, so skipping is a skill you practise |
| Fractions, decimals and percentages | No: integer operations | Yes: mixed the way 80-in-8 style screens mix them |
| Firm-style mock screens | No | 34 timed mocks modelled on reported Optiver, SIG, Citadel, Mako and DRW formats |
| Sensory distraction | None: a silent form on a blank page | The Pit: room noise, a spoken interviewer and a running clock |
| Interface | Flat 2D text form | 3D open-outcry trading floor plus 2D timed drills |
| Speaking under pressure | No | Yes: quote a two-sided market out loud by mic, or type it |
| Price | Free | Drills free; full access $69.99 for one month, nothing renews |
Where 2D silent tools fall short
Speed in a quiet room is a different skill from speed under load. A screen with negative marking punishes the guess you would make on Zetamac without thinking, and a live round adds an interviewer who interrupts, asks you to explain, and moves the numbers while you work.
None of that is a criticism of Zetamac: it does one job and does it well. It just stops at the point where most candidates who fail actually fail.
What Outcry adds
- 80-in-8 style sittings with the reported marking: right +1, wrong -1, skip 0, no going back.
- The Pit: a 3D open-outcry floor where you make a market out loud while the room talks over you.
- Firm-by-firm mock screens, from Optiver's battery to Mako's 24-seconds-an-item aptitude test.
- Brain teasers with full written proofs, and Screwy Pirates free to play.
When Zetamac is enough
If your screen is a pure integer arithmetic sprint with no penalty and no live round after it, Zetamac alone is a fine way to prepare. Use it alongside Outcry's free drill for warm-ups. If your process includes a penalised numerical test or a market-making round, train those under their own rules.
Train under the pressure Zetamac leaves out
Start with the free mental math drill, or open everything, including the 3D pit, for $69.99.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zetamac good enough for the Optiver 80-in-8?
It builds the raw speed, but it has no negative marking and no fractions or percentages, both of which candidates report on 80-in-8 style screens. Practise those rules separately before the real test.
What score on Zetamac do trading firms expect?
Firms do not use Zetamac scores. They use their own timed tests. Treat a Zetamac score as a speed benchmark, then practise the format of the test you are actually sitting.
Is Outcry free?
The mental math, sequences and classic Fermi drills are free, and so is the Screwy Pirates simulator. Every game, all the mock screens and the 3D pit open with a pass from $69.99 for one month, with nothing renewing.
Related
Zetamac and TraderMath are trademarks of their respective owners. This comparison describes their publicly available versions as reviewed in October 2026; if something here is out of date, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.